Top 10 red carpet looks from 2021, from Daniel Craig to Angelina Jolie
Phoebe Waller-Bridge looks about nine feet tall in this fabulous Azzarro coat and jumpsuit. It is interesting just how few women opt to wear anything with trousers on the red carpet to evening events — the allure of couture gowns must be too strong for us still. And by 'us' I mean the people interested in what’s happening on red carpets, because I’m sure plenty of actresses would be happy to have full and flexible use of their feet and legs at these events.
Phoebe was screenwriter for No Time To Die so she celebrated the world premiere in London in September. Screenwriters tend to look pretty low-key. Let’s hope Phoebe proceeds in the other direction for the rest of her career.
Daniel Craig’s Bond was blond, cool, and did not care how his martini was mixed. I’d like to think he would have embraced pink if he’d starred in a sixth film.
The man himself impressed fashion editors everywhere with this double-breasted raspberry velvet jacket by Anderson & Sheppard, tailors to the Prince of Wales. Crockett & Jones black patent dress shoes, a white Turnbull & Asser shirt, trousers from Henry Poole & Co and a gold Seamaster Aqua Terra by Swiss watch experts Omega made up the rest of this look, which may be his most memorable to date.
Carey Mulligan distracted from every statue at the Academy Awards in April. The warm yellow gold sequins all over her Valentino couture made it a sunnier choice than the many metallic looks we saw this year.
The gown is embroidered with thousands of iridescent sequins with pearl reflections and took 350 hours' work at the brand’s Rome atelier to perfect. Creative director, Pierpaolo Piccioli, named it 'Debora, Giuseppe, Nina, Paola D' after the staff who worked on it. Cartier tourmaline and sapphire earrings and a Tyler Ellis clutch completed the look.
Ryan Reynolds’ Dolce is not the boldest three-piece we saw on the red carpet this year, but there is something to be said for making a suit that most men would deem wearable look this good. As a woman, your goal in dressing up for an evening out is never to hear a man say 'that’s a great dress'. You know it is, that’s why you chose it, and success is hearing how great you look. The dress is not wearing you. Tellingly, few women looking at this photo are saying 'oh, that’s a nice suit'. They’re calling Blake Lively lucky.
Kaley Cuoco’s neon yellow Vera Wang gown was a brave choice for the Emmys in September. This Sharpie shade is such a challenging colour and her hair and complexion are light enough to wash out. Ms Wang herself wore a simpler version to celebrate her 72nd birthday in June and was widely celebrated on social media, which may have given Kaley confidence.
This delicately detailed gown was made especially for The Flight Attendant star and Athletic Propulsion Labs sent a matching pair of trainers for when she didn’t feel like wearing heels. The actress told Instagram followers that she burst into happy tears the first time she put it on. DeBeers diamonds and Le Silla stilettos completed the look.
Anya Taylor-Joy wore so many beautiful Dior couture gowns this year — the brand ambassador seems to favour bold, block colours. Relaxed by comparison, Rodarte’s rose and heart-print dress is whimsical but still chic.
The dual crises of a global health pandemic and raging California wildfires pushed designers Kate and Lauren Mulleavy back into their pre-famous state: at home, together, with only the sources they could find indoors to help create a spring collection. This gown and duster have a domestic innocence about them, it’s a refreshingly ‘make do and mend’ look.
Gemma Chan wore gold at the Cannes Film Festival in July. Oscar de la Renta’s long been famous for flowers (you may have seen Anna Wintour, the late designer’s old friend, in a floral cotton poplin design at this year’s Met Gala), and this gown — formed of a gold sequinned floral print on mesh — is such a fantastic celebration of their house style. The original design is a cocktail dress with a pixie hem, the train was added especially for Gemma.
The dress is part of de la Renta’s Spring 2022 collection. Spring florals can be groundbreaking, no matter what The Devil Wears Prada’s Miranda Priestly told us.
Kelly green was very popular this year, and actress Yara Shahidi wore it beautifully at the Emmys.
This Dior gown is simple but so flattering. The 50s fit-and-flare style was enhanced by corset- style panelling in the bodice, a skinny belt, and chiffon shawling around the shoulders, creating a classic silhouette that must have made millions of women think they could work it too, given half a chance. Christian Louboutin ‘So Kate’ pumps and a Cartier necklace completed her look.
The formula: Angelina Jolie + Atelier Versace = red carpet perfection has been proven many times, the Eternals premiere in Rome was just the most recent. Even when she was teased for posing with her leg stretched awkwardly from that black Versace with the high split at the 2012 Oscars, no serious person could have questioned it. This platinum gown would make most actresses look lovely, the genius of putting such simple design on one of the world’s most beautiful women is that she made it look like a million dollars.
This year’s Met Gala wasn’t the most dazzling, so few guests seemed to bother with 'American independence' — the, admittedly ambiguous, dress code. Ciara gave it a decent shot in this American football-inspired look.
I doubt many ladies want to look like linebackers but she did her husband — football player Russell Wilson, whose professional number is ‘3’ — proud in this striking lime-green gown. She even went the extra mile with her accessories, which included a football-shaped Judith Leiber clutch and Wilson’s Super Bowl ring. I’m guessing the National Football League doesn’t loan jewellery to stylists and she probably made a little Met Gala history in September.Â
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