I feel super lucky to have attended the BAFTA Awards last year after an incredibly kind invitation by the BAFTA team, and walked the red carpet along with celebrities – an experience I can never possibly forget. Recently I was asked to attend the BAFTA Masterclass to find out more about what goes on behind the scenes. With Darren Kennedy hosting, he introduced us to the BAFTA sponsors Carat London, MAC, House of Fraser and Mark Hill as each of those brands help BAFTA nominees look every bit the star they are on the red carpet, and at the ceremony. It all took place at one of my favourite hotels, the very grand Corinthia hotel. After 30 minutes sipping champagne and mingling, we were seated and warmly welcomed by Darren who then introduced us to the top experts. House of Fraser design director Jakki Pay was the first expert guest to give talks, and it was all about the red carpet gowns. She talked us through the trends based on past red carpet looks and talked about her predictions. There was emphasis on “the column” which is basically the floor length gowns. Those gowns are all about slimming the body and making women look taller. The two models shown in the gallery wore dresses from House of Fraser, costing no more than £300 each, despite giving the illusion that they cost significantly more.
MAC Senior Artist Rebecca Butterworth said that the brand’s trend for this year was all about making the nominees look like themselves but the best version of themselves. It was all about subtle and light make-up, and moving away from the smokey eyes and focussing on the 60s vibes, with the classic red lips. When asked who would be her dream celeb to do make up for, she picked out Helen Mirren
Mark Hill spoke about finding the right look for the right individual as we all have different types of hair – we all have different textures, different colours. He also stressed on how hair has the ability to influence how you feel, which is completely true in my case as when my hair looks terrible it does affect my confidence and mood. How you style your hair also depends on the occasion as the look for the Brit Awards would be different to the BAFTA Awards, which is all about the glam. He produced two very beautiful looks for the two models pictured above and below.
No red carpet look can possibly be completed without the jewellery. Mo Mohsenin from CARAT London told us about the importance of strikingly the right balance between the dress and jewellery as you don’t want to go overboard with the sparkles. Getting it right can be a very tricky business. A statement jewellery piece would work much more effectively with a simple gown instead of a heavily embellished one.
There was also an in-depth interview with the big boss of BAFTA, the lovely CEO Amanda Berry and actress Ophelia Lovibond talking about preparations, dressing up and personal experiences of red carpet glamour. Preparing weeks in advance is always crucial as trying a new look for the first time on the big day can quite easily be disastrous, and that’s never how you want to remember a special occasion, particularly when the world’s press is looking at you.
After the interview there was more mingling and we could speak to the experts. I had a really good chat with Rebecca Butterworth, who I met last year and then met Mark Hill for the very first time. He kindly gave me some advice on my own hair – who doesn’t like expert tips? I was offered a full on complimentary body spray tan by St. Tropez but sadly didn’t have time to stick around for too much longer!
My gosh, the award trophy was much heavier than I expected – even after Kylie had warned me about the weight, when she lifted it before me. It felted every bit as prestigious as it looked. Thank you to BAFTA for the most wonderful afternoon!
