Jessie Buckley and Teyana Taylor bring drama to the Bafta red carpet
By Prudence Wade, Press Association
Irish star Jessie Buckley brought a welcome splash of colour to the Bafta red carpet in a Grecian-style gown.
Buckley – who is hotly tipped to win the best actress award for her role in Hamnet – was one of the many stars descending on London’s Royal Festival Hall for the 79th British Academy Film Awards.
Buckley wore an electric blue dress with a high neckline, bedazzled brooches on the shoulders and an unexpected scooped back.
She was not the only star taking a risk on the red carpet, with another standout look belonging to Teyana Taylor.
Taylor, who is nominated for best supporting actress for One Battle After Another, flexed her style muscles in a dramatic brown outfit.
The coat-style dress featured a high collar that reached past her ears, ruching and a long train.
The trend for risque outfits dominated elsewhere on the red carpet.
Emma Stone, who is nominated for best actress for her role in Bugonia, braved the February London weather in a black dress featuring a halter-neck, a keyhole cut-out and a daring backless design.
She paired the racy ensemble with delicate earrings and a loose chignon.
She was not the only star opting for a backless outfit on the red carpet.
Carey Mulligan – who is nominated for best supporting actress for her role in The Ballad Of Wallis Island – wore a navy halterneck that was backless save for one thin strap, paired with a relaxed bob hairstyle.
Rose Byrne, who is nominated for best actress for her role in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, opted for a pale yellow Miu Miu dress.
Her backless gown featured delicate sequinning on the bodice, thin bedazzled straps and was worn with a sleek updo and statement earrings.
Kerry Washington, perhaps best known for her role in TV series Scandal, wore a daring navy gown to the awards. The Prada dress featured a floral sequined pattern on the bodice, a voluminous chiffon skirt and another statement backless design.
Up-and-comer Chase Infiniti, who is nominated for best actress for her role in director Paul Thomas Anderson’s film One Battle After Another, as well as the EE Rising Star Award, continued her red carpet relationship with luxury French fashion house Louis Vuitton.
Infiniti wore a burgundy-coloured gown featuring a strapless design and a dramatic fishtail. She accessorised the look simply, with a soft updo and chose long diamond earrings instead of a necklace.
Adolescence star Erin Doherty wore an unusual structured look, also by Louis Vuitton: a black dress with a statement skirt and low neckline.
The shape is reminiscent of the turquoise dress the actress wore to the Critics Choice Awards in January, showing she is unafraid of taking style risks on the red carpet.
Norwegian actress Renate Reinsve – also up for the leading actress prize for her role in Sentimental Value – bared a daring amount of skin in a Louis Vuitton dress with a geometric cut-out.
Emily Watson, who is nominated for best supporting actress for her role as Mary Shakespeare in Hamnet, kept things simple but elegant in a chocolate-brown gown with a low boat neckline and matching train.
The dress had long sleeves and was accessorised with an relaxed updo and a diamond necklace.
Stranger Things star Sadie Sink, who is set to star in Romeo And Juliet on the West End in March, wore a structured sage backless gown with her red hair left loose.
Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who starred in Doctor Who spin-off The War Between The Land And The Sea, brought some sunshine to the red carpet in a pink sequinned Giorgio Armani gown.
The style of the dress was simple, with a deep-V, a form-fitting silhouette and a leg slit.
Swedish actress Alicia Vikander, perhaps best known for her role as Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider series – also opted for a deep-V neckline.
Her pale blue Louis Vuitton gown featured a triangular cutout at the ribs and was fully encrusted in sequins, bringing some texture and interest to the look.
American actress Maggie Gyllenhaal wore a black long-sleeve gown with sparkly detailing on the sleeves, paired with a red lip.
WandaVision star Kathryn Hahn wore a bright all-red look, with all-over ruching, a high neck and long sleeves.
The Bafta red carpet was not short of daring menswear. Alan Cumming, actor and host of The Traitors US, took on presenting duties for the Baftas this year and walked the red carpet in a modern take on traditional suiting.
His black overcoat – worn on top of a black shirt and trousers – had a splash of white at the bottom, and was covered in long fringing. The monochromatic outfit had a welcome injection of colour thanks to dyed pink, blue and white coloured curls in his gelled-down hair, and was completed with a statement brooch instead of a tie.
Irish star Paul Mescal, who is nominated for best actor for his role in Hamnet, wore loose-fitting black suit with a simple white shirt underneath, accompanied by partner Gracie Abrams.
Meanwhile, Timothee Chalamet – known for being a daring dresser – kept things simple with a loose-fitting all-black tuxedo.
Riz Ahmed, who has just starred in a contemporary South Asian take on Hamlet, wore a double-breasted pinstripe suit with flared trousers and no shirt underneath.
