The Baftas’ biggest drama is the red carpet fashion battle

Paddington in a duffel coat, a prince and princess putting on a brave face in black tie: the red carpet provided as much theatre as the awards themselves. Paul Mescal punctuated his entrance with a kiss for Gracie Abrams, his Prada shirt’s frayed rolled cuffs and Henley collar lending the air of someone who had walked straight from the Globe.

Method dressing is the new power dressing—think Hamnet-core, from Archie Madekwe’s doublet-shaped Dior jacket to Elizabeth-adjacent sparkly ruffs. The Baftas may not take themselves as seriously as the Oscars, but the event can still transform an actor’s career and bank balance, and much of that action happens on the red carpet.

Awards-season dressing has become a pay-to-play arm of the industry, with actors routinely remunerated for moonlighting as models. Fashion now plays into press-tour storytelling—Barbie and Marty Supreme have shown how a compelling red-carpet look can feed a film’s award momentum—and political peacocking has become part of the game.

baftas, red carpet, fashion, paul mescal, gracie abrams, prada, archie madekwe, dior, awards season, method dressing