Sculptures, sleeves and swanky suits: What stars wore to the 77th BAFTA Film Awards

Another star-spangled night was underway this weekend, drawing global personalities out of Hollywood to crash land on the steps of The Royal Festival Hall in London, where the 77th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) took place.

The event, presented by beloved British actor and former Doctor Who David Tennant, played host to an array of talent who headed to the red carpet adorned in all their glitzy wares before taking their seat ahead of the show’s beginning. From melodramatic sleeves to striking capes, there was no shortage of suitable theatrics on the carpet. Here is FashionUnited’s rundown of what trends led the way.

All about the sleeves

While the event itself remained, unlike ones before, relatively drama-free, with both Tennant and the honourees remaining somewhat predictably entertaining, it was in the looks that the commotion really happened. This was particularly true for the choice of gowns by many attendees, some of whom opted to channel all their fever into the sleeves. Lily Collins’ Tamara Ralph look, for example, combined a highly detailed, sculptural rose neckline with similarly floral, puffed-up sleeving that fell off the shoulder.

Leading actress winner Emma Stone, meanwhile, referenced her now multi-award winning character from Poor Things, Bella Baxter, in her Louis Vuitton gown, which, like Baxter herself, favoured bustling shapes and contrasting textures drawing on Renaissance qualities. Diverging from this was the brand’s look for Cate Blanchett, who adorned a sleeker frame, albeit still with statement sleeving that came strong and structured.

For Sophie Ellis-Bextor, however, it really was all about the sleeves. The singer’s Antonio Riva piece, while delicate and shimmery throughout the body, came to a head in the floor-length, flared sleeving that hung under the weight of heavily fringed cuffs.

Suiting delight

Though we can always rely on the dresses to turn some heads, the BAFTA red carpet also seemed to be the place for statement suiting. Attendees shook up the confines of tailoring this awards’ season with varying twists on classic silhouettes, bringing a new breath of life to the typical red carpet wardrobe. This was largely seen in an infusion of colour, as exhibited by Ryan Gosling’s Gucci number, complete with piping details in the brand’s staple Rossa Ancora, or Andrew Scott’s fully scarlet red Berluti tuxedo. Saltburn’s Barry Keoghan also opted for colour, sporting a utilitarian-like Burberry getup of a cropped jacket and trousers.

Following Gosling, Gucci continued to have its moment on the carpet, as both Kingsley Ben-Adir and Paul Mescal also opted for the Italian house – Mescal in a custom AW24 two-piece with white intarsia on the blazer’s lapel, Ben-Adir in a wool tuxedo and Horsebit loafers. Maestro star Bradley Cooper, on the other hand, took to the event in a long-form, fitted peacoat by Louis Vuitton, under which a pair of flared trousers peeked out.

Corsetry and capes

In keeping with the theatrics of Renaissance-era fashion, it was clearly the night for capes and corsetry at the BAFTAs. Florence Pugh offered up a more futuristic iteration of this in her custom Harris Reed look, which layered a deep metallic corset over a contrasting black skirt, paired with a matching shawl. The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri was another to opt for a shawl, her own being a fluffy wrap around by Bottega Veneta, which also dressed the star in a classic peach gown, a departure from her typically androgynous take on dress codes.

Supermodel Naomi Campbell also surprised viewers, attending the show in an organza flounce cape from Chanel’s AW23 haute couture collection, which had been layered over a minimalistic fitted dress. Singer-turned-actress Dua Lipa was another to experiment with the cape, her own being a one-shoulder deal by Valentino, which gathered at the neckline and trailed down her side.

Slits in fits

Cut outs gave capes a run for their money, however. Both Sophie Wilde and Sheila Atim sported looks that combined matching bralettes. Wilde’s polished Loewe piece saw the layering of separates, while Atim’s sparkly Gucci gown derived from the house’s Ancora Notte line. Normal People’s Daisy Edgar-Jones also stuck to Gucci, offering up a look that appeared to directly reference the aesthetic of the house’s new creative director Sabato De Sarno, with a leather mini skirt over a low-V, twisted overlayer.

Like Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Oppenheimer’s Emily Blunt also looked to a flared sleeve, this time in the form of a heavily embellished Elie Saab design, with triangular cutouts traversing the waist. Actress and model Amy Jackson combined all of the previously mentioned trends for her own look, bringing together sculptural shoulders, a defined corset waist and a thigh-slit in a multi-faceted gown.

Sleek and, sometimes, sequined

Even if stars made the move to London, it wouldn’t be an awards’ ceremony without a hint of Hollywood glam. This was evident in an array of – some simple, some highly detailed – polished gowns, that mostly stuck to minimalist monochrome colourways, yet still made an impression among the crowd. Sex Education’s Emma Mackey, for example, chose a strapless Chanel dress that held the appearance of a two piece, with a satin bustier and contrasting chiffon pleated skirt. Marisa Abela’s Fendi Couture look also favoured conflicting materials – a silk georgette bustier gown was combined with a lycra embroidered body.

Adorned in Louis Vuitton, Bridgerton’s Phoebe Dynevor evoked a sense of classic red carpet allure with a silky, deep-V dress that trailed the floor. Similarly, yet distinctly disparate from Dynevor, EE Rising Star Award honouree Mia McKenna-Bruce was dressed in a pre-fall 2024 Carolina Herrera look, for which the strapless bustier was intricately decorated in a rose design that trailed down into a full, A-line skirt. Margot Robbie returned to her Barbie-roots, donning an Armani piece in the doll’s famous pink that was shaped in a black velvet outline.

Sculptural wonders

The flair for drama continued into pieces that took on highly sculptural forms. Emma Corrin’s Miu Miu two-piece, for example, featured a gathered top alongside the brand’s staple mini skirt, this time elevated with oversized bow details and a chiffon overlay. For her own look, Sandra Hüller also took on a gathered shape, this time heading up towards the neck from the waistline, from which the shimmery material draped into a train. Saltburn director Emerald Fennell’s neckline, meanwhile, withheld sculptural florals down the chest, each highlighted in sparkly embroidery and beaded chains.