Suki Waterhouse announced her pregnancy with Robert Pattinson in a sparkly pink dress on stage in Mexico, so her first red-carpet appearance since the happy news broke the internet was always going to be major. With every brand lining up to dress the actor and orchestrate their own Rihanna-esque maternity style moment, Waterhouse threw a curveball by shopping the high street for the Fashion Awards 2023.
Her dramatic red tulle gown from the H&M Studio Holiday capsule is yours to buy (minus the subtle train added for Royal Albert Hall drama) for £279.99 from 7 December. The most elevated edit in H&M’s vast output, the Studio line homes in on “timeless eveningwear pieces – the bias-cut slip dress, the beautifully-cut blazer, the corset – that you turn to time and time again when party season comes around,” says Ann-Sofie Johansson, head of design womenswear and creative advisor, who signed Waterhouse after falling for her “generosity of spirit and confident approach to fashion.”
Suki, a “high-street girl at heart”, loved playing dress-up with the team – “I think I’m actually wearing four dresses in one,” she shares of adapting the original design to suit her now – and notes her hybrid H&M confection is “incredibly easy and comfortable to wear” in comparison to last year’s silver sequined number. “I had to be unfastened mid-way through dinner,” she laughs. “This one is breathable.” Some specially designed undergarments added an extra layer of support underneath all that tulle, while Aquazurra heels and a heavy sprinkling of Tiffany & Co. jewellery made Suki feel like the performer she is.
“The red carpet is some crazy performative activity, which is very strange and alien – I love it!,” says the singer, who flew in from LA to attend the celebration during her favourite time of year in London. “The very English spirit makes me smile, there’s a buzz in the air.”
An appointment with Fatma Shaheen at Skin Design London was an essential pitstop to avoid, as Suki says, feeling like a “fossil” on the red carpet, while a trim from her hairstylist John Nollet, who jetted in from Paris to cut her bangs, and dewy make-up by Florrie White ensured no traces of jet lag were visible. “The anxiety-inducing part comes after,” admits the 31-year-old of watching the photographs filter through social media. For Waterhouse, who has a distinct glow about her, there was never anything to worry about.