The last two years have been something of a whirlwind for Laura Harrier. The 29-year-old actress and model shot to fame in 2017 as Liz Allan in Spider-Man: Homecoming and in 2018 won the praise of critics with her memorable turn as civil rights activist Patrice Dumas in Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman. Since then, she has fronted campaigns for Louis Vuitton, become a Bulgari ambassador and starred in a short film for Kenzo. The fashion world is equally enamoured with her red-carpet appearances, which have ranged from slip dresses by The Row at Cannes to fresh-off-the-runway Louis Vuitton for her first-ever Met Gala last year.
How to up the ante this time around? With a custom look, of course: a black leather minidress designed for the occasion by Nicolas Ghesquière. Add to that some Bulgari jewellery and a dramatic new crop crafted by hairstylist Jennifer Yepez, and you have a look that cements her reputation as a red-carpet star. Below, Harrier’s stylist Danielle Nachmani breaks down her Met Gala ensemble for Vogue, and highlights the details that are worth a closer look.
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“We have a great relationship with Nicolas and his design team, and we’ve worked together many times before. My favourite thing about working with him is the level of attention to detail and tailoring. It’s been a hallmark of Nicolas’s work throughout his career and it’s a privilege to experience it first-hand. He’s also great at tapping into a theme but still making it cool and modern. I love the structure of this dress and because it’s mini, I think it feels more unexpected.”
“There’s leopard-print detailing on the shoulders of the dress, crystal detailing on the front pockets and a large bow on the back. I’m also excited about the Bulgari jewellery, which is from the archive collection. The earrings are yellow gold and diamond, and they’re winged, which plays off the shape of the back of the dress.”
“For Laura, the Met Gala is somewhere she wants to have fun, and I think it was really important to her that we just went for it! During awards season, she has to represent herself as a serious actress, but at the Met it’s really about honouring the designers and the theme. It’s all about the fashion and Laura’s proven herself to be a master of the red carpet. I want her to enjoy it.”
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“I’m sure the internet will think that Laura has cut all her hair off, but it’s actually a wig! I wanted to go with this pixie crop because it’s something people haven’t seen on her before. We’ve been planning the look for months and we kept trying to find a moment to do it during awards season. We were going to do it for the Oscars, but at the very last minute we decided to save it for the Met Gala. It really works with the dress and with the make-up, which is very bold and on theme.”
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“We wanted to really play up the concept of camp. I think this look really hits the mark. It’s daring and exciting and needs to be worn at just the right moment – and there couldn’t be a more appropriate moment than this.”
*Related: see all the Met Gala 2019 dresses from the red carpet *