Between starring in Game Of Thrones, three Fast & Furious films, Megalopolis and The Killer, it would seem that Nathalie Emmanuel has hardly stopped for breath in the past decade. It’s little wonder, then, that ELLE UK found the British actor making the most of some well-deserved downtime in a sprawling suite of The Londoner Hotel ahead of Wednesday night’s ELLE Style Awards.
Having recently emerged from the spa, the star was clad in a fluffy white robe, listening to the soothing sounds of Khruangbin, surrounded by her much-loved team and sitting happily through the hours-long process of weaving waist-length gold locks into her hair – the last moments of calm before the Style Awards storm. Just a few hours later, Emmanuel was back in the thick of it, sitting down to dinner at Sessions Arts Club alongside top designers, fellow actors and tastemakers, in a dazzling head-to-toe Stella McCartney look for a night of champagne-fuelled celebration.
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But first, the actor sat down for an interview with ELLE UK to talk personal style, red carpet regrets, what happened when she met Oprah, and why she doesn’t follow fashion rules…
On her look for the night
‘I’m wearing Stella McCartney tonight. It’s a very backless, chiffon-y, flowy dress with burgundy lip prints all over it and then matching burgundy slingback shoes. I’m a big fan of Stella McCartney, I went to her Paris show recently and was like, “I need to be wearing more of her designs!” She’s so cool. I loved this dress as soon as I put it on, it felt interesting, really high glam but comfortable and easy too. I’m a big fan of that: fashion doesn’t always have to be painful. This just felt effortless, cool and edgy all at once. I’m accessorising with gold jewellery from Mejuri, having fun with some chunky rings and earrings. I actually wear a chain necklace from the brand most days, it’s great.’
On her glam
‘I just came from Paris for the premiere of The Killer, and after ages of having very demure nude nails, I wanted to do something fun. So I went for long gold chrome nails – they’re giving bullet, perfect for the film. I’ve kept them the same for tonight’s event, and they go really well with all my gold Mejuri jewellery. As for my hair, I’ve had it short for the last few years but I’ve been wanting to do waist-length gold locks for ages, I was just waiting for the right event. For tonight, we’ll trim them a bit and put them into an updo to contrast the backless dress. My instinct was also do a strong lip to continue the print on the dress, and keep the rest of the face more natural.’
On preparing for a big event
‘Your team is really important, and the energy that you create beforehand. We like to play music and have a relaxed but fun time without too much stress. Walking on the red carpet is a bit of a stressful thing, there are people shouting at you, you’re worrying about how you look, it’s a real sensory overload. It’s not my natural habitat, it takes a minute to get used to.’
On personal style
‘I have a tendency to go for oversized clothes. It’s a comfort thing, but I’ve also been influenced by the hip hop generation. I like to play with the masculine and the feminine, and generally mix it up. I’m open to trying pretty much anything. I was very much of that generation that lived by certain style rules, like black and brown can’t go together, black and blue don’t go, avoid red with pink, things have to match… But what we realise now is that none of that is true.
There are no limits. And there should be no limits, or strict fashion rules. Whatever makes you feel good, whatever makes you feel confident, however you want to show up that day, that’s what you should wear. The one thing I always say, though, is find a good tailor. That way, you can buy anything have it fit to you, and while it’s a bit more expensive, it means you buy fewer things. I learned the value of that at a very young age, when I went to a seamstress to make my school skirt look cooler.’
On her favourite British designers
‘Vivienne Westwood is iconic. I love her silhouettes, the corsets with the ruffles, the punk rock of it all. I also love McQueen, with all the chains, leather and grungy vibes, as well as Paul Smith, Ozwald Boateng and Christopher Kane.’
On outfit regrets
‘There have been a few things I’ve showed up to over the years having attempted to style myself, which probably wasn’t the best idea, but I don’t really regret anything I’ve worn to be honest. The only times I’ve felt any sort of regret have been when I’ve worn something really beautiful that I felt really good and happy in, and then I see certain publications talking about how “busty” I looked. It annoys me every time, it’s like the fact you’re showing your boobs even a tiny bit is apparently so outrageous and some kind of display. It’s a weird policing, which I struggle with – and that’s why I do it on occasion, just to put a bit of a middle finger up to the whole thing.’
On her red carpet style crushes
‘I’ve been really enjoying Zendaya‘s red carpet journey these last few years. Her and her stylist [Law Roach] have clearly been having fun, exploring and playing with the extremes of fashion.’
On being starstruck
‘The closest I’ve come to being totally star struck was when I was at a black women in Hollywood luncheon, and Oprah was there. My agent at the time introduced us and I was just at a total loss for words. She so sweet and talking about how much she loved Game Of Thrones, and I just had no idea how to receive that kind of compliment from Oprah. I was kind of giggling along a bit, I was completely overwhelmed. It was very quick but I remember afterwards kicking myself a bit and thinking there was so much I wish I had said.’
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