There are few places in the world more scenic than Venice. This is only amplified during the annual international film festival, when the floating city is filled with A-list stars decked out in diamonds and couture, giving it an additional cinematic quality.
So, when it came to deciding on a time and place for the unveiling of Aston Martin’s much-anticipated new Vanquish – a car famously driven by one of film’s most iconic characters, James Bond – there was nowhere more fitting to celebrate this symbiotic relationship between cinema and luxury cars (the timing of the Italian Grand Prix, just one day earlier, also felt particularly fortuitous). The British brand feted the occasion with a star-studded dinner at the Arsenale di Venezia, an historic Italian navy shipyard, attended by everyone from George and Amal Clooney to former Bond himself, Daniel Craig.
The American actress Haley Bennett was one such guest at the dinner, and one of the first to see the new Vanquish up-close. “It’s very glamorous here in in Venice,” she told us. “There’s no film festival like this one. It’s completely magical. The smell of the sea, the air, the food, the wine, the colours of the sky… I’m just getting lost in the clouds.”
We caught up with the actress as she prepared to attend the Aston Martin dinner, to discuss how style is a form of storytelling, the power of contradiction, and why what we wear really matters…
Talk us through the dress that you’re wearing this evening.
“I’m wearing De La Vali – my stylist Rose Ford and I chose this dress. We don’t really choose dresses based on designers, we choose dresses based on how they fit the body, how comfortable I feel in them, and I really wanted to appear this evening as though I belong to Venice.”
What do you look for in fashion and clothing?
“I’m interested in atypical beauty and I want to create worlds away from our own – that’s what I love about filmmaking. It’s also important to me to be and play like a child, like my daughter! She’s five. I want to always be delighted. But yet also, the woman in me, the realist in me, is drawn to naturalism and authenticity. I want to deal with things the way that they are, and I realise that that is a contradiction… But I like contradiction, even in the manner in which I dress myself. This gown that we chose for this evening is a combination of glamour, romance and nonchalance. It almost feels a little disheveled, as if it will fall away with the pull of a string. The look is ‘slightly disheveled femme fetale’.
“I really prefer sensuality when there’s a little humour, or something other than sweetness or prettiness. That’s why I love Venice. It’s got a story, it’s got layers. It’s not just beautiful – it’s mysterious. It’s full of contradictions and surprises.”
How much does the event you’re attending impact what you’re going to wear?
“I love storytelling, so I like to always bring that into how I dress. It’s all about kind of a playfulness and giving a little nod of my hat to the event – whether it be an Aston Martin dinner or a film premiere. I want to give a little nod to the city or to have a little storytelling involved.
“Tonight I have the pleasure of joining Aston Martin to experience the global unveiling of the new Vanquish, set amidst the starry backdrop of the city’s International film festival. It’s a very prestigious location.”
How involved do you tend to be in the styling process?
“It’s always a collaboration. We do mood boards, and go back and forth together. Rose is very, very creative. Her imagination is very much alive and aligned with the way that I work.”
What kind of fashion makes you feel most confident?
“Anything with contradictions. I like the storytelling aspect of fashion and I love dressing up.”
How has your personal style evolved over the years?
“Most of the time I’m just in baggy clothes and in the garden! So having these opportunities to be my most glamorous self is such a pleasure. It’s the pleasure of play. My daughter never recognises me! She loves all the characters I get to play in film or on the red carpet.”
Is there anyone who’s style you’ve always admired?
“I’ve been enjoying watching the all of the [Venice Film Festival] looks from Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Julianne Moore. I also really love the costume designer Edith Head – so it’s not really her personal style, I suppose. I love her storytelling and the specificity that she always portrayed in film. I also love Frida Kahlo and how she liked to make herself art.”
What’s your ideal getting-ready set-up?
“I really like a very calm, meditative space. Music helps, or sounds of nature. Actually, I really like music with sounds of nature. I recently went to Greece on a retreat and did a sound bath. I’ve never tried a sound bath getting ready but maybe I should…
“Today we didn’t really need music because we had a choir of these sounds of Italy; the gondolas and the sounds of the water hitting the walls of the canals. They also like to sing, so you had the gondolier singing in Italian. I love the sound of Italian speakers. So it was very meditative indeed, very atmospheric.”
Why does what we wear, matter?
“It’s a reflection of the times. It’s a reflection of how we feel. It’s a projection of personal expression and of the people we dream to be.”
