Nicola Coughlan, Barbie and Bridgerton star walked the red carpet this last Thursday in a sustainable dress with a fantastic backstory.
When Nicola first found out that she had been cast for the new Barbie movie she was just bubbling with excitement. “I was a huge Barbie fan as a little girl,” the actor tells Vogue ahead of the film’s London premiere. “To even be a tiny part of this movie is incredible.”
When Nicola spoke with Jacqueline (clothing designer for the Barbie Movie) about her input on what she would like to wear for her role as Diplomat Barbie, she told Jacqueline that she used to have a sparkly-eyed Barbie doll. After hearing this, they soon went to work on putting together a look inspired by Nicola’s childhood doll.
For the Barbie London premiere, Coughlan wanted to pay tribute to her costume in the film.
“When this first came about, I was like, ‘This is going to be the funnest red carpet’,” the actor explains. “I thought it’d be amazing to reference the look from the movie, so when I spoke to [stylist] Aimee [Croysdill], I said I’d love to wear something silver and inspired by [the Sparkle Eyes Barbie].”
The two of them then reached out to Wiederhoeft, (a New York City based designer)after seeing his unique metallic designs. The result of this ended up being a silver corseted gown covered head to toe in little glass crystals. The crystals are supposed to represent the sparkly-eyed Barbie that Nicola used to love.
Wiederhoeft explains. “I’m excited to have Nicola in a really signature look – corsetry and embroidery are two mainstays of the brand.”
The dress is made from Tencel, which is a sustainable wood based fiber. Making the dress eco-friendly was a massive request from Nicola for the Barbie premiere look. “I pitched the idea to Tencel after seeing the film Fashion Reimagined, which follows designer Amy Powney [as she] creates a sustainable collection,” Croysdill says. “She inspired me so much to try and make my processes as sustainable as I can.”
