The four looks that turned Phoebe Waller-Bridge from Fleabag to fabulous: The actress and creator wows audiences and fashion critics alike with a carousel of red-carpet outfits most women can only dream about
Not so long ago, Phoebe Waller-Bridge was best known for a one-woman stage show about a sharp-tongued, grief-ridden singleton who wore comfortable jumpers, stripy tops, jeans and floral wrap dresses. Millions of British women immediately identified with her.
Scroll forward a few years and the 37-year-old Fleabag actress and creator is now every inch the style icon, wowing audiences and fashion critics alike with her carousel of red-carpet outfits ordinary women can only dream about.
On Monday, for the premiere of the new Indiana Jones movie, she looked sensational in a sleek, chainmail slip dress with a structured cape by Saudi Arabian brand Ashi Studio, before changing into a plunging vintage jumpsuit. How has she done it?
The shift appears to have started sometime around 2019, when Anna Wintour gave her the cover of American Vogue, putting her in a Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello cut-out dress.
Around the same time Waller-Bridge started working with one of Hollywood’s secret weapons — fashion stylist Elizabeth Saltzman.
Look One – The Deep Y
It’s clear that one of Waller-Bridge’s favourite body parts is the chest area, which she has the ability to highlight without it ever looking overtly sexual. At 5ft 11in she is blessed with a long, graceful chest and neck, which she shows off to great effect with a number of deep Vs. The most notable was the satin Stella McCartney slip dress she wore at the 2022 Venice Film Festival, which plunged to her midriff. It felt casual yet formal, due in part to Waller-Bridge’s decision to forgo any accessories.
However, the Roland Mouret jawdropper she wore to the Indiana Jones premiere in Germany — with a sharp, more accentuated V — felt noticeably old-school glamour.
Waller-Bridge attends the 71st Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 22, 2019 in Los Angeles, California
It’s clear that one of Waller-Bridge’s favourite body parts is the chest area, which she has the ability to highlight without it ever looking overtly sexual.
Waller-Bridge and Martin McDonagh attend the British Vogue Celebrates Vogue Darlings party at Venice Film Festival in partnership with Cartier on September 03, 2022 in Venice, Italy.
The actress attends the premiere of ‘Indiana Jones und das Rad des Schicksals’ at Zoo Palast on June 22, 2023 in Berlin, Germany
Look Two – Superhero Capes
The cape has long been known as a tricky fashion item to pull off. One needs broad-ish shoulders (but not too broad) simply to deal with the logistics of keeping the look in place.
Then there’s the length to contend with. You need it long enough for superhero ‘Kapow!’ sexiness, but not too long that it looks like something Little Red Riding Hood would wear. Luckily for Waller-Bridge, she has the height to carry off the drama of a full-length cape.
For the Bond premiere she chose an Azzaro off-white cape contrasted with a sequinned black jumpsuit. At the Baftas in 2019 she wore a powder blue cape dress by Albino Teodoro. But perhaps her finest look to date was at this week’s premiere, where she dropped jaws in a chainmail dress with a cream floor-length cape. It was bold, beautiful and refreshingly experimental — proof you can find your style groove at any point in your life.
Luckily for Waller-Bridge (pictured at the Indiana Jones premiere in London, June 26 2023) , she has the height to carry off the drama of a full-length cape
The World Premiere of ‘NO TIME TO DIE’ at the Royal Albert Hall on September 28, 2021 in London, England
You need it long enough for superhero ‘Kapow!’ sexiness, but not too long that it looks like something Little Red Riding Hood would wear
Look Three – The Tuxedo
Waller-Bridge favours two types of suit — the flared-trousers suit or the more formal tuxedo. This plays to her real strengths, incorporating one of her favourite silhouettes: the deep V.
She tends to wear very little underneath her jackets. This keeps the look fresh and subtly sexy. If she does go for an under-layer, it’s sheer or just a peekaboo bra, such as with the cream suit she wore at Cannes this year. It’s a look she started wearing in 2019 when she wowed in a green velvet tuxedo by Victoria Beckham.
It’s a look she started wearing in 2019 when she wowed in a green velvet tuxedo by Victoria Beckham
Waller-Bridge attends ‘Killing Eve’ and ‘When Heroes Fly’ screening during the 1st Cannes International Series Festival at Palais des Festivals on April 8, 2018 in Cannes, France
She tends to wear very little underneath her jackets. This keeps the look fresh and subtly sexy
Look Four – Off-The-Shoulder Corset Dress
The off-the-shoulder corset dress is a Waller-Bridge favourite. However, she reimagines this classic two ways.
She opts for daring semi-sheer, as seen on the Dior dress she wore to the 2020 Critics’ Choice Awards, or opts for an almost vampiric bust line as seen on her Dolce & Gabbana Oscars dress.
She knows the corset will inject delicate sex appeal with style credibility.
The off-the-shoulder corset dress is a Waller-Bridge favourite
She knows the corset will inject delicate sex appeal with style credibility.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge pictured at the 25th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards, Arrivals, Barker Hanger, Los Angeles, January 12 2020
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