Michaela Coel Wears a Loewe Top Made of Cascading Bouclé Thread

Reported by Harper's Bazaar.

Michaela Coel arrived at the Mother Mary London screening looking like she'd stepped directly out of the costume designer role she plays in the film. The A24 psychological drama, which hits theaters April 24, follows Coel's character—a revered fashion architect—as she reconnects with an international pop superstar, played by Anne Hathaway. The premise alone justified Coel's decision to treat the press tour as a masterclass in high-fashion dressing.

For the occasion, stylist Nell Kalonji selected a Loewe strapless top from the Fall/Winter 2026 ready-to-wear collection, designed by creative directors Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez. The piece was architectural in the most literal sense: cascading bouclé threads looped and hung from the neckline like a carefully constructed waterfall, mixing gray and white into something between textile art and wearable sculpture. Two hidden side pockets—a functional detail that felt almost subversive against such a visually maximalist garment—gave Coel somewhere to anchor her hands as she worked the red carpet.

Details That Matter

The styling choices below the top demonstrated restraint as a power move. Obsidian leggings clung to her frame before disappearing into matching black heels, letting the bouclé creation command the entire visual narrative. Coel kept her accessories nonexistent, her hair pulled into a severe bun, and her makeup deliberately graphic—rosy blush paired with thick eyeliner that felt almost confrontational in its boldness. The cumulative effect wasn't just polished; it was intentional in every direction.

Hathaway, standing beside her in an architectural Iris van Herpen couture gown from Spring/Summer 2020, made for a striking visual counterpoint—both stars wielding fashion as a form of storytelling. On screen and on carpet, the two proved they understand that costume design, whether in fiction or on the red carpet, is about far more than looking good. It's about communicating something about who your character is before she speaks a single line.

When a performer's real-life styling mirrors the thematic world of the film she's promoting, the line between character and presence dissolves entirely.

Read the original at Harper's Bazaar.