Actresses Dolly de Leon and Florence Pugh earned online buzz with their head-turning looks on the red carpet of the 2023 British Academy Film Awards held in London.
The Filipina attended the 76th BAFTA Awards on February 20 (Manila time) as a nominee for the Best Supporting Actress category for her breakthrough performance in the satirical Cannes-winning film “Triangle of Sadness.”
The BAFTA is a highly prestigious annual award show equivalent to Hollywood’s Academy Awards. It is also graced by senior members of the British royal family.
It honors the best British and international contributions to film and is hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, a world-leading independent arts charity that supports artists and professionals in creative fields.
Dolly in the 2023 BAFTAs was bested by Irish actress Kerry Condon for her role as Siobhán Súilleabháin, the unmarried sister of the lead in the Irish tragicomedy “The Banshees of Inisherin.”
Despite falling short of winning, Dolly has already made history as the first-ever Filipino to be nominated for the BAFTAs, which was already a “huge honor” for her.
“I’m so proud to be here because it was such a great production, and working with Ruben Östlund and Plattform Produktion was such an eye-opening experience for me and really helped me grow as an actor. So I’m really happy to be here,” she said in a red carpet interview.
The Filipina was spotted on the red carpet at the Royal Festival Hall with Florence, who donned an off-shoulder eye-catching tangerine gown with statement micro-frills and a see-through ruched bodice. Her look was topped off with a sweeping train.
The Oxford-born actress attended the BAFTAs to support her psychological period film “The Wonder” nominated for the Outstanding British Film category. It was bested by “The Banshees of Inisherin.”
Who is she wearing?
Dolly, meanwhile, commanded attention with her off-shoulder sculptural gown designed by top Filipino fashion designer Rajo Laurel. He calls it the “Alon” gown.
It is made of “abaca” or Manila hemp, a native material closely tied to Filipino culture.
Dolly was styled by New York-based Pinoy stylist LJ Perez, who said the team wanted to highlight her “fluidity and femininity,” according to Vogue Philippines.
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Both of the actresses caught online attention with their head-turning gowns on the red carpet that highlighted and accentuated their feminine figures.
A picture of this was captured by Getty Images chief entertainment editor Gareth Cattermole.
It was also shared on Twitter by Rome-based photographer Modesto Banzon III, Hollywood Critics Association member Eric Anderson, and other accounts on the short-messaging platform.
Florence Pugh with BAFTA-nominee Dolly de Leon at the #EEBAFTAs pic.twitter.com/soPR4dN6hB
— Erik Anderson (@awards_watch) February 19, 2023
This was also noticed by Pinoys and other online users who expressed their awe in the quote tweets and replies thread.
“FLORENCE PUGH AND DOLLY DE LEON HAVING A MOTHER OFF AT THE BAFTAS, I GASPED,” a Twitter user commented.
“Sorry to post it twice, Florence Pugh twice, but she is serving white excellence tonight, the dress is unbelievable. And Dolly De Leon’s dress is great too!” another online user wrote.
“MOTHERS,” commented a different Twitter user.
“Ang ganda [niyo] pareho!!!” exclaimed another Pinoy on the platform.
“Aaaahhhh, queens,” wrote a different Filipino with a crown emoji.
ALSO READ: Spotted: Dolly de Leon hanging out with acclaimed foreign actors in award shows
Florence was among the celebrities whose BAFTA look was called one of the “boldest,” while Dolly has been highlighting Filipino talents with her Pinoy-designed gowns on red carpets.
For her Golden Globes appearance, Dolly turned heads with her sultry black leatherette gown with a built-in corset and matching opera gloves.
Her look was immortalized in an American publication’s famous dramatic slow-motion video portrait trick last January.
READ: Dolly de Leon gets featured in famous slow-mo video portraits during Golden Globes