Getting party-ready with Bel Powley

Bel Powley is always one of the best-dressed stars on the red carpet. The actress – who often favors feminine silhouettes but styled in a very modern way – has long been interested in fashion, and takes after her mother and grandmother in having such a strong sense of her personal style, she says.

Last night, Powley was one of many A-list names in attendance at the launch of H&M’s new collaboration with Rokh, which took place at Dover Street Market in Central London. For the event, she wore one of the beautiful tailored pieces from the new collection, putting her own signature spin on the styling with a sleek updo and bright red heels.

Before she headed out to the event, we caught up with the actress as she got ready at The Twenty Two in Mayfair to talk all things fashion. See what she had to say about how her wardrobe has evolved, what she loves about getting red-carpet ready and why she believes in the power of personal style.

bell powley

Iona Wolff

bell powley

Iona Wolff

Please talk us through your look – what drew you to this particular outfit?

“I am wearing one of the trenches from the collection – it’s so beautiful. I guess really it’s more like a long blazer, which is double layered, in that beautiful beige color, and then I am going to belt it really tight. So I am wearing it as a dress really. I tried on a few pieces and loved everything from the collection, but this in particular just felt really easy and simple, and very chic me.”

What makes this collaboration such a great fit for you and your personal style?

“I really like the more structured, tailored pieces in the collection – I am always drawn to stuff like that. It’s not too masculine, but not too feminine, it’s somewhere in the middle, and it also makes you feel powerful. It is very easy to wear, but also makes you feel very put together.”

How do you decide which brands you want to work with?

“It’s really all about personal style and what feels like a good fit. Ever since I started working in the industry, I have always tried to be a champion of smaller, London-based brands – I have been a follower of Simone Rocha since her very first collections, for example. I think it’s really important to support brands and designers on your own turf. But it’s also about what you’re drawn to and what works for your personal style – you want to feel like you’re wearing the. clothes, not that the clothes are wearing you.”

bell powley

Iona Wolff

bell powley

Iona Wolff

How involved do you tend to be with the styling process?

“I have a really close relationship with my stylist, Cher [Coulter]. We have been working together for almost 10 years, and we are really close friends. We have a relationship outside of work, so getting to spend time together is always fun, and I think it’s also really collaborative. I trust her implicitly, and she always gets it right. But we also enjoy going through the process together, and I have a really big interest in fashion and clothes, so it doesn’t feel like a work necessity at all. For me, it feels fun and creative, and I really enjoy being involved.”

How has your style evolved over the years?

“I think my style generally has evolved quite a lot – when I look back now at my teenage years, I am so horrified at what I was wearing. But, what is apparent is that I was always interested in clothes and styling things differently. I used to do really weird things like rip up pillowcases and make them into big bows and stuff like that, or we would go to Brick Lane every weekend and go to all the vintage stores and different styles of Fifties tea dresses fashion even if I’m a bit confused now about what I was wearing back then.

“Since I have been in the public eye, I think my style has grown as I have, but it has probably stayed the same in a lot of ways because I have always had a strong sense of personal style, and I always choose something that feels like me rather than wanting to wear something because it’s a trend.”

bell powley

Iona Wolff

bell powley

Iona Wolff

What has been your most memorable fashion moment in recent years and why?

“I went to the SAG Awards earlier this year, and I wore Chanel. It was this stunning strapless sort of tulle gown with feather embellishments on it, and it was one of the most beautiful dresses I have ever put on. It was also just such a special journey – Cher and I went to the couture show and then we got to look through all these beautiful dresses and choose one. It was really special – and also that dress, I felt, was just very me.”

bell powley

Monica Schipper//Getty Images

Whose style have you always admired and why?

“It’s hard to think on the spot but I would probably actually say my mum, and her mum, my grandma. It’s not like my mum has ever been dripping in diamonds and Chanel, but I guess what I am saying is that she has always had a really strong sense of personal style, ever since I can remember, and my grandmother was the same. The jewelery she wore was like plastic costume jewelery or pieces from the market or whatever, but she always managed to put stuff together in this. really amazing way, and she always looks so good.”

bell powley

Iona Wolff

bell powley

Iona Wolff

What is your ideal getting-ready set-up?

“The first thing I do is to get something really, really cold on my face. I have quite a puffy face so I always want to rub a block of ice on it, or dunk my entire face in a bucket of ice. That too really wakes you up and gets the blood flowing. It’s one of my favorite beauty hacks. And then, like I said, I’m really lucky that my make-up artist Celia [Burton] is one of my oldest friends. We’ve known each other since we were four years old, and now we get to work together. She’s so funny, and she has amazing taste in music, so she always puts on a fun playlist. If it’s a really nerve-racking event or a massive red carpet, which I still get nervous about, I would definitely have a little martini before I leave. But I think tonight, I should be fine.”

When do you feel most beautiful?

“I think it’s important to look in the mirror every day and tell yourself you’re beautiful. I definitely don’t always manage to do that, but I think it’s important to give yourself that confidence all the time. But, I would say that I probably feel my most beautiful when I’m on holiday with my family or my husband. It’s when you’re two weeks into relaxing and you’re not even bothering to wear make-up and you’re just wearing the same old shitty. white dress, but you’re full of laughter and joy and are with your favorite people.”

Fashion has a reputation for being frivolous, but why does what we wear matter?

“Fashion is one of the main forms of self-expression that we have. It’s the first thing that you see in a person, before you even meet them, how they have chosen to dress themselves. I think if you’re not interested in that, then it’s totally fine, but there is a real way of harnessing creativity and power in what you wear.”

Shop the H&M Rokh collaboration here.

bell powley

Iona Wolff

bell powley

Iona Wolff

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