LONDON — Eddie Redmayne, recently nominated for a Tony Award for his role in the musical “Cabaret” on Broadway, attended the Met Gala on Monday night alongside his wife, Hannah Bagshawe.
The couple opted for a poetic black-and-white bespoke ensemble by British menswear designer Steve O Smith, an MA fashion graduate from Central Saint Martins in 2022.
Hannah Bagshawe and Eddie Redmayne (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
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The Oscar-winning actor wore an appliqué black wool coat mounted on sheer organza, with a soft tulle skirt and black wool trousers. Bagshawe was dressed in a matching sheer organza gown built over a tulle corset and full underskirt, adorned with black silk crepe appliqué.
A sketch of Eddie Redmayne’s look by Steve O Smith for Met Gala.
Courtesy of Steve O Smith
The London-based Smith said the design for the occasion was inspired by J.G. Ballard’s 1962 short story “The Garden of Time,” which also was theme of this year’s Met Gala, the fundraising event for the Costume Institute, which on Monday night unveiled its new exhibition, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.”
Just as Smith started his creative process with free-form drawing with every seasonal collection, he drew a series of Cy Twombly-inspired abstract paintings for Redmayne’s and Bagshawe’s looks, capturing the moment of a flower between blossom and decay.
He picked his favorites and then translated the lines onto the actual garments, reinterpreting classic male and female silhouettes while capturing the feeling of flowers falling apart.
A sketch of Hannah Bagshawe’s look by Steve O Smith for the Met Gala.
Courtesy of Steve O Smith
“The whole idea is that they’re this couple from the story at the end, as they’re turning to stone with all of the flowers falling apart around them. We voiced that through fabrics, like these very delicate tulles and flower motifs hand-draped to imitate the paintbrush marks. The flowers that are cut out of this [Redmayne’s look] are the flowers that you can see here [Bagshawe’s dress]. There’s a conversation between them as husband and wife,” said Smith during a preview in his studio in Hackney, north London.
Eddie Redmayne poses at the opening night of “Cabaret” on Broadway at The Kit Kat Club at The August Wilson Theater wearing a look by Steve O Smith.
Bruce Glikas/Getty Images
The Met Gala marks the second time the designer has dressed Redmayne.
Last month, the star wore a stand-up collar blazer with matching trousers with abstract lines from Smith for the opening night of “Cabaret” on Broadway at The Kit Kat Club at The August Wilson Theatre.
Redmayne reprised his role as the master of ceremonies for the Broadway production. He won an Olivier Award for his portrayal of the gender-bending character when the show was revived in London’s West End in 2022.
Since graduation Smith has been exclusively doing bespoke orders for clients including Cate Blanchett and Harry Styles, as well as a direct-to-consumer e-commerce operation selling a limited run of items.
“I would like to build a direct-to-consumer business. I’m not that interested in doing wholesale at the moment. I’ve done a direct sale through Dover Street Market New York for my last collection. I sold one dress to a woman. And that’s great because I like the idea that it’s not going to be on sale. It’s an exclusive item made with exact measurements,” said Smith.
“I’m very interested in doing trunk shows in America because I think that that’s a great market,” he added.