Above (L-R): Daisy Edgar Jones in Gucci, Jodie Turner-Smith in Viktor & Rolf, Gemma Chan in Louis Vuitton

See more from Vogue World, London–live as it happens:

• An exclusive look at the stars inside Vogue World: London 2023
• Vogue World London 2023 red carpet: see every celebrity look
• Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie on the red carpet at Vogue World: London
• Christy, Linda, Naomi & Cindy close Vogue World: London
• Vogue World 2023: The most stunning beauty looks on the red carpet

What did the stars wear for the second annual edition of Vogue World, held in London’s Theatre Royal Drury Lane? Why, a selection of their most extravagant couture—a testament to the night’s most dramatic proceedings. West End’s opening night was the point of reference for editors Anna Wintour and Edward Enninful, who cut the ribbon on London Fashion Week with the event, curated with the assistance of director Stephen Daldry. What followed was a fête of live performances and a runway show, closed by none other than a quartet of supers: Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista and Cindy Crawford. 

And the red carpet, of course, was a spectacle in and of itself. Festooning skirts, saturated ruffles and bodysuits—when it came to guest dressing, the attendees didn’t hold back. Here, we round up the trends we spotted on the Vogue World: London red carpet.

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Above (L-R): Emilia Clarke in Dior, Winnie Harlow in Zuhair Murad, Kate Winslet

Monochrome magic

As varied as the fashion was on the red carpet, black and white exerted a noticeable dominance over Drury Lane. Celebrities appeared in a bevy of LBDs, cream twinsets and two-tone gowns; take Emilia Clarke, for example, a vision in tiered Dior, or Kate Winslet, making the case for soft tailoring in an ivory suit. So too did Letitia Wright, Rita Ora and Maisie Williams sport black and white, wearing feathered Prada, strapless Alaïa and Wednesday Addams-esque Maison Margiela respectively.

Above (L-R): Georgia May Jagger in Vivienne Westwood, Sienna Miller in Schiaparelli, AJ Odudu in Robert Wun

Sculptural shapes

Leave it to Sienna Miller to show off her baby bump in Schiaparelli haute couture. The model and la bohème queen stepped onto the red carpet in a matching set, composed of a cropped shirt and bubble skirt, magnificently distended over her pair of perspex heels. She wasn’t the only guest to choose a sculptural silhouette for the night. Georgia May Jagger’s Vivienne Westwood dress bore a bow at the collar and skirt, while AJ Odudu glittered in ruffled Robert Wun.

Above (L-R): Ella Richards in Alaïa, Simone Ashley in Tamara Ralph, Francesca Hayward in The Row

Sheer delights

Transparency is everything, and the guests at Vogue World: London couldn’t agree more. Some guests appeared in sheer slips and blouses; others chose netted dresses and low-denier hosiery under sparkling Miu Miu briefs. Ella Richards wore a lace maxi skirt by Alaïa, while Bridgerton’s Simone Ashley chose a halter neck gown by Tamara Ralph. Francesca Hayward, on the other hand, subscribed to the doily trend taking over the runways in a patchwork dress and gloves by The Row. 

Above (L-R): Nia DaCosta in Carolina Herrera, Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Roksanda, Jenna Coleman in Rodarte

Opera gloves

A nod to the West End influence for the night, and of course the location of the Theatre Royal itself, the opera glove was a popular accessory for Vogue World attendees, including Nia DaCosta, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Jenna Coleman.

Above (L-R): Camille Charrière in Saint Laurent, Milly Alcock in Feben, Alexa Chung in Nicklas Skovgaard

Stockings

We’ve fallen in love again with stockings, it seems, which is increasingly becoming a staple in street style and on the red carpet. Alexa Chung, unsurprisingly, was one such pioneer, wearing sheer tights underneath her Nicklas Skovgaard mini. So too did Camille Charrière don stockings beneath her Saint Laurent slip, though Milly Alcock’s take was less boudoir-inflected; the Australian actress matched her Miu Miu shift with matching green hosiery. 

Above (L-R): Charithra Chandran in Emilia Wickstead, Gemma Chan in Louis Vuitton, Dove Cameron in Coach

Heavy metals

Not all that glittered on the red carpet at Vogue World: London was gold: it was silver and pewter too. Charithra Chandran was the poster girl for gilded glamour, walking the length of Drury Lane in Emilia Wickstead sequins, but for Gemma Chan, the night called for an obsidian gown from Louis Vuitton—so radiant that it appeared silver in the light. Dove Cameron, meanwhile, took the tailored approach, wearing a steely two-set from Coach.

Above (L-R): Saffron Vadher in Miu Miu, Adwoa Aboah in Miu Miu, Jodie Turner-Smith in Viktor & Rolf

Pantless

Statement underwear pieces were spotted left and right on stars, both on the Vogue World: London red carpet and at the after-party. Championing the burgeoning pantless trend in the classiest way possible, style icons such as Jodie Turner-Smith and Adwoa Aboah let their stems free in a chic nod to the season's most controversial yet hottest trend. Saffron Vadher and Aboah donned bedazzled and decorated panties by Miu Miu respectively—definitively the leading luxury fashion house of the pantless trend—while Turner-Smith went for something more sculptural and dramatic with a monochromatic pantless piece by Viktor & Rolf.

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