Penelope Featherington could never!
Nicola Coughlan loves getting red carpet ready. “I love the opportunity to dress up in something I would never wear in my day-to-day life,” the Bridgerton babe and star of Tubi’s new series, Big Mood, tells InStyle. “It feels like a different version of myself that can only exist in that world, I love to wear different things and take chances.”
While Couglan consistently attends movie premieres and red carpet events in designer looks that leave us swooning, the Irish actress doesn’t consider herself an everyday fashion girlie. “I love experimenting with fashion, but I often joke that in my day-to-day life, I’m completely unfashionable,” she says. “There’s no off switch for being in the public eye, fame, or whatever you want to it call, but I can switch off the red carpet version of myself so my day-to-day style is super comfy. When I do a red carpet, I want to have fun.”
While she might not spend her daily life dripping in couture, Coughlan has an unmistakable eye for high fashion, in part thanks to having studied the wardrobes of women she admires. “My forever style icon is Mary-Kate Olsen. Recently, Taylor Russell. She always looks impeccable. Every piece of what she wears, the styling, hair, and makeup come together so seamlessly. And, of course, Zendaya. Zendaya and Law Roach are a magical combination,” she says.
Recently, Coughlan has whipped up some fashion magic of her own, attending the premiere of Big Mood in NYC in a sleek and vampy look featuring a Roland Mouret dress cinched with a custom corset. Ahead, Coughlan breaks down her look and shares her getting-ready game plan.
The Look
"I’m often inspired by the shows I work on," Coughlan says of her red carpet outfit brainstorming process. Maggie, her character on Big Mood, "is this strong, grown woman who is also a real London cool girl, so we wanted something that was a little bit edgy."
Whereas Big Mood‘s Maggie “would wear something leopard print and low-cut,” Coughlan and her stylist Aimée Croysdill drew inspiration from Maggie’s vibe rather than her aesthetic. “At the minute, Aimée and I have been very into tailoring and a lot of exposed corsetry, so we have an incredible Roland Mouret dress and a beautiful custom corset by Haute Cuir,” she says. “I just felt really strong and cool.”
One thing Coughlan and Maggie have in common when it comes to the red carpet? "She would show up and show out for sure," says Coughlan.
The Accessories
"Because the look is all black, I wanted statement piece[s]," says Coughlan of the MISHO jewelry she wore for the big night. "We also have these gorgeous rings that go right down the fingers. They're gold, but not delicate or feminine. They just gave the outfit the punch it needed."
In addition to her statement rings, Coughlan also wore a pair of bold, abstract MISHO earrings. "They're super, super over-the-top baubles," she says. " I love over-the-top jewelry, it’s so much fun."
The Glam
“My wonderful glam team in New York is Daniel Martin and Dana Boyer. I’ve worked with Daniel before, but this is one of the first times I’ve worked with them together. They were such a brilliant team.”
"We went with a deep-berry statement lip that complemented the outfit perfectly. Because the earrings were so major, we went with something quite slick for the hair. It worked perfectly."
The Playlist
When it comes to achieving immaculate pre-premiere vibes, Coughlan relies on a single artist: "Anything by Beyoncé just gets me geared up for a night."
The Big Night
At the premiere, there was one celeb in particular that Coughlan was especially eager to meet IRL. "I was excited to meet Ira Madison III for the first time, who hosted our Q&A," she says. "I’ve been a fan of Ira’s for a long time, so I was very excited to hang out with him." As for her post-premiere plans, Coughlan is sticking to her usual routine.
Her After-Party Plans
Between red carpet premieres and filming wildly popular shows, Coughlan unwinds with "a lot of baths and a lot of reality television, self-care, and early nights, which are quite important at the minute." The Big Mood premiere is no exception. "I'll have maybe one drink and go to sleep, which is very boring, but when you’ve got a morning show the next day, what can you do?"