With Two Elegant Evening Gowns, 'Ted Lasso' Star Hannah Waddingham Won the BAFTAs (2024)

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Here's how she glammed up for Britain's splashy celebration of film.

Jonathan Borge

Jonathan Borge is the Deputy Editor of InStyle. He primarily writes about culture and style and has a passion for telling LGBTQ+ and Latinx stories. When he's not working, he's likely waiting for Lady Gaga to announce her next tour.

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Published on February 22, 2024 @ 11:43AM

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With Two Elegant Evening Gowns, 'Ted Lasso' Star Hannah Waddingham Won the BAFTAs (2)

Much like the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAGs), the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) signal which movies are destined to have a standout night at the Oscars. So, you can imagine just how much of a riotously glamorous red carpet the evening delivers each year. At the 2024 BAFTAs, royalty was quite literally in the room (Prince Williams rubbed shoulders with Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Cate Blanchett, and Ayo Edebiri), not to mention the winning casts of Poor Things and Oppenheimer, who swept the night.

Among the standout actors in attendance? Ted Lasso's very own Hannah Waddingham. "There is something untouchably elegant about the BAFTAs," Waddingham tells InStyle. And she's right. At 49, the beloved English star made many best-dressed lists in a timeless, lace Oscar de la Renta gown styled with Aquazzura shoes, a Judith Lieber clutch (love!), and diamonds from Boodles, all delicately styled by James Yardley . As one commentator on her Instagram wrote, it was the "serve of the century."

With Two Elegant Evening Gowns, 'Ted Lasso' Star Hannah Waddingham Won the BAFTAs (3)

But Waddingham wasn't just there to simply look marvelous; she was there to marvel. A multi-hyphenate in her own right (Google her music), the Game of Thrones and Sex Education alum hit the stage during the show to perform a spine-tingling rendition of Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" for an In Memoriam tribute to recently-passed entertainment legends such as Jane Birkin, Tina Turner, Glenda Jackson, Carl Weathers, and Sir Michael Gambon.

With Two Elegant Evening Gowns, 'Ted Lasso' Star Hannah Waddingham Won the BAFTAs (4)

For her stripped-down, piano-driven performance, Waddingham changed from her arrival look into an appropriately elegant Monique Lhuillier dress with Christian Louboutin heels and regal Fabergé jewels that helped highlight her statuesque presence. Of course, she received an eruptive round of applause. Of the number, she says, "I was truly honored to be asked to bring such an important moment to the stage."

Below, Waddingham walks us through how she got dressed for the momentous occasion.

The Ultimate Glam Team

With Two Elegant Evening Gowns, 'Ted Lasso' Star Hannah Waddingham Won the BAFTAs (5)

"I have a beautiful little gaggle who I rotate for various different moments because they are also supremely talented. Many of them are busy at different times, but for the basters, it was the fabulous Hannah Martin for my makeup and Lewis Pallett for my hair. My stylist James Yardley and his assistant, Ollie Last, travel everywhere together, and I would be lost without them."

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The Must-Have Playlist

With Two Elegant Evening Gowns, 'Ted Lasso' Star Hannah Waddingham Won the BAFTAs (6)

"Music is in my bones, so I have such a varied pallet of songs that I love—as long as they are uplifting and keep myself and my glam team happilyticking along, that’s all good for me."

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All About the Look

With Two Elegant Evening Gowns, 'Ted Lasso' Star Hannah Waddingham Won the BAFTAs (7)

"My stylist and I decided we wanted to do something slightly different for BAFTA. We decided to explore pattern and detail with the delicate floral and crystal navy embroidery and an unusual high-low silhouette. We’ve never done either before! We decided it would be fun to experiment, and, of course, Oscar de la Renta’s gowns are always exquisitely cut. It was an honor to wear their designs."

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The Bling

With Two Elegant Evening Gowns, 'Ted Lasso' Star Hannah Waddingham Won the BAFTAs (8)

"Because myred carpet dress was so patterned and, in a way, busy, we stripped the jewelry back using delicate diamonds from British favorite Boodles. I’ve worn them many times before and love their pieces. For the performance look, because the dress was so simple and all about the cut and silhouette, we could afford to try using larger diamonds and so we found these incredible Fabergé feather diamond drop earrings. I wore them while I was in hair and makeup too I loved them so much. never do that but they were jaw-droppingly beautiful! Both James and I are such magpies for jewelry!"

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The Shoes

With Two Elegant Evening Gowns, 'Ted Lasso' Star Hannah Waddingham Won the BAFTAs (9)

While 11 heels are photographed, only two pairs—Aquazzura for the red carpet and Christian Louboutin for the stage—made the cut. Options are important, people.

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On That Onstage Look

With Two Elegant Evening Gowns, 'Ted Lasso' Star Hannah Waddingham Won the BAFTAs (10)

"My stylist and I worked on the concept of doing something classic, timeless, yet striking. It’s all about the performance and I would never want to detract from that, so I wanted something with stage presence [that was also] respectful and classic. Like the Oscar de la Renta dress, it was my first time wearing Monique Lhuillier and I just loved the quality and craftsmanship of the brand. It was a beautiful gown!"

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Preparing for the Performance

With Two Elegant Evening Gowns, 'Ted Lasso' Star Hannah Waddingham Won the BAFTAs (11)

"As soon as I was asked by the producers to get involved, I knew exactly who I wanted to do the arrangement for me in the form of Joe Stilgoe. It was such a pleasure to work with Joe and BAFTA executive Mark Wagman; they both listened to exactly the tone and style and paired-back nature that I knew the 'In Memorium' needed."

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On Cyndi Lauper's "Time After After"

With Two Elegant Evening Gowns, 'Ted Lasso' Star Hannah Waddingham Won the BAFTAs (12)

"One of my favorite things is to take hugely well-known songs and turn them on their head. The sign of a song being exquisitely written is when you can strip it back, dig into the lyrics, and take it in a direction that no one has heard before."

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Starstruck

With Two Elegant Evening Gowns, 'Ted Lasso' Star Hannah Waddingham Won the BAFTAs (13)

"If someone had told me that I was going to meet Michael J. Fox at the BAFTAs, I would never have believed them. There are some people that leave an indelible mark on you. Back to the Future has been in my top three films all my life, and to be able to tell him and his beautiful wife, Tracey, that was a pinch-me moment. To tell him that he had made such an impact on me and to be able to talk about his unyielding, profound work for the Parkinson’s community—a moment that will stay with me always. He’s a remarkable human being and I couldn’t quite believe it; genuinely one of the greatest honors of my life."

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Onto the Next One

With Two Elegant Evening Gowns, 'Ted Lasso' Star Hannah Waddingham Won the BAFTAs (14)

On Saturday, February 24, Waddingham will once more doll up for the cameras as a presenter at the SAGs. Will she stun? Obviously.