Last night was the world premiere of Murder On The Orient Express and it was so, so amazing. I’m actually still buzzing from being not only in the same room as but actually NEXT TO Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, and Dame Judy Dench.
But I’ll try and hold it together long enough to tell you a little about the night.
So, obviously the film is based on Agatha Christie’s novel, which I’ll admit I have somehow never read, despite my borderline addiction to murder mysteries and anything loosely 1920s-themed. If the classic has managed to escape your grips too, the basic crux of the tale is this: infamous French detective (that part’s best whispered through a thick fog of French accent) Hercules Poirot getting caught up in a live murder mystery whilst on-board a sleeper train from Istanbul to London. Aka the Orient Express.
It’s a pretty classic story, but even if you know it well, it’s still definitely worth watching. The casting is awesome and the characters totally come to life. Poriot’s very particular brand of idiosyncrasies are totally compelling and it is impossible not to warm to his slightly avant guard moustache and blunt attitude towards maintaining personal standards. Which makes his private moments literally ‘tee-hee’-ing over a Dickens novel in his bunk all the more alluring.
Very fittingly for the film’s world debut of, the premiere was held at the Royal Albert Hall in London’s South Ken. I’ve been to quite a few premieres but never anything quite so fancy. As we approached, the first thing I noticed was a load of high-powered spotlights beaming into the sky, and as we got closer the colossal red carpet came into view, with Lorraine centre stage to interview talent as they ascended the stairs.
If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that I mainly live in athleisure, with the occasional dabble into jeans and a rare foray out of sneakers. So one of the reasons I love a faaaaancy premiere is the excuse to get all dressed up.
Of course, doing the whole red carpet / step and repeat board is slightly stressful, so I like handing over responsibility for the finished result to professionals. It takes any of the guess work out of it, since I am essentially just showcasing their work. So I saw my boy Jack at Neville salon for an undo (he just got rated top blow-dry in London by Tatler. Don’t say that once you’re drunk..), and the super talented Ed Mellor at Charlotte Tilbury for make-up.
S H O P M Y M A K E – U P L O O K
I’m a fairly new convert to Charlotte Tilbury make-up. When I was at Marie Claire, CT was one of those names I’d hear bandied about on a just about daily basis, and I knew she was one of the most respected artists out there. So having my make-up done by one of her team was super exciting. Ed Mellor created my look – a variation on a theme of CT’s classic The Bombshell look with slight tweaks to make sure I look EN FEUGO under the harsh camera lighting.
The way make-up sessions work at the CT Covent Garden boutique is you have a choice of six looks, which are demonstrated in a whole-part-whole formula. So you see the finished look, then are shown a break-down of the products used to create the look, then have the opportunity to tweak the look to your personal preferences. I’d already decided I wanted a red lip, and we settled on Screen Siren, with a slightly smokier eye than usual and a matte finish on my lips.
For my outfit, I wanted something glam without being OTT so opted for this black pleated dress from Coast. I love the feathers along the neckline since I rarely wear much jewellery so the added detail helps me cheat my way to looking ‘done’. The hemline is waterfall, which adds length without drowning me (I’m a little short for traditional full-length gowns or even midi styles). My shoes are Moda in Pelle and my clutch is Coast.
S H O P M Y O U T F I T
