Vanessa Kirby has become a pro at awards ceremonies in the last few months, having been nominated seemingly everywhere for her searing performance in Pieces of a Woman. But Sunday’s Academy Awards brought something entirely new: an in-person awards ceremony, and the chance to celebrate with her fellow nominees for the first time. “It does feel strange to be attending an award ceremony in person, but I’m so happy and grateful that we are,” she said a few days before the big event. “As much as it has been so important that we did things a bit differently this year, it will be amazing to share this moment with all the nominees in real life, especially Carey, Andra, Viola, and Frances.” With the help of stylist, Ryan Hastings, makeup artist, Jo Baker, and hair stylist, Adir Abergel, no details were spared in making sure Kirby’s return to the the actual carpet was a look that would be unforgettable.
To walk her first proper, in-person awards show red carpet of the year, Kirby wore a custom pale rose pink silk gazar strapless column gown with box pleat dramatic train by Gucci, with jewels from Cartier. For choosing the jewels, she said, “Ryan Hastings and I are really led by the shape and color of the dress when it comes to jewelry. Somehow it just seems to all come together. Ryan has such incredible taste and I trust him implicitly. And we have such a good time doing it! He’s a genius. For me personally, it’s also about the memories you attach to jewelry.” With 1112 diamonds all totaling to 27.45 carats, the Director of High-Jewelry Creation at Cartier, Jacqueline Karachi-Langane adds about Kirby’s special pieces, “The diamond is to jewelry what the little black dress is to the wardrobe. Playful, graphic, they adapt to every moment in life. Thus at Cartier, the choice of diamond can be linked with a meaningful number, such as a date, an age or a lucky number.” Kirby intentionally chose to wear the necklace backwards to make it a whole moment of its own.
Pierre Rainero, the director of image, style, and heritage at Cartier International, told Vanity Fair, “For us at Cartier, there are no ‘small’ or ‘large’ diamonds; from a row of diamonds on a bracelet or choker to an engagement ring, from pavé-set creations to exceptional necklaces, the diamond is a privileged protagonist, always treated with the same respect, which enters compositions with the same intensity.”
As the sole nominee from Pieces of a Woman, Kirby was representing the entire film—and given the strict Covid protocols surrounding the event, the rest of the film’s cast and crew weren’t able to join her. “For me, more than anything, this nomination represents all the incredible work of everyone involved in making the movie,” she said. “ It has been such a beautiful journey, being a part of this movie, it feels very full-circle to be here and I’m just enjoying every minute of it.”
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