Sam Smith put emerald, taffeta Valentino ball gowns and black, latex balloon suits to one side as they made their way onto the candy pink, Barbie carpet last night (July 12).
Attending the European premiere of the much anticipated film at Cineworld Leicester Square, alongside its leading stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, Smith leant into comfort, opting for a full Vetements look from the newly released SS24 collection.
Vast, baggy blue jeans came paired with a bigger navy blue sweatshirt which read 16XL, and they finished the look with logo earrings from the fashion label creative directed by Georgian designer Guram Gvasalia, brother of Balenciaga designer Demna Gvasalia. The brand, founded in 2014, is famed for its extreme experiments with silhouette.
And as ever when it comes to the ‘Unholy’ singer, the internet let rip with split opinions. Some slated the choice as underdressed for the most camp red carpet of the year, and saw other guests lean into the Barbiecore pink trend which has swept fashion by storm, and racked up 504.8M views on TikTok.
But others embraced the irony. Praise came for Smith’s clever interpretation, which some saw as a reference to a child dressing up in their parent’s clothes. And some saw themselves: “Me in every picture ever taken by a delivery driver,” reads one tweet, which has gone viral.
Smith announced on Twitter on Monday they were the latest A-lister to contribute to the Barbie soundtrack, writing: “I cannot begin to express how incredibly excited I am to be a part of the soundtrack to this already iconic film.” They join a stellar line-up which counts Billie Eilish, Nicki Minaj and Charli XCX. The song, sung from the perspective of Ken and titled Man I Am, will be released with the film on July 21.
On the carpet, Smith certainly leant into the relaxed — but others in attendance saw an opportunity to double down on glamour. Naturally, this was lead by Robbie in a pastel pink, corseted Vivienne Westwood gown.
Matching her in the chic stakes was Dua Lipa, who also contributed to the film’s soundtrack, and wore a multi-coloured, chainmail effect Versace dress, while the film’s director, Greta Gerwig, dazzled in a sequinned, pink caped gown by Erdem.
