Nicola Coughlan Pays Tribute To One Of Her Childhood Barbies With Red Carpet Outfit

The actor walked the pink carpet at the "Barbie" premiere in London in a dress that was inspired by a Barbie doll she had growing up.
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So we are officially only a week out from "Barbie" hitting theaters, aka the most highly anticipated movie event of the year.
Directed by Greta Gerwig and written by Greta and Noah Baumbach, "Barbie" is set to follow Barbie (Margot Robbie) as she lives in Barbie Land with Ken (Ryan Gosling) and other Barbies and Kens. However, one day Barbie decides to take a trip to the real world.

The official synopsis for the film, per Warner Bros., is literally, "To live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you're a Ken."

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Now, on top of trailers, posters, and more that are making everyone so excited, the "Barbie" press tour has been one of the best events of the summer, with the cast hitting various red carpets to celebrate the movie.
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I mean, Robbie's tributes to various Barbie dolls throughout the years have been truly stunning.
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This week marked yet another "Barbie" event when the cast gathered for the European premiere in London. It also marked the first time some cast members, including Emma Mackey and Ncuti Gatwa, have been at a Barbie red carpet event this press cycle.
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Fashion is such an important aspect of "Barbie," so it's been awesome to see what everyone has worn to these premieres, and last night Nicola Coughlan wore one of my favorite Barbie press tour looks.
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Styled by Aimée Croysdill, Coughlan wore a custom silver Wiederhoeft dress, in collaboration with the sustainable fashion brand Tencel, with a corset and Swarovski glass crystals.
The gorgeous dress was coupled with Messika jewelry and custom Malone Souliers shoes to complete the perfect ensemble.
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Speaking to British Vogue about her outfit, Coughlan explained that the dress was inspired by her character in Barbie, Diplomat Barbie, and the Sparkle Eyes Barbie doll she had growing up.
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"When this [movie] first came about, I was like, 'This is going to be the funnest red carpet,'" Coughlan recalled. "I thought it'd be amazing to reference the look from the movie, so when I spoke to Aimée, I said I'd love to wear something silver and inspired by [the Sparkle Eyes Barbie]."
The result was the custom Wiederhoeft dress with Swarovski glass crystals to reference the Barbie's diamond eyes, and the corset ended up being a little nod to Bridgerton as well.
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Coughlan explained the "Bridgerton" connection, telling British Vogue, "I’ve had the privilege of wearing so many incredible costumes on Bridgerton, especially in Season 3. I really got a new appreciation for corsetry, and Aimée and I said it would be so nice to start incorporating the corset [on the red carpet]. It's a little bit of a bridge between 'Barbie' and 'Bridgerton.'"
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Alongside the outfit, Coughlan also debuted new red hair, which was inspired by the red hair she has as Diplomat Barbie in Barbie.
Coughlan also notably sports red hair as Penelope Bridgerton in "Bridgerton."
On Instagram, Coughlan wrote, "I auditioned for Barbie back in January 22 when I was on holiday with friends, I'd packed one random hot pink dress I hadn’t worn at all and when I had to make my audition tape I thought- this is fate, I have a dress in Barbie Pink! I have been obsessed with Greta since Frances Ha, that movie (and all her movies since) have made such a huge impact on me and the prospect of working with her was something I couldn’t even have imagined."
She continued, "When I found out she wanted to have me be part of @barbiethemovie, and then that I probably wouldn’t be able to make it work because of my schedule I was firstly elated and quickly heartbroken. So when I was asked if I wanted to pop into Barbieland even briefly my answer was an immediate, and very emphatic yes."
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She concluded the heartfelt post, saying, "I don’t have the words to describe this movie, when I wasn’t beaming at the screen with how joyful it made me, or laughing so hard at Ryan Gosling (immediate Oscar TBH) it made me cry unexpected tears. Greta and Noah have written the most beautiful, hilarious script and Margot has made it come to life- not only as the perfect Barbie but as an incredible producer."
She added, "It’s just the most special thing I’ve seen in a long, long, long time and I can’t wait to watch it again."
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I love how much thought Coughlan and her styling team put into her "Barbie" premiere look, and now I'll be waiting for the surely stunning look she'll pull off for the eventual "Bridgerton" Season 3 premiere.

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