getting ready with Morfydd Clark

The arrival of September means one thing: fashion month. While New York kicked off the season with a bang, the front-row fashion crowd has now made its way to the UK capital, to see what its designers have to offer with their most recent collections.

Among the famous faces is actress Morfydd Clark, who started London Fashion Week on a stylish note, sitting front row at the Huishan Zhang show. The designer is best known for his romantic, sophisticated aesthetic that makes the wearer feel powerfully feminine.

“Huishan Zhang has a beautiful balance between elegance and drama,” agrees Clark, who watched the spring/summer 2024 show from the front row, wearing a black dress with a drop waist and dramatic full skirt.

Jason Lloyd Evans

As of late, Clark has been incredibly busy – and critically acclaimed. In recent years the actress has received BAFTA’s prestigious Rising Star nomination, won the BAFTA Cymru Best Actress award, and been named British/Irish Actress of the Year at the London Critics Circle Awards. She shows no signs of slowing down; next Clark is starring in the supernatural horror Starve Acre alongside Daniel Kokotailo and Matt Smith, followed by a modern-day adaptation of Hamlet, and the BBC’s take on Agatha Christie’s Murder Is Easy.

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Despite her work schedule being jam-packed, the actress focuses on seeing the joy in every day, and that includes wearing clothes that bring her happiness. “We are all ephemeral ourselves, so might as well bring some joy and beauty while we’re here,” she says.

Below, we catch up with the actress to discuss her style evolution, the importance of working with the right brands and the kind of fashion that makes her feel most confident.

Talk us through your look today – why does it feel like a good fit for you?

“I love a drop waist and the theatre of the skirt of my dress. Huishan Zhang has a beautiful balance between elegance and drama ­– it works perfectly with my Maria Tash diamond hoop earrings and Jimmy Choo heels.”

Jason Lloyd Evans

How involved do you tend to be in the styling process?

“Myself and my stylist, Nicky Yates, collaborate very well. Ever since we’ve started working together, I can tell she notices everything I wear to fittings and the sort of thing I gravitate towards. Sometimes she has to curb my more fanciful, absurd tastes!”

What kind of fashion makes you feel your most confident?

“My sister once said that I like to dress like a frosted cake laced with poison, and I think that’s quite accurate. I like to underscore something quite kitschy with a hard edge, or garnish quite a vampy outfit with something a bit camp and silly.”

Joanne Froggatt, Clara Paget and Morfydd Clark on the front row at Huishan Zhang

How has your style evolved over the years?

“I’ve become freer with my style. The 2010s were quite conservative fashion-wise – everyone heading to the club in smart casual. Gen Z has pushed fashion in a more fun direction and I love that. For example, I love Magdalen Clothing – she brings me such joy.”

Do you see your beauty look as an extension of your outfit?

“Definitely. As I said before, I like to have some variation and balance in my looks, and hair and beauty is often a great way to do that. I’m so in awe of hair and make-up artists. Whenever I’m having it done, I feel like I’m having magic worked on me.”

What has been your most memorable fashion moment and why?

“When Vivienne Westwood made me a custom sequinned gown for a global premiere. It was a real honour to be dressed by such an icon and a lesson in sublime craftsmanship.”

Clark wearing a custom Vivienne Westwood gown on the red carpet

How do you choose which brands to work with?

“I tend to find that there are certain brands – like Huishan Zhang and Erdem – that just suit my style and shape really well. I also have some friends who work in pattern cutting and other areas of fashion, so I pay attention to what they tell me about working conditions and paying on time. It’s important to me to work with brands that respect their artists and workers.”

Fashion has a reputation for being frivolous, but why does what we wear matter?

“Well, I don’t think frivolous is a dirty word. There’s an intense emphasis in our current culture on productivity and optimising everything – in that environment I relish the frivolous and the ephemeral. We are all ephemeral ourselves, so might as well bring some joy and beauty while we’re here.”

Jason Lloyd Evans

Hair: Harry Payne at George Northwood, using George Northwood 'Undone'

Make-up: Emma White Turle at The Wall Group, using Augustinus Bader and Rose Inc

Stylist: Nicky Yates

Shoes: Jimmy Choo

Location: The Londoner Hotel

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