Stars perfect the art of feeling as hot as they look

IT MAY be just another back-slappy red carpet fest, but the Baftas are our back-slappy red carpet fest, and it is heart-warming to see them innovate a new red carpet move: the Coat Slide.

Alongside multiple accents and transformative prosthetics, the A-list actress must now add balletic, speed-slipping in and out of a warm coat to her professional credentials. Previously, only civilians were permitted the luxury of thermal lagging on the red carpet. Stars had to endure Revenant-type temperatures in nothing but plunging Versace. This year, old school-ers such as Julie Walters and relative new-schoolers such as Rooney Mara kept their jackets on for the red carpet interview.

To freeze or not to freeze is not the only Bafta challenge. What with the Venice Film Festival and the Emmys, (both in September), The Globes and the SAGs (January) there is potential for a frock famine by Feb 14.

Factor in that famous Bafta rain and it’s a disaster waiting to happen. Yet a well-executed turn here serves as an aide-memoire to the voters of the Oscars. What constitutes well-executed? For women, it’s still all about the frock.

So it’s a testament to Bafta that the dresses on Sunday were really rather good. Cate Blanchett looked so regal in her embroidered Alexander McQueen it’s hard to know how she’ll top it at the Oscars. There was plenty of black (Kate Winslet in Antonio Berardi; Alicia Vikander in Louis Vuitton silver-beaded black leather), jewel-coloured velvets (Stacy Martin) and some outstanding red ruffles and embroidered lace dresses (Dakota Johnson; Annabelle Wallis in Oscar de la Renta). For those looking for take-out trends? Red lipstick. Oh, and dress up warm.