When the designer of the runway show you’re going to requests to dress you, you know that you have good style—on and off the red carpet in actress Lauren Hammersley case.
Not the sort of women that walks into a room unnoticed, Hammersley is tall, beautiful and happens to be born with the cheekbones that every girl wishes for. Basically, she looks like the type of actress that would fall under the category of onscreen temptress. Not so though, as audiences of CBC’s Mr.s D can attest. As it turns out, this B.C. native leans in the opposite direction: comedy.
Cast in the role of Lisa Mason, Hammersley plays a perky but stiff, cookie-cutter teacher with overachiever tendencies at Xavier Academy, the polar opposite of the show’s title character, Mr. D—a comedic clash worth its weight in nondescript sweater sets and pencil skirts, a favourite of Ms. Mason’s.
Off set, the actress’s personal style, particularly on the red carpet, is elegant and ultra feminine, much like the designs of Maison Matthew Gallagher.
Front row at Gallagher’s Spring/Summer show, beside Hammersley—outfitted in a gem from designer’s Fall/Winter collection—the evolution between the seasons’ collections is particularly apparent. While Fall/Winter 2014 offered an array of femme fatale-worthy dresses, tailored so to hug the body and accentuate feminine lines from the waist to the delicate curve of a woman’s shoulders (like Hammersley’s dress), Spring/Summer 2015 embraces girly delights by way of long voluminous skirts and an adorable short pale pink dress with origami-stye pleats.
A true Maison Matthew Gallagher woman, we sit down with Hammersley to talk about the designer’s latest collection and how she expects the season’s trends to affect her own personal style.
RATE THE IMPORTANCE OF FASHION IN YOUR LIFE. (10 BEING FOOD I.E. NECESSARY TO LIFE.)
Out of 10? Ummmm, definitely not food—food is food, you can’t eat clothes…not a sustainable diet. (Laughing.) I would probably say a 6 or a 5, it’s not too high for me. I want to look good, and I like going out and looking good, but I find that women’s fashion changes so often…I don’t want to invest too much money, but there are certain staples that I would invest in.
BASED ON WHAT YOU’VE SEEN AT THE SHOW, WHAT DO YOU PREDICT TO BE THE BIGGEST TREND TO HIT THE STREETS NEXT SEASON?
Based on what I’ve seen tonight, I would say feminine…as far as Matthew Gallagher goes, he had such a classic Hollywood style—throughout the eras. I could see the ‘60s in there, And then Tuesday, I saw some 90s, which terrified me because that was me in high school, and hating my life (laughing), it brought back some horrible memories for me.
DO YOU THINK YOU’LL INCORPORATE THIS TREND INTO YOUR OWN WARDROBE?
Absolutely! Sans the ‘90s, but that’s a personal thing, nothing against the designers, their work is lovely.
ARE YOU MORE A TREND PERSON OR A STAPLES PERSON?
I’m more of a staples person with a couple of trend items—just because something is trendy, doesn’t mean I look good in it…cause I can feel like a goof when I’m in something trendy.
WHAT IS THE MOST EXTRAVAGANT PIECE IN YOUR CLOSET AND WHAT IS THE MOST COZY?
My most extravagant would probably be a vintage dress of my grandmothers, something very frilly…even some of her fur I still have. I think women really knew what to spend money on in those days. And the coziest would probably be something my aunt knit because she’s an amazing knitter.
IF YOU COULD TAKE ONE PIECE FROM THE RUNWAY HOME WITH YOU, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
I love the pink skirt with the black top—there are so many of the pieces that I’m in love with…the white dress is gorgeous.
WHAT CELEBRITY, DEAD OR ALIVE, WOULD YOU HAVE LIKED TO HAVE ATTENDED THE SHOW WITH TONIGHT?
Living or dead? Ummm…I always had this fantasy of taking someone from the past and putting them in the future, like putting da Vinci on an airplane, or something like that. So it would probably be a designer from the 1700s…I don’t know my historical fashion designers…but somebody from back then, and see what they think about where their industry has gone over the years.
WHAT SONG BEST SUMS UP THE CURRENT COLLECTION?
Oh, I’m not good with that…I don’t know! (Laughing.) You’ve stumped me!
WHO IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON TO IMPRESS AT FASHION WEEK?
Yourself! You shouldn’t have to try too hard, you should just enjoy what you’re wearing…and enjoy watching what other people are wearing, and see what you like on other people.
WHAT WAS THE SINGLE ELEMENT ABOUT YOUR FASHION WEEK EXPERIENCE THAT IMPRESSED YOU MOST, ON OR OFF THE RUNWAY?
You know…just the fashion. It was incredibly impressive.
