It was “Ted Lasso” Emmy winner Hannah Waddingham’s first time at New York Fashion Week and much to her delight, the runway was full of what she calls “juicy birds.”
“I also didn’t realize that he uses so many of what I would say — because I’m one myself — juicy women,” Waddingham said of Christian Siriano, whose show she flew in for from London over the weekend. “And it was just glorious to see these. I’ve always — because I was a plus-size model myself back in the day — I always said if I was older, I would have an agency called Juicy Birds, because that’s what they are. They looked absolutely breathtaking in these clothes.”
She arrived Wednesday and did a fitting with Siriano, which was a “little girl in a candy store” experience, before dropping by Drew Barrymore’s talk show and finally the show.
Related Galleries
“It was great. Well, the thing I love is as much as it’s all lovely doing the bit before, I’m always one for knuckling down and concentrating on whatever is in hand,” Waddingham said. “And the moment when I actually got a chance to sit down, the lights go down, the music starts and every single element of it was relaxed. But you could see the detail that he had gone into. The girls he had chosen were really impeccable and brought an immense sense of drama and his clothes were, the way they move is quite astonishing.”
The breakout star of the Apple show caused quite the commotion when she arrived, becoming clear just how many people love “Ted Lasso.” The longtime stage actress, now an Emmy winner for her portrayal of Rebecca, is a fashion lover and had a hard time naming her favorite look from the collection the following morning.
“I would say probably there was one outfit that was, I don’t know how to describe it, it was like from what I would call his Morticia section,” she said. “That girl looked absolutely sensational. And also, the big tan and checked ballgown with a separate little crop top. I mean, not something I would ever wear, but it looked just insane coming down the runway.”
She took in the show next to “brand new best friend” Drew Barrymore on one side and “living legend” Susan Sarandon on the other.
“We had such a lovely chat and Susan was saying how much she loves ‘Ted Lasso,’ which was really a pinch-me moment for me. And I said, ‘Can I just say in all this madness tonight, can I just say to you, thank you, because you were a trailblazer for me when I was in my 20s.’ She would play roles that were gender-neutral back when that wasn’t an accepted thing. She would play roles that could even have been played by a man. And probably usually would have been, but because she was so brilliant, they went for her. The amount of films that I grew up thinking that Susan Sarandon was absolutely the benchmark for me. So to then sit next to her at Christian’s show was really an extra treat I wasn’t expecting.”
After the show, which was held in the lower level of the Empire State Building, she and the other VIPs were allowed to go up to the 103rd floor of the building and take photos.
“I’m going to be posting a photo later that’s just epic,” she said. “All of Christian’s clothes leaning over the Empire State Building. And it’s literally taken on an iPhone and it’s just fabulous. In his clothes right up there on the 103rd floor.”
After her quick trip to New York she returns to London, where the third season of ‘”Ted Lasso” begins shoot on March 7.
“But I’ll be in prep trying to squeeze myself back into my Rebecca skirts before then,” Waddingham said.
Rebecca’s love of a fitted pencil skirt and power suit is part of her signature, which Waddingham said she loves.
“Myself and Jacky Levy, the costume designer, she and I collaborate 100 percent together and have done that really since Day One. We go out shopping together and I’m very, very, very specific about Rebecca’s style and her palette of color. And Jacky is the same. We just have a complete meeting of minds,” Waddingham said. “So she and I will also spot things throughout the year and go, ‘What about this?’ It’s like a shorthand we have. And when we go shopping, we barely even talk. We just look at things and [we have] such a shorthand about how Rebecca should look now. And of course, Rebecca is all about the Christian Louboutin shoes. She’s always got a Louboutin on the go.”