For this weekend’s Critics Choice Awards, 31-year-old South African actress Thuso Mbedu chose a sparkling Louis Vuitton gown that she dubbed a “dressor” — a dress plus armor. It’s not hard to see why: the custom creation, made with more than 220 hours spent on the gown alone with an additional 630 hours of work done for the hand-embroidery, was laid with more than 16,000 bronze, gold and silver sequins, giving it a metallic armor-like look. That plus the crossover-style bodice made it perfect for the “Woman King” actress, who is making the awards rounds after her turn as Nawi in the film.
Below, Mbedu shares a behind-the-scenes look at what went into getting ready for her big night (styling was by celeb styling duo Wayman and Micah, with hair by Sharif Poston and makeup by Rebekah Aladdin).
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