On the occasion of her first Golden Globes, Danish actor Vic Carmen Sonne breaks down every aspect of her modern gothic look, courtesy of Louis Vuitton, and reveals which A-list star offered some last minute assistance before she hit the red carpet
When one is invited to the Golden Globes for the very first time – as the star of a nominated film, no less – it is not the moment to hold back in the look department. Luckily, 30-year-old Danish actor Vic Carmen Sonne already had Louis Vuitton on speed dial; the iconic French house was behind the mermaid-esque custom gown she wore when her film, The Girl With the Needle, made its world premiere at Cannes last spring. With the Danish period drama nominated for Best Non-English Language Film at Sunday’s awards, it was time to up the ante. “At this point, we have a pretty good sense of each other,” says Carmen Sonne of her relationship with Louis Vuitton creative director Nicolas Ghesquière and his team. “So it was about trying to find a subtle nod to the film.”
Photo: Getty
Photo: Getty
The look she ultimately wore was a romantic gothic fantasy, a reference to both the bygone era in which The Girl With The Needle is set (it takes place in post-WWI Copenhagen) and its underlying darkness (it centres around a woman who finds herself pregnant and unemployed with few viable options). Working with stylist Rose Forde, Carmen Sonne opted for a pale pink satin bustier gown with an intricate black lace overlay, which extended into a dramatic train. “I felt like it was a very couture version of something that was slightly Victoria’s Secret sexy,” says Carmen Sonne.
Though Carmen Sonne isn’t necessarily prone to wearing pink in her private life, this wasn’t the first time the actor wore pink to a pivotal event. “I wore this pink vintage dress with a sexy lace strip in the back to the Danish Holiday premiere,” she says, referencing the celebrated 2018 indie that was arguably her breakout. Funnily enough, she re-wore the very same dress to a dinner hosted by indie streaming platform and production company Mubi, which acquired the distribution rights to The Girl With the Needle ahead of a previous Golden Globes. “I didn’t put too much thought into it when I picked the dress,” says Carmen Sonne. “But it feels like a full-circle moment.”
Taking a sip while Kali Kennedy works her magic. Photo: Vic Carmen Sonne
Photo: Vic Carmen Sonne
A closer look at the Louis Vuitton high jewellery earrings enroute to the Golden Globes. Photo: Vic Carmen Sonne
For hair and makeup, Carmen Sonne struck a delicate balance between retro Hollywood glamour – the soft waves, the smudgy eyes, the berry lip – and, simply, the most stunning version of herself (or, as Carmen Sonne puts it, a combination of “medieval gothic” and “contemporary and hot”). With the starting point of some reference images pulled by Borne, the look was an intuitive collaboration between the actor, hair stylist John D. and makeup artist Kali Kennedy (“She’s a legend – it was the first time we worked together and definitely not the last time”). “Kali pulled up with sage and different face massage tools and a loud speaker and we listened to RnB and jazz music. And we all just trusted each other,” says Carmen Sonne. “I know when I don’t ask for a mirror, I’m in the right hands.”
The look wouldn’t be complete without jewellery. Carmen Sonne had the singular (and slightly stressful) opportunity to wear the sort of high jewellery – designed by Francesca Amfitheatrof for Louis Vuitton – that requires signatures and protocols. Though the mismatched earrings – one with a drop pink diamond and another more graphic cluster earring – looked contemporary and effortlessly cool, they were a game-time decision. “I was supposed to wear two of the drop earrings with the pink diamonds – with the cross they were a bit Vampire-ish,” she says. “But one of the locks wasn’t quite working and with these expensive earrings… we were all kind of like, ‘Maybe we should not’.” The finishing touch were the intricate diamond rings, one of which featured “the biggest rock” Carmen Sonne had “ever seen”. At the end of the evening, she was too scared to keep the jewellery in her room (“What if someone climbs onto the balcony?”) so she requested for the hotel to place them in their main safe. “It’s funny how you kind of value the jewellery over your own life,” she says.
Photo: Vic Carmen Sonne
Capturing the look before heading out. Photo: Vic Carmen Sonne
Photo: Vic Carmen Sonne
When it came time to stand in front of the throng of photographers on the red carpet, Carmen Sonne got an unexpected final assist. “We were standing in the queue to have our photos taken and I borrowed Kate Winslet’s mirror to fix my lipstick,” she says.
No matter how spectacularly a corset is tailored, it’s still a struggle to wear one for a long awards ceremony. Luckily, Carmen Sonne sorted out a hack. “The truth is, I zipped it down during the dinner and I sat with my back to the cameras,” she says. “But I looked snatched.”