Having turned heads at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this week, it's not surprising that House of Guinness star Danielle Galligan pulled out an even more dazzling look for the IFTAs.
The Dublin actress, who has not one but two starring roles in recent television shows - House of Guinness on Netflix and The Walsh Sisters on RTÉ - looked every inch the star, stepping out onto the red carpet in a red and black asymmetrical design by Alexander McQueen, designed by Dubliner Sean McGirr.
The gown, with capped sleeves and paired with black lace tights and chunky black knee-high boots, was both a subtle take on method dressing and an homage to homegrown talent.
Speaking to RTÉ Lifestyle at the event, she explained that she worked with stylist Davey Sutton to create an outfit that "felt very Lady Olivia", the dazzling character she plays in the Netlfix show.
"She literally had herself painted or taken a photo of as the Queen", she said. "She wore the full livery, and it's one of my first inspiration images. And also Sean McGirr is Irish so it's nice to be wearing Irish as well."
"The more I researched her, the more I realised that she was the Marie Antoinette [of her time], that was where we went, and Edward [K Gibbon] the costume designer and Nadine [Clifford, associate costume designer] were so incredible with how they spoke about the clothes, how they chose fabrics. It was all very emotional, it was never just 'oh, this looks cute' or 'this looks beautiful'."
She recalls a detail on one of Lady Olivia's gowns that sums up their approach: "There was a little blue bow on one of the dresses and he was like, 'this bow is here because the child she lost was a boy', and then you're like, whoa!"
She explained that it was a way to get into character even after so many takes: "The emotional arc of the character is woven into the fabric choice, which is amazing."
Not only was her look tonight a nod to her character, but Galligan spoke about being reminded of her younger self in the outfit she chose for the glamorous ceremony.
"You know how when you're younger, you try to look like everyone else? And then you hit your 30s and you find your younger self again. And this feels very like my younger self in a weird way, like before I started trying to fit in.
"An homage to Lady Olivia but also to my younger, little girl [self] that I like, abandoned somewhere along the way."
