The likes of Victoria Beckham, Jourdan Dunn and Tom Ford will come together for the British Fashion Awards on 23 November. And the host of E!'s Beyond the Red Carpet: British Fashion Awards, Sarah-Jane Crawford, has told us what to expect from the star-studded evening.
At a ceremony filled with designers, fashion critics, and iconic celebrities, picking an outfit could feel somewhat daunting. But Sarah-Jane is confident she won’t make a fashion faux pas, as she plans to wear a dress by one of the nominated designers.
Describing her own style as "clean with a bit of an edge," the presenter is considering outfits by Erdem, Tom Ford and one of the Duchess of Cambridge’s favourite designers, Roksanda Ilincic. Although she hasn’t ruled out a design by Molly Goddard, nominated for the Emerging Womanswear Designer, who she described as "one to watch".
But the designer that has everyone talking is the enigmatic Karl Lagerfeld, who is expected to make an appearance as the winner of this year’s Outstanding Achievement Award. And Sarah-Jane revealed that she’ll be making a beeline for him on the red carpet. “He’s got this kind of poker face vibe,” she said. "He’s a legend, it would be cool to meet him."
Stella McCartney, whose eponymous animal-friendly label is nominated for Best Brand, has also caught Sarah-Jane's eye. The former Radio 1Xtra presenter turned vegan five months ago after watching videos showing how animals are treated by the food industry.
“[Stella] is representing the vegans out there!” she said. “Some of the vegan brands are not that cute. There needs to be more designers willing to do things that are cruelty-free but still look really cool.”
But the decision to turn vegan wasn’t just moral, but health-related, as a cancer-scare left Sarah-Jane with a new outlook on life. After discovering a lump in her breast that, when removed, turned out to be non-cancerous, the presenter decided to take better care of her body, improving her overall health.
The operation sparked a year of change for the 34 year old, who, in the space of a few short months, made a radical diet change, cut her hair, gave up alcohol as well as leaving her job at the BBC and as host of The Xtra Factor to pursue projects in America.
“I hadn’t really linked them all, but I’ve done a lot a shedding. From diet, to image, to work,” she realised. “You’ve got to do new things and you’ve got to be brave. And yeah it’s scary, but nothing new will happen with you if you’re doing the same thing.”
And the star has truly moved on, as she admitted she hasn’t watched a single episode of this year’s X Factor, or checked out her replacement Xtra Factor hosts, Rochelle Humes and Melvin Odoom.
"That isn’t out of choice," she explained. "I really wanted to, but I’ve had no time, I haven’t been in the country. I’m sure they’re doing an amazing job, they’re both friends of mine, and they’re both really funny and charismatic."
