A-listers walk red carpet, talk fashion at Elle Style Awards

Stars from the worlds of music, fashion, film and television walked the red carpet at the Elle Style Awards in London on Tuesday (February 24).

The event, which takes place at the end of London Fashion Week and a day before the BRIT Awards, attracts several A-list celebrities from both sides of the Atlantic.

British models Cara Delevingne, Jourdan Dunn and David Gandy turned out, as well as singer Jessie Ware, multiple Grammy Award-winner Sam Smith and Oscar-nominated actress Maggie Gyllenhaal.

German actress Diane Kruger, known for her roles in "Inglourious Basterds" and "Troy", wore a pink lace Chanel Couture dress to the award show. She commented on the different fashion styles in Europe and the United States.

"Well, New York's very fashionable. I live in France half of the time, so as you know Parisians are very, very fashionable. I miss getting dressed up a bit for dinner. LA tends to be very casual, and you know people wear jeans and t-shirts all the time, and I think it's nice to, you know, be a little different," she said.

Actress Olivia Wilde, who has appeared in "TRON: Legacy," "Rush" and the TV series "House," was complimentary of the unique street fashion found in the British capital.

"London's street fashion has always been so far ahead of the US and I think it's so exciting to see what people come up with here. I think people are so inspired by vintage here and they really establish new looks and then everyone else tries to copy them. It's great," she explained.

Not to be outdone by the ladies, the men at the Elle Style Awards said they too made an effort to look dapper and suave.

"I do enjoy it, you know, I like to get suited up, look smart if I can. But you know these kinds of events are amazing, being around other people who care about fashion, other talented people, it's really an incredible thing," said singer Nick Jonas, who sported an olive green jacket, black shirt and black bowtie.

Actor Luke Evans, recently seen in the final "Hobbit" film, wore a tailored three-piece suit. He offered a glimpse into his busy schedule: "Yes, so the next film that I've got coming out is called 'High-Rise,' which is a Ben Wheatley direction with Tom Hiddleston, Sienna Miller, Jeremy Irons, Elisabeth Moss. Very, very, very cool film. And then I leave tomorrow, Thursday to go shoot a movie in LA called 'Message from the King' with Chadwick Boseman and Alfred Molina. Then I go to Budapest to shoot a movie called 'SAS: Red Notice' for nine weeks. And then I go to New York to shoot a movie called 'Three Seconds,' and that's my year done."

The glitzy event was also an opportunity for novice fashionistas to mingle with popular designers and stylists. Australian actress and comedian Rebel Wilson joked that the award show forced her to swap her tracksuit for a frock.

"Well fashion is quite new to me. I'm learning more about fashion, so coming to a thing like this and getting to hang out with cool designers and all the people that—the lovely fashionistas that Elle brought together tonight. It's just really cool, and for me like, I learn stuff by talking to people because I'm trying to class up my act a little bit more. So notice I'm not wearing a tracksuit, I'm wearing a dress, trying to keep it classy," she said.

Greek-born designer Mary Katrantzou, who showcased her autumn/winter 2015 collection over the weekend, said she enjoyed working with a celebrity clientele.

"You know everyone we've dressed you have that moment that it feels really special, from Michelle Obama to Taylor Swift to whoever it is, you know. They wear it with such presence on the red carpet that you feel, you know, part of your collection has taken on their identity. So I think it's just wearing it with confidence and you're always proud when you see somebody wearing your clothes."

Reaction to the Academy Awards was another topic of discussion on the red carpet. "Absolutely Fabulous" star Jennifer Saunders said she agreed with Supporting Actress winner Patricia Arquette, who criticized the film industry's gender pay gap in her acceptance speech.

"Yeah, of course they are, especially in that industry, in the Hollywood industry, women are still not paid anything like the same as men. Even higher profile women aren't paid the same as a lower profile man, it's ridiculous. But I think, generally, we're still not at that stage, which seems incredible after all these years," said Saunders.

The Elle Style Awards is one of the biggest nights in the celebrity calendar. It has taken place in London nearly every year since 2002. — Reuters