Secrets of the Stylish: Simone Ashley

Simone Ashley takes the matter of red-carpet dressing seriously. She sees the fun in fashion and recognises it as an opportunity for self-expression, but when it comes to stepping out for a public event, she considers her look as if she were meticulously “painting a picture”. “It’s not just about how you feel wearing a particular outfit, but also about how it’s going to photograph,” she tells us. “So many factors are involved in creating an incredible look; it's almost like a movie. When everything comes together, from the nail colour to the jewellery to the make-up, and the photos really work, that makes me feel great.”

The Bridgerton star is minutes from hosting an intimate dinner to celebrate Nespresso’s new collaboration with Liberty, a three-piece collection featuring a hand-drawn Liberty print. “I’m drawn to beauty, fashion and music, so Nespresso wasn’t on the vision board, but when they approached me to become an ambassador it made so much sense – I love coffee,” she says, laughing. For the occasion, she is wearing one of her favourite brands, Nensi Dojaka, choosing a body-skimming pencil skirt and bralet from the label’s spring/summer 2024 collection. “In anything I do I like to have fun and express youthfulness and colour,” she explains. “Today I’m wearing black which is an expression of chicness.”

Ashley’s thoughtful style decisions have made her one of the most interesting stars to watch on the red carpet today. She incorporates daring silhouettes, interesting textures and eye-popping colour to create a youthful, original take on glamour. Working alongside celebrity stylist Rebecca Corbin-Murray, she has learnt to embrace bolder looks and harness the joy of dressing up. “I want to represent women and particularly women who look like me. I want to show what it is to be confident and really have fun with fashion.”

Here, she opens up about the outfits that make her feel most confident, how Corbin-Murray has helped shape her style, and why fashion is anything but frivolous.

Talk me through your outfit today – what drew you to this look?

“I am wearing Nensi Dojaka, whose clothes I love. I’ve worn her designs a few times and think she has a great eye for architecture, which she incorporates throughout her work. I love the minimalism and simplicity of her pieces; they’re unique and they make me feel sexy.”

How do you decide which brands you want to work with?

“I like brands that resonate with my daily life and coffee is part of that, so working with Nespresso was a no-brainer. I’m a massive coffee fan, but I try to be restrained with how much I drink – I have a cup when I wake up, then I might have another later that morning, but after that I’m done. I can’t drink it after midday. Being approached by brands is wonderful and not something I take for granted, so it’s a case of choosing something that speaks your truth. We’re all so privileged to be working in this industry, so while I’m here I just want to make the most of it.”

How involved do you tend to be in the styling process?

“I have a stylist called Rebecca Corbin-Murray, who works with lots of brilliant actresses for the red carpet. She’s more than just a stylist; she encourages her clients to be smart businesswomen, and truly cares about what we do and the choices we make. She has such a great eye and has taught me so much about fashion. She’s helped me develop my look and really pushed me in new directions with it. She just gets me; sometimes you can’t articulate it in words – it’s just a feeling. She’s empowered me and has helped me appreciate the details of fashion. I love working with independent, smaller brands too, which is something I do on my own.”

What kind of fashion makes you feel your most confident?

“I wish I could say there was a common thread in the clothes that make me feel the best, but I’m not sure there is. Even as I was getting ready today, I thought, ‘now this is one of my favourites’, but I’m sure I said that the last time I got dressed for an event, too. I think of getting ready – at least for public occasions – as painting a picture. I wore a Tamara Ralph couture look to a big event last summer and that came together in the space of a few days, to the point where I didn’t even look in the mirror. When I saw the photos, I thought ‘wow, that was a great look.’

“I also love using my skin as an accessory, so I do a lot of mini skirts and clothes that show off my skin. I love the colour of my skin and drawing attention to it. That’s not to say I don’t also enjoy dressing more conservatively either – I’m an actress so one must have boundaries sometimes.”

Ashley in Tamara Ralph couture

How has your style evolved over the years?

“I’m more daring now and more confident. I’m more willing to give it a go and have fun with something. When it comes to fashion, [I advise to] do whatever makes you feel comfortable and happy. Stepping out on a red carpet is a very specific thing, so it’s about thinking, ‘What do you want to do with that? What do you want to say?’”

What has been your most memorable fashion moment and why?

“It’s usually the ones that come together more spontaneously. The Tamara Ralph couture look is probably my number one favourite. To wear couture was just incredible. It was a heavy, beaded, mesh dress embroidered with pearls. It was totally impractical but it wasn’t supposed to be worn for everyday – it was a piece of art. I loved the Jeremy Scott for Moschino look that I wore the first time I went to the Met Gala last year. It was such an honour to be invited and wear his work. Another that really sticks out is the look I wore to Versace’s La Vacanza show during Cannes Film Festival last May – it reminded me of a watermelon in these green, pink and purple colours. The looks I love the most are always those that are photographed outside in a hot country because, as I said, I love to get my skin out – and that really only works when the sun’s out, otherwise you just want to be inside."

Whose style have you always admired?

“I’ve always looked up to Dua Lipa’s style, and of course Zendaya. Stevie Nicks, Julia Roberts, Cameron Diaz and Taylor Russell – her looks are really cool. These women are all so different and their style so diverse, but their looks all have such thought behind them. Their talent as actresses shines through when they’re wearing these beautiful dresses.”

What’s your ideal getting-ready set-up – do you like to set a mood?

“I do, yes. I like really nice music – it could be jazz or my favourite '90s rock band – but nothing too crazy, then a glass of whiskey and chicken nuggets. Plus, lots of water. I like to have chill because when you walk out the door it’s crazy. I’ve done it when I didn’t have that calm and it wasn’t good.”

When do you feel most beautiful?

“When I’ve had eight or nine hours sleep. I don’t know if beautiful is even the word, but I just feel alive and normal.”

Fashion has a reputation for being frivolous, but why does what we wear matter?

“I don’t think it’s frivolous. The craftsmanship and workmanship that go into these looks; the years of study so many designers undertake; the practising, learning, succeeding and failing that’s involved with carving out their careers; the history of fashion, from Alexander McQueen to Pierpaolo Piccioli – it’s anything but frivolous. It conveys emotion in the same way a director does on film or a musician does with a song. It’s beyond superficiality. I don’t know where that idea came from, maybe confidence has been misunderstood as being shallow. Like everything in life, fashion affects us somehow, even if we don’t think so.”