FKA Twigs’ Stylist On Last Night’s Look At The Mercury Prize Ceremony

Karen Clarkson talks balancing strength and femininity on FKA Twigs’ shoulders.

October 30, 2014

Last night at the Mercury Prize ceremony in London, FKA Twigs walked the red carpet in a sharp, asymmetric white Balenciaga dress and sleek and vaguely fetishistic black leather Givenchy boots. She paired it with long curls pouring over one shoulder, gold septum ring in place, and meticulously applied black lipstick. Twigs' style is a potent and influential component of her allure: composed but not studied, avant-garde but not desexualized, hot but never in a boring way. To peel back the curtain a bit on her sartorial magic, we asked Twigs' stylist, the prolific and brilliant Karen Clarkson, how they put together Twigs' look from last night.

Karen Clarkson: At the Balenciaga show they teamed that jacket with a pair of trousers, but we styled it as a dress with those amazing boots from Givenchy's spring collection. Twigs is tiny, which you need to know when you're styling her. She's petite and really well proportioned but things that work on the runway don't necessarily work in reality. Pairing that asymmetrical dress with trousers wouldn't have had the same impact it did at the Balenciaga show. And we're so lucky and fortunate that designers are so supportive and helpful. It allows us to interpret these wonderful clothes in our own way, to put our own spin on it and make it feel new, because we don't want to follow trends. We're not that interested in Twigs looking like a walking fashion magazine, we want it to be natural and spontaneous.

All images: Ben A. Pruchnie / Getty Images

FKA Twigs’ Stylist On Last Night’s Look At The Mercury Prize Ceremony