FASHION

Gemma Chan Takes on Tassels

by Natalie Michie

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 13: Gemma Chan attends the "Josephine" Screening during the 70th BFI Londo...
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An easy way to reinvent the classic satin slip? Cover it in tassels. This was Gemma Chan’s approach last night, when she stepped out in a champagne-colored dress adorned with tiny tufts of fringe.

For an event at SoHo House during the BFI London Film Festival, the British actor opted for a lustrous Burberry design with a high-drama twist. It had all the makings of a minimal ’90s slip, with a V-cut neckline and a matching silk eveningwear scarf. But the textured, ornamental add-ons cascading down the bodice gave the look an opulent allure.

Courtesy of Burberry

It’s a funky flourish one might think pairs well with a languid slip, but it’s a decidedly du jour embellishment. The maximalist tassel trend has been building on the runway for many seasons, from Dries Van Noten’s viral fringe-covered dresses for fall 2025 to Dior’s haute couture fall 2026 skirt suit with knotted appliqués swinging freely.

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For Chan, who never shies away from 3D embellishments or busy patterns on the red carpet, it’s a decidedly fitting look. Case in point: at the BFI London Film Festival earlier this week, the 43-year-old star stepped out in another statement ensemble, wearing a print-heavy Dries Van Noten knot dress for the screening of her new film Josephine, in which she stars alongside Channing Tatum.

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While promoting the upcoming movie, Chan’s head-turning red carpet looks have felt reminiscent of one of her other onscreen counterparts, the stylish Astrid Leong in Crazy Rich Asians. This week, the beloved film was greenlit for a sequel HBO series. Whether or not Chan will be reprising her role remains to be seen, but the actor has said she hopes to be a part of it in some capacity. She’s certainly still got the outfit drama down.