Halle Bailey at “The Little Mermaid” Premiere – Hollywood

Stylist: Nichole Goodman
Outfit: custom Valdrin Sahiti
Tailor: Rae Moore Studio
Makeup Artist: Christiana Cassell
Hairstylist: Tinisha Meeks using Sparkle Hair Imports
Locs: Dr. Kari Williams and Jehcara Nelson
Manicurist: Yoko Sakakura using Aprés
Shoes: Jimmy Choo
Jewelry: Dena Kemp | Stéfère

It’s a race against time, but we had to write about it. Just last week we witnessed the beauty of Halle Bailey‘s dress for the Hollywood premiere of “The Little Mermaid” and as it often happens with uncommon dresses: we were intrigued.

Would you like to know who was the Albanian designer behind this gown? Then you are in the right place.

For the event, Halle donned a structural custom Valdrin Sahiti dress paired with silver bedazzled Jimmy Choo Sully ankle sandals (same model as pictured below, different shade).

The Black beauty also accessorized her look with Dena Kemp diamond earrings and a Stéfère white diamond Petal ring on her right index finger among others.

Bailey‘s dress clearly took inspiration from the character of “The Little Mermaid” because the neckline reinterpreted the iconic shell bra that Ariel wore in Disney‘s animated version, while the irregular shape of the hem played with the imagery of the redhead’s fin (seen that she was part human and part fish).

Clever choice of materials paired with expert craftsmanship and an exact idea in mind.

Moreover, according to Cassie Anderson, Fashion Director of Cosmopolitan, this dress resembles the new one Ariel wears in the movie.

The makeup of course had to be matched with the dress, hence why pro makeup artist Christiana Cassell painted her lids with a glittery light blue eyeshadow and classic black winged liner. A hint of red-ish blush on the cheeks to tie with the hair and simple nude defined lips to finish it all off.

The hair was styled by a trio of Black women: hairstylist Tinisha Meeks, helped by trichologist and celebrity hairstylist Dr. Kari Williams and natural hair care specialist and hairstylist Jehcara “Summer” Nelson on the locs.

Each one of them made sure that her locs looked their best–the gentle side part added that touch of class to an already striking look–it was also a nod to the hairstyle Halle has in the live action movie.

Jehcara even joked about the fact that they “did use a Dinglehopper to create the look”.

If you are not familiar with it, you should know that it was a common fork that animation movie Ariel found while exploring a sunken ship near the beginning of the film. Scuttle identified said object with this name, stating that it was commonly used to comb the hair (hence the joke).

Bailey‘s nails were a work of art, courtesy of manicurist Yoko Sakakura. Yoko created something that perfectly displayed how the bottom of the sea would look like, starting from the color to the little pearls and crystals that make you think about the little lost treasures over there.

Sakakura used Aprés products and both her and Nailpro Magazine shared all the steps to recreate them on your own.

Here is a product breakdown, edited for clarity:

1. After cleaning the cuticles, apply pH bonder on nail bed;
2. Apply Non-Acidic bonder;
3. After applying a thin layer of Extend Gel, cure with LED lamp for 30 seconds;
4. Apply Gel-X Prep to pre-measured Gel-X Sculpted Round Medium Tips;

5. Apply Extend Gel for Gel-X tip application to the natural nail. Cure for one minute.
6. Buff edges of Gel-X tip and wipe with acetone;
7. Apply two coats of ‘Secret Lagoon‘ and cure one minute after each layer;
8. Apply Heavenly Top Gelcoat in ‘Angelic‘ (Green) to give a shimmer chrome effect;
9. Apply a small amount of Diamond Gel to place and secure pearls and crystals;
10. Apply Top Gelcoat X for a glossy shiny finish.

After years assisting KJ Moody, stylist Nichole Goodman now has her time to shine by working with clients such as Halle Bailey and as I’m writing this, the actress/musician just walked the red carpet of the London premiere in a magnificent white custom Miss Sohee dress.

Goodman is showing us how it’s done.

━━━━━━━━━━━━

The Little Mermaid is a 2023 American musical fantasy film directed by Rob Marshall from a screenplay written by David Magee.

Co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures, DeLuca Marshall, and Marc Platt Productions, it is a live-action adaptation of Disney‘s 1989 animated film of the same name, itself loosely based on the 1837 fairy tale of the same title by Hans Christian Andersen.

The film stars Halle Bailey in the titular role.