The pair of Golden Globe-nominated actors wore gowns by Houston-based fashion designers during Tuesday night’s awards show. “Severance” star Britt Lower walked the red carpet in a strapless Bach Mai; Sepideh Moafi of “Blackbird” posed in Amir Taghi sequins outside the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
Moafi’s black sequin dress with poppy rose had a special meaning. The floral detail paid “tribute to the people of Iran who risked their lives during this revolution.” The Haus of Milad inscribed petals with the names of the protesters who were killed in Persian calligraphy. It’s a ruby shade honoring those who have died in the Islamic Republic over the past 44 years, according to Fashionista.
Taghi is a Houston native who debuted his eponymous ready-to-wear line at the age of 18 at his parents’ Tanglewood home. He studied at Central Saint Martins College in London and Parsons School of Design in New York and then worked with Oscar de la Renta, Mons, Adam Lippes and Proenza Schouler.
Moafi stars as FBI agent Lauren McCauley in the Apple+ miniseries “Blackbird,” which was nominated for Best Limited or Anthology Series or TV Movie at the 80th Annual Golden Globe Awards.
Lower’s stylist Jacqueline Zenere previously chose Mai to dress for the Emmy Award event. At the Golden Globes, Zenere pulled her client’s red carpet ensemble from the Houston-born-and-raised designer’s latest look.
“We just released our latest pre-fall collection. Britta’s gown was the ultimate look and her stylist just had to have it,” says Mai. “She knew he was the one.
His references were a play on 1950s couture and the sculpted silhouettes of Cristobal Balenciaga. It became Maia’s signature.
“The dress was rich, raspberry pink and inky, black velvet that soaks up all the light,” she says. “Classic glamor with a bit of drama.”
The son of Vietnamese immigrants, Mai graduated from St. John’s School in 2007. He also studied at Parsons and then earned a master’s degree at the Institut Français de la Mode in Paris. After joining the design teams of Prabal Gurung and Maison Margiela under John Galliano, Mai launched his eponymous collection in 2021.
His ready-to-wear collections have been picked up by Neiman Marcus department stores in Houston, Dallas and Beverly Hills, California. at the end of last year. Bergdorf Goodman in Manhattan also carries his line.
“This is my first placement at a major awards show. And I think it’s the Golden Globes,” says Mai. “It’s still kind of sinking in.”