Lily Allen returned to the Saturday Night Live stage yesterday evening, 18 years after her last appearance. The pop star performed two tracks from her raw, confessional, much-discussed 2025 album, West End Girl: “Sleepwalking” and “Madeline.” The latter, a song about confronting the woman her husband is cheating on her with, is a pivotal album track, one that’s gotten plenty of people pondering over Madeline’s true identity. (West End Girl is loosely based on Allen’s turbulent marriage to actor David Harbour.) Last night, Dakota Johnson dressed up in her best lingerie to take on the role.
While Allen performed the track, Johnson lounged on a boudoir bed behind a sheer curtain, reading aloud the texts sent to Allen from “Madeline.” Then, at the song’s end, she emerged onstage to kiss the singer on the cheek, signing off, “Love and light.” Swoon!
For the cameo, Johnson wore a ’20s-esque lacy teddy dress from Bode with gold ribbons and rosette appliqué, paired with a sheer sequined duster coat made of black mesh and crinkled gold foil, also from Bode. For jewelry, she opted for beaded purple Lizzie Fortunato earrings, an emerald necklace from Roxanne Assoulin, and several rings by Sophie Bille Brahe and her favorite, Jessica McCormack. While it very much fit the vibe of the hazy, intimate setting, the look was also totally in step with Johnson’s go-to, sexy style.
Allen, meanwhile, made several outfit changes over the course of the night, leaning into the vintage vibe of the dressing room-inspired set. To perform “Sleepwalking,” she wore a mint green and while lace-trimmed silk romper with sheer black tights and black stilettos, layering emerald and orange-stoned necklaces. Her hair was swept up into a half-up, half-down beehive and she sported a feline flick of eyeliner, adding to the nostalgic, theater-star look. Later, for her performance of “Madeline,” Allen shimmied into a bow-adorned black minidress.
Back in 2007, for her first appearance as an SNL musical guest, Allen was still rocking the prom dress look, performing in a black A-line dress, ruffled skirt, and chunky gold earrings. Today, Allen embraces a more polished sense of style, recently appearing at the 2025 CFDA Fashion Awards in a cream silk bra top and skirt by Colleen Allen (revenge dressing, the Lily Allen way), and walking in the ’80s-glamour-inspired 16Arlington show. We might not have deduced who Madeline is, but we know Dakota Johnson and Lily Allen make for a stylish pairing.
