Andra Day’s Big Night at the Golden Globes Was Filled With Family and Haute Couture

Andra Day may be a first-time actress, but her win at last night’s Golden Globes was more than beginner’s luck. The multi-talented star, who took home the Best Actress in a Motion Picture—Drama prize for her work in The United States vs. Billie Holiday, made her big-screen debut in Lee Daniels’ biopic of the legendary jazz musician. In the film, Day transforms to capture Holiday at her peak and during her downfall, a performance that has garnered her raves and a well-deserved place among awards season’s frontrunners. Still, when she discovered she’d be receiving top honors, she was moved to tears. 

The accomplishment was made even more special by the way it happened. 2021’s virtual ceremony allowed Day to be surrounded by friends and family who cheered her on as her name was announced. “This moment is just as much for [my mom] and my dad as it is for me,” Day shared with Vogue post-show. “They have been so incredibly supportive of me and believed that I could do anything.” 

Day’s big night may have happened from a distance—she and her team tuned in from West Hollywood’s Edition Hotel—but she still “arrived” at the virtual ceremony in a movie star-worthy look. She and stylist Wouri Vice selected a stunning gray tulle gown from Virginie Viard’s spring/summer 2021 Chanel Couture collection that offered a modern reimagining of jazz-age glamour. 1000 hours worth of work went into the dress, which was crafted at the brand’s Paris atelier and featured an intricate sequined macramé bodice with more than 183,000 embroidered elements. The painstaking attention to detail speaks to haute couture’s high standards and the significance of Day’s presence at the Globes. 

After adding on a few layers of Chanel Fine Jewelry, including the dazzling ‘Brins de Diamants’ earrings and a few Coco crush platinum and diamond rings, Day needed the final touch: a beauty moment every bit as detailed oriented as her couture gown. To create Day’s glossy, multi-dimensional, berry lip makeup, artist Porsche Cooper got artistic while lining Day’s mouth with the deep-dark Le Crayon Lèvres in Berry and Rouge Noir before filling it in with a trio of Chanel lipsticks in varying shades of burgundy and purple. “The lip look was a layering effect with a mix of four different lip colors, with the star product being Rouge Coco Bloom in Season,” said Cooper. “I picked the glamourous deep berry hue for the lips to elevate her notably fresh makeup—[Andra’s] ethereal; glowing goddess vibe was the ultimate inspiration.” 

With hair, makeup, and jewelry perfected, Day was ready to sit back, relax, and enjoy an evening of celebration with her family and co-stars, Tyler James Williams and Tone Bell. Here, the night’s big winner takes Vogue along for an epic, couture-filled look behind the scenes of her win.