SELF Title

What advice would you give to any woman aspiring to pursue an ‘impossible’ career? A dream job like yours?

“I’ve learned to only compete with myself. It’s a slippery slope trying to imitate somebody else’s career path or journey. It’s yours. As long as whatever you are doing makes you happy and challenges you, I’d say keep doing it. Work hard and don’t compare. Success can look like lots of things.”

Are you someone who has always loved fashion? Who were your influences growing up?

“Every weekend my brother and sister and I would raid the dressing up box and put on plays for our family. I was always coming up with new characters, wearing my mum’s wedding dress or throwing a Naf Naf jacket on with her sunglasses. I looked to women like Diane Keaton - I loved her androgynous style. The suits, the tie and brogues.” 

Do you enjoy the art of getting dressed up now?

“There is something pretty magic about being given the opportunity to get all glammed up. I love when all the different elements come together to complete ‘a look’. The older I get the more I understand what makes me feel good. I’m way more confident in knowing what I like and what suits me now. That’s not to say I won’t make brave choices, but I’m usually always drawn to something floaty, elegant, feminine. Something I can move in and not feel too claustrophobic.”

What are some of your favourite labels?

“I have pieces that I love and have had in my wardrobe for years. Things that can’t be replaced. Leather jackets, carpet bags, high waisted denim shorts, vintage silk shirts. Brands I love at the moment are Deji Studios, Ganni, Doen, Joslin, The Row and Jessica McCormack for jewellery.”

Can you tell us about a memorable fashion moment in your career?

“The first time Aimee Croysdill, my great friend and stylist and I styled a bump. Emilia Wickstead made me a dress for the Transformers premiere and I was pregnant. We had to re-cut and re-style that dress right up until the day I wore it and there was something so amazing about going through this process with Emilia and Aimee.”

Finally, can you tell us about a place or a moment in your life that represented pure joy?

“My parents live in the southwest of France. It’s so beautiful there, surrounded by pine trees and right by the ocean. If I could bottle the smell I would. Summers there are so restorative and the best part, for me, is having the memories of being a child there, becoming an adult there and now seeing my children there. It’s pretty special.”

BEAUFILLE

Beau•fille, [bo-fee] n. Adjective / 1. Handsome girl 

Symbolising the contrast between masculine and feminine elements, the combination of hard and soft. 

 Founded and designed by sisters Chloé and Parris Gordon. 

When it comes to modern love, there are few who can articulate its beauty and nuances quite like Greta Bellamacina. 

The poet, publisher, actress, director and model began her career at just 14, with a role in the Harry Potter film franchise, before going on to study acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. Since her debut poetry collection, Kaleidoscope, was published in 2014 she has written and edited numerous acclaimed anthologies, as well as continuing to cross disciplines and push artistic boundaries on screen. Now 30, she lives in Kent with her husband, artist Robert Montgomery, and their two children.

Photographed exclusively for THE TITLE wearing Khaite and Jessica McCormack, here Greta shares an insight into her world and her thoughts on love and style.

Love and identity are two subjects that you explore extensively within your poetry - why do they always appeal? 

Love is such a complex thing and the older I get - as well as having children - the more reflective I’ve become. I find writing a way of understanding the words that are always rattling around in my head. In some respects poetry is a bit like music - you might not remember all the lyrics, but the song speaks to you. I've always gone to poetry as a way to explore those emotions. 

You translated that passion into your cinematic directorial debut, Hurt by Paradise?

When I write poetry, I always feel that the aim is to find the magic within the mundane. I love looking at one ordinary thing and finding sacredness within it. The film is about this character Celeste [also played by Greta] who desperately wants to get her first book of poetry published. She’s a single mother trying to figure everything out, but she delivers these personal monologues of her thoughts. The torment of being a writer and trying to get things out there also became the source of a lot of comedy. 

You have two big upcoming projects; Venice at Dawn and This Sceptred Isle...

Venice at Dawn is directed by Jamie Adams and we shot the film in eight days. I loved the creative challenge of never losing sense of the character [Greta plays Sally in the cinematic interpretation of the classic British stage comedy]. The Michael Winterbottom project [This Sceptred Isle, for Sky, about the Government’s decision making at the start of the pandemic], was like making a documentary, but it's fictionalised. I like that play on real life and fiction.

Can you share an all-time favourite poem?

I love the Ted Hughes poem called Lovesong, from his collection Crow. It has the perfect amount of darkness and light. It’s also written in the third person, so it’s a bit like a mirror. The way I would describe it is like a flower blossoming and then dying. 

What were your influences growing up when it came to style?

I've always loved costume within film, over fashion. I remember watching Diane Keaton in Annie Hall for the first time and seeing a strong female wearing a masculine suit. I also loved Badlands by Terrence Malick, as the characters are outlaws but [Sissy Spacek as Holly] is wearing quite a feminine dress. I still go back to those references now. When I’m performing I like the idea of wearing clothes that are more surreal. Fashion helps to tell a story, you're letting people into your world.

Can you tell us about some of your favourite ever occasion outfits and where you wore them?

I wore a white Simone Rocha dress at the Edinburgh Film Festival for the premiere of Hurt by Paradise. I was so nervous and as soon as I put that dress on it was transformative. I've also always loved wearing coats as an outfit - I went to a Chanel show last year in a pink, 1960s coat with white Mary-Janes. I liked the strength and timelessness of the look.

What do you think is the key to styling a modern bridal look now?

Perhaps it goes back to that Ted Hughes poem - this idea of having contrast or darkness within within the look to allow the lightness to come out. It could be by incorporating another colour aside from white or cream. When I got married I had black ribbons on my dress. Something simple, but unexpected.

What else can you tell us about your personal approach to bridalwear?

I had two dresses; a sort-of-pink Gucci dress which was quite Badlands inspired. I wore that to the registry office at Camden Town Hall. The other dress was more gothic and Tim Burton-esque made by the young designer Dilara Findikoglu. It was corset-y, with black poetry embroidered on the veil. It felt otherworldly, as we got married in Dartmoor.

Finally, what are some of the most memorable bridal outfits you've ever seen?

We recently drove to France for our friend Jean-Charles de Castelbajac’s wedding, he’s an artist and designer. He does these amazing chalk angels around Paris and on the back of his wife Pauline’s dress, he had drawn a dove in the lace. Her dress was quite classic, but it was this personal touch that made you feel the charge of their love. Also Arthur and Phoebe Saatchi Yates’s wedding was filled with special touches. Her dress was Vivienne Westwood and felt traditional but also very easy and free. That’s what’s amazing at a wedding - when you feel you enter the bride and groom’s world.