Sitting front row at a fashion show could seem a little intimidating.
Not at Zimmermann's SS24 front row, according to actor and burgeoning style star Saffron Hocking: 'Nicky [Zimmermann] brought together so many beautiful women that just were all so kind and smiley - it's such a sisterhood'.
Describing the Zimmermann clothes and woman as 'effortless, chic, and floaty', Hocking herself opted for a much darker, vampy ensemble for the runway show. Despite the unseasonably warm October weather, the Londoner paired leather wide leg trousers with a lace crop top, both in black, to sit in the glorious Palais de Tokyo atrium. 'I felt like a Zimmermann Bond villain, like a really kind Bond villain', Hocking joked.
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Despite this being Hocking's first official trip to Paris Fashion Week, she is far from a Parisian novice, and plans to spend her evening eating caviar-filled baked potatoes at Caviar Kaspia (which she declares 'unbelievable') and drinking 'all the cocktails'.
Nor is she a fashion novice, having curated a strong team around her to help her look camera-flash ready. Looking after her make-up is Barrie Griffith and her hair, Joe Pickering-Taylor. She describes them both as 'family' and waxes lyrical about the getting ready process with them: 'I love fashion, I love getting dressed up, and I love getting my make-up done. Some people really don't enjoy that whole experience....But [I love] trying different things and experimenting.
Included in this team is, of course, Hocking-dubbed 'creative director' of all her 'fits, stylist Aimée Croysdill. Known for her work with Nicola Coughlan, amongst others, Croysdill is making a name for herself by creating directional red carpet moments with aplomb.
'What I love about Aimée is her attention to detail. It's just second-to-none,' Hocking tells ELLE UK. 'She thinks about every single thing. She's so invested in the hair, the make-up, my nails, what colour eyeshadow, even what length my eyelashes should be.
'She's elevated my style, edged me up, but more than that, she's a girl's girl...a cheerleader who makes me feel really good about myself. You want people like that around you, don't you?'
Croysdill has a knack for bringing out her muses' own style, something Hocking emphasises is important to her: 'I can be completely honest with her and say, "look, I don't think that's me."'
Hocking is sartorially inspired by both Rihanna ('I mention her in every interview. I'm waiting for her to pick up the phone and say, "Please stop talking about me. Keep my name out of your mouth."') and her dear friend and co-star Adwoa Aboah.
'She just looks effortlessly chic and cool all the time,' Hocking says of Aboah. 'Every time she wears something, I want to copy her.'
Not that Hocking needs to copy anyone, as the 31-year-old has a firm sense of her own personal style: leaning into comfort but always adding that statement earring or pop of colour via accessories.
Having said that, she's no stranger to a fashion faux-pas: 'I look back at pictures of myself and I'm like, "what were you thinking?"'
'When I was 14 years-old I always used to rock a full Juicy Couture tracksuit which I paired with a fake Dior handbag I bought from a market in Thailand. It was pink and had gold dice on it. I thought I was one of the sexiest people in the world.'
After a few moments of reflection, perhaps reflecting on the recent Y2k revival, her potential access to a real Dior handbag, and her stylist's unfailing ability to construct epic ensembles, Hocking decides: 'Actually, I just might bring that look back.'
We hope she does.
Daisy Murray is the Digital Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, spotlighting emerging designers, sustainable shopping, and celebrity style. Since joining in 2016 as an editorial intern, Daisy has run the gamut of fashion journalism - interviewing Molly Goddard backstage at London Fashion Week, investigating the power of androgynous dressing and celebrating the joys of vintage shopping.
