Paloma Faith Served Some Serious Fashion at Her First-Ever Comic-Con

Fact: Paloma Faith gives great fashion. Whether she’s serving major looks on stage—the award-winning singer-songwriter has delighted crowds in everything from a metallic pleated confection to a jaw-dropping homage to the late Alexander McQueen—or hitting the press circuit at Comic-Con for her new TV series, Pennyworth, Faith knows how to deliver a noteworthy fashion moment. "My style is like a take on Audrey Hepburn, kind of prim and a bit lady, but contemporary,” she tells us from her hotel at the San Diego entertainment festival. It was the UK native’s first Comic-Con, and Who What Wear got the exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Faith’s stylish weekend.

With the help of stylist Deborah Afshani, Faith arrived at Comic-Con with plenty of chic wardrobe options in tow, like the tangerine Tory Burch number she wore to the #IMDboat photo-call and a dreamy tiered tulle dress by Louiza Babouryan, to name a couple. Keep reading to see the full photo diary plus our interview with Faith.

This is your first Comic-Con. What are you most excited to see and do at the festival?

I’m really hoping that I might see some people from my favorite TV shows in America. My favorites are The Handmaid’s Tale, big fan; Big Little Lies; and potentially bumping into Dominic Cooper from Preacher would be great.

Can you tell us about some of the pieces you packed?

I was lucky to work with a stylist named Deborah Afshani, and she provided me with so many amazing clothes. I had loads of clothes I really liked, a mix of casual and evening which are very European in taste. My style is a take on Audrey Hepburn, kind of prim and a bit lady, but contemporary.

How did you go about selecting your looks for the festival?

I had a fitting with Deborah at her house. She had eight rails of clothes, and I think what was really important for me was that I was comfortable because I knew I had to walk around a lot but also maintaining the style I had already established with my British stylist Phoebe Arnold. I’m very opinionated about clothes, so I literally just walk along rails, and I know what I like and what I want, and I don’t really sway from that.

Tell us about your new show, Pennyworth, and your character, Bet Sykes.

My character, Bet Sykes, is a villainess, and she is from a working-class background. She is terrifying and a little obsessive, and she feels undervalued and underappreciated, which I think a lot of people in working-class Britain feel, and we play with those themes. She is someone who is often misunderstood. There are a lot of cross looks in a room when she is there because she says strange things and nobody understands her motivations.

It looks like we’ll see Bet in some pretty amazing ’60s looks. Is there one look, in particular, that stands out to you from the season, and why?

My favorite shirt she wears is a sheer blue one with white polka dots. When I was younger in my early 20s, I was very into ’50s and ’60s fashion and music and used to dress like that all the time, so it’s quite a return for me back to the style I had in my 20s, which is very fun. I think my most favorite thing about [playing Bet] is I have a wig which is red hair, and I haven’t had red hair for several years now, and I missed it, so I really enjoyed that.

You’ve worn some pretty epic looks throughout your music career. Where do you find style inspiration?

I feel like the most memorable look was from the evening I won the Brit Award, and I performed in a black dress by Giles Deacon in the pouring rain, and I sang my song "Only Love Can Hurt Like This” with the Wayne McGregor dance company behind me. I think that is the most exciting look in my memory, and the inspiration for that was based around the legacy of Alexander McQueen, who is another East London creative and who sadly passed away. I felt convinced that if we would have known each other, we would have definitely… Our stars would have aligned. It’s a real shame that he has passed on. I feel like that was my homage to him.

Lastly, do you have any style advice you can give the Who What Wear reader?

Style advice from me is dress for your body. Everyone has a different shape, and different shapes look better on different people. I’m quite curvy and bigger on the bottom half, so I like to accentuate my waist. And I also think just being fun and experimental and not worrying about what people think is my style advice, because life is too short.

Pennyworth premieres on Epix July 28, 2019. Up next: Don't miss our exclusive feature with Sweetbitter actress Ella Purnell.