Why Maura Higgins skipped British Fashion Awards due to ‘inappropriate’ dress

Maura Higgins was noticeably absent from the 2022 British Fashion Awards at London’s Royal Albert Hall, after the former Love Island contestant and fashion influencer had to pull out of the event at the last minute.

The Irish beauty initially detailed having ‘zero control’ over her outfit as Scott Henshall, the former creative director of Mulberry, was creating a look for her.

Hours later Maura confessed on Instagram that she had to skip the awards after trying on her look and finding that her custom-made dress was ‘not very appropriate’ for the BFAs.

One would think that Scott, who is known for his early noughties risqué red carpet looks for the likes of Naomi Campbell and Victoria Beckham and his famous 'bumster' trousers, would be a fashion fix for Maura, who too loves a ‘daring’ outfit.

However, Maura told her 3.6 million followers that her outfit was ‘not right’ as she showed off the one of a kind cut-out, plunging metallic dress.

She said: “I’ve had a bit of a nightmare…So obviously you can see I am fully ready. Glam team are on point as usual. Basically, the dress, the shoes, everything wasn’t something I’d wear. I don’t really know what to say, it’s like, I just feel it’s not very appropriate for the Fashion Awards.”

Maura’s evening gown was said to be inspired by Paris Hilton’s chainmail dress from 2002, as Scott also dressed socialite Lady Victoria Hervey and model Talulah Eve for the BFAs.

The Daily Mail reported that Maura was not only unimpressed with the outfit and the lack of shoe options that Scott had prepared for her, but also that the Ann Summers model had been ‘left alone for three hours’ while the designer helped Hervey.

Since the claim, Lady Victoria Hervey has jumped to the fashion designer’s defence stating that ‘what Maura is saying is not true at all.’

She reportedly said: “Scott didn’t ignore her. Maura had her own glam team in her room and what I heard is that she liked the dress but Scott’s PR, who was in charge of bringing her shoes, brought her ones she didn’t like. Scott was mad because he didn’t like the ones the PR chose.”

Lady Hervey added it was not true that the former Mulberry director left her alone in her hotel room for three hours.

While Maura announced her decision to miss the BFAs from her hotel room in full glam, Lady Hervey walked the Royal Albert Hall red carpet with Scott in a mini black cut-out dress adorned with a chic train.