4th April 2019
Some good news had Harry heading home to Hampstead a couple of days early.
Now tinkering with layers and mixes, in the deep end of mastery and production, they've recorded almost everything - barring a final few sessions coming up in London next week, to replace some synths with horns, strings and choral sections.
So, for now, and sensing his excitement, the guys insisted they could get by without him for a few days and happily shooed him off.
>
Having waited to set off until after the rush hour, it's after 10pm when he finally arrives home.
Stepping through the front door to a surprisingly dark and quiet house, he peeks his head into the living room and gym but comes up empty.
Hastily downing a banana and bottle of water in place of dinner, he locks up and sets the alarm.
Hefting his bags back over his shoulder, he takes the stairs two by two, keeping light on his feet to try to maintain the element of surprise.
But, peering around their bedroom door, he's surprised to find it dark and empty as well. Hmm?
He's just about to call out, when he feels the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and clams up. Not entirely sure if it's out of concern or just the anticipation of her being close by - well, somewhere - he piles his bags by the mirror in the corner of the room, before skirting quietly around the bed.
Dropping a hand to the ensuite door, just slightly ajar, he stills to listen out before pushing it slowly open.
Leaning silently against the doorjamb, he has to pinch his lips between his teeth to stop from making a sound. Shit, she's cute.
Eloise is in the deep tub - almost overflowing with towering bubbles, and surrounded by flickering candles. He can't help but smirk when he clocks the scent - similar to the spicy tobacco and vanilla of his Tom Ford cologne. With a calf resting over her bent knee, she distractedly flexes her foot, dipping in and out of the water. A frown mars her brow as she gnaws on her bottom lip, eyes flitting across the page of a script in rapt attention.
Just catching him in her peripheral vision as she folds over a page, her reaction is dramatic, to say the least.
With a shriek of surprise and a double-take cricking her neck, her flailing arms toss the script into the air just as her foot slips and she slides down, submerging beneath the bubbles. The resulting splash douses the candles around the edge of the bath, extinguishing the only light in the room, to suddenly engulf them in pitch black.
She re-emerges spluttering. "Fucking hell! Please... Turn the lights on, quick!", she whimpers.
The strained tone of her voice suppresses his automatic bark of laughter at her dramatics. Quickly finding the light switch, he ups the dimmer to low before striding closer "Sorry, baby! It's just me".
Dropping to his knees in front of her, he swats away her sudsy hands to gently swipe the bubbles from her eyes and face whilst raking her hair back. Clocking the heaving of her chest and still-startled expression, he frowns before leaning forward to drop a kiss to her forehead. "Fuck, I really scared you, didn't I? I'm sorry".
Plucking the soggy script out the bathwater to drop it on the floor with a splat, she shudders. "Don't be, it was a grisly fucking horror anyway". The distaste is writ clear across her expressive features.
"Oh, God, now I feel even worse!", he grimaces, chuckling flatly.
Intent on making it up to her, he's already popping back up and reaching to pull his shirt over his head, before getting to work on his fly and toeing off his socks.
After folding over to tug down his trousers and boxers in one fell swoop, he smirks cheekily, "Budge up, then".
Hissing as he steps into the still-hot water behind her, he sits and bends his legs up either side of her hips before pulling her back to lie against his chest.
With one hand on her cricked neck, massaging softly, his other snakes over her chest, pausing to feel her still racing heart and cop a quick feel, before sliding down to her hip in a tight hug.
"Sorry to give you a fright. I thought you'd be expecting me?".
"I must have lost track of time", she shrugs, automatically twisting to crane up for a kiss, but he holds firm on her neck in warning.
With his other hand at her hip, he nudges her over to land on his chest. He'd claim it's just to save her already cricked neck, but he won't complain about all the delicious skin to skin contact.
"Hi!", he grins, cutely.
"Oh, hi! I didn't see you come in!", she jests before leaning up to swallow his laugh with a kiss.
Mumbling muffled words as they trade eager kisses, their lips never entirely part.
"Exciting about the house!".
"Mmm, very".
"I missed you".
"It's been four days!".
"Four days too many".
"So needy".
"I am needy".
"Mmm, I know, I can feel just how much against my hip!", she smirks into his kiss.
"You missed me too".
"Did I?", she teases.
"Well, those candles smell pretty familiar...".
Yeah, okay. She can't exactly refute that one.
Instead, she sets about distracting him, in the very best way she knows how.
>
>
5th April 2019
Harry and Eloise both jump out of bed the following morning with a spring in their step.
An early offer on the LA house fell through, but the London broker's negotiating appears to have been more successful. Both owners are very interested and open to the figures on the table.
Bubbling with excitement, they follow the broker, Simon out their front gate, hand in hand, to walk literally just around the corner, to view both houses.
To have found an incredible home after just a few weeks of looking is lucky. To find it so close to home, not yet on the market, and with the potential to knock through into the neighbouring property to make it their dream home, is nothing short of remarkable.
It's beautiful; a white stucco-fronted classical Georgian design, with perfectly symmetrical features and big sash windows. Offering incredible living and entertaining spaces - including an orangery stretching the width of one of its halves - the rooms are all generously sized, with high ceilings and lots of natural light. It's packed with beautiful original features, but is in need of some modernisation.
They don't even bother trying to rein in their excitement in front of Simon, and are both fizzing with ideas, envisaging all the myriad ways to best use all this amazing space.
The possibilities are endless.
>
>
10th April 2019
With both of their legendary focuses set on the same task, they make quick progress.
By the middle of the following week, with conditional offers ready to be signed, they return again with a team of prospective architects, interior design consultants and project managers in tow, wanting to sense-check that what they have in mind would be feasible.
Knocking the two adjoining homes through, to be one big house again, would allow them to redesign the floorplan.
It quickly dawned on them they'd be gutting, remodelling and designing their family home.
A forever home. Their forever home.
It's so exciting, but quite the undertaking.
The structural work would be simple enough, with just a few walls to knock through on each floor, but centralising the utilities and updating the electrics, plumbing and heating are pretty mammoth jobs in and of themselves. So, whilst they're at it, they can consider other bigger changes too.
Which side gets the better morning light for the kitchen?
Which bedroom has the best views deserving of the master suite?
Which bedrooms have enough space for ensuite bathrooms to be added?
Safety first. Harry insists they'll need top of the range CCTV and alarm systems, with a panic room, plus self-contained flat in the basement for nighttime security, and even a nanny flat, as well.
Harry's ears perk up again at the suggestion of digging down for a huge subterranean garage for his car collection. Finally, he'd be able to house all his babies together.
But the one thing that wouldn't need much work is the garden.
Other than tearing out the dividing wooden fence and laying a strip of turf, both sides are already pretty immaculate.
There's even an outdoor pool on one side and an indoor pool on the other - double the luxury, in London.
With adjoining wide terraces in matching grey stone, there is also a pretty pergola, outdoor fireplace, and the most incredible wisteria-bedecked archway leading into a fragrant rose garden.
Whilst chatting with the contractors, Harry loses sight of Eloise, but eventually finds her in the garden.
Sneaking up on her, he can't resist plucking a rose for her. The pink hue is one of his favourites - almost a perfect match for her lips.
"H, you can't do that! ", she scolds quietly, looking around to check if anyone saw.
"It's literally our rose bush, babe... We can do whatever we want!", he grins cheekily.
"Not quite yet, don't jinx it!".
"Both owners have pre-agreed the conditional offers, and there's no way we're backing down, so it really is looking like a sure thing, El". There's a broad smile across his face as he looks back up at the houses.
But she only has eyes for him right now. Struggling to find the right words, she can only pull him in for a kiss.
"Jesus, look at that smile! My angel", he beams, pulling back after a final peck. Looking around he adds, "Hmm, you like this do you?", running his hand over the ornate wooden archway.
"I do! Really... I do", she eyes him pointedly, biting her lip.
"Oh!", he looks back up and around. "Are you thinking...? Here?", he checks, smile already growing.
"Right here", she simply nods, smelling the beautifully scented rose he'd plucked.
Eloise immediately had her heart set on it for the wedding; picturing the whole thing as soon as she laid eyes on the archway and smelt the roses, literally.
"We have no idea how long the house renovations will take just yet...", he warns gently.
"But out here is already literally perfect, exactly as it is! ...So why wait?", she shrugs, unable to contain her bright smile in her excitement.
"Wait, are you thinking this year?", he checks again.
"After everything Jeff was saying about your schedule next year, and with your tour planned to run until next October... That feels like a really long time to wait".
"Well, I don't want to wait either", he grins, turning to face her and lifting his hands to cradle her face. "So let's do it! Before the end of September".
Now she is genuinely speechless.
That's two huge, life-affirming decisions, taken pretty effortlessly, in the span of just a couple of minutes.
Once again, all she can do is kiss him hotly.
>
>
6th May 2019
Needless to say, the lawyers jumped to it and the deals progressed quickly. After the all-clear from the surveyors, both houses were officially theirs, and building plans for the renovations were soon firmed up and submitted for all the formal approvals.
Managing an enormous property development and a big wedding in parallel, with both on crunch timings? Oh, and throw in the small matter of co-chairing the biggest event in the global fashion calendar, finalising an album, and an imminent movie shoot too? They must be mad.
And, in case they weren't busy enough, wedding planning quickly ramped up in earnest too.
Everyone they spoke to initially laughed in their face at their five and a half month timeline.
But it amused them to see how quickly the wedding planners and all the assorted suppliers jumped on board.
The name 'Styles' is evidently pretty compelling in itself, but upon hearing the location and wedding dress were already in hand - two of the biggest stressors - they'd all practically bitten their hands off, desperate for the job.
But, after a daunting, frantic, exciting couple of weeks, Harry and Eloise had to leave the property developing and wedding planning in trusted hands, and get back into work mode; swapping hard hats for something altogether more glamorous.
>
They flew to New York on Thursday, the second of May.
Whilst Eloise then made a quick trip to Boston for a few pre-production meetings and fittings for Knives Out, Harry had some Met Gala business to attend to.
He'd kind of figured "co-chair" was just an honorary, nominal title. But, faced with several meetings and schmoozy dinners beforehand, he found himself wishing he'd taken more than a second to respond when Alessandro asked him last Autumn.
At the time, he hadn't quite appreciated just how big of a hoo-ha it would turn out to be.
>
Officially, it's the 'Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute benefit gala'. A sartorial extravaganza always held on the first Monday in May, and presided over by the formidable Anna Wintour, with her cherry-picked army of elite Vogue staffers.
Once again, its five hundred and fifty tickets are just about the hottest in town. Well, in the world, actually.
This year, the Gala is co-sponsored by Gucci - which explains Alessandro and Harry's involvement as co-chairs; and, as a bonus, means the eye-watering $35,000 apiece for their tickets was waived.
The boys' other co-chairs are Anna Wintour, of course, Lady Gaga and Serena Williams.
The theme is 'Camp: Notes on Fashion'; essentially about wildly exaggerated creative expression, fusing elements of both high culture and popular culture.
It's not 'fancy dress' per se, but, generally speaking, attendees dress in the style of the exhibition's theme, and celebrities wear designs by the brand that invited them and are accompanied by the designer on the red carpet.
>
In Boston, Eloise had to stay on for the pre-shoot dinner to meet the full cast and it ran later than she'd envisaged, so she ended up moving her car booking to 6am this morning.
They'd made good progress before, inevitably, getting held up in the rush hour. But, having been stuck in a jam on the I95 and then in gridlocked traffic around the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, Eloise arrives back to New York City later than intended.
Gucci has taken over the six-bedroom penthouse suite at The Mark hotel on Madison Avenue, just a few blocks from the grand Metropolitan Museum of Art's perch at the edge of Central Park.
When the bellboy sees her to the top floor, the lift opens and she's taken aback by the frenzied atmosphere.
It's only just after 11am, but anyone would be forgiven for assuming they're just about to be ushered out the door. It must be all the excitable Italians.
"Ah, she's here! She made it, finally!", one of Alessandro's assistants calls out, looping her arm in his as he breaks into quick-fire Italian, issuing orders to someone, somewhere.
There's a flurry of activity in each open doorway they pass. Jared Leto, Florence Welch, Dakota Johnson, Saoirse Ronan; each surrounded by a bevvy of stylists, make-up artists, hairstylists and assistants.
Just as she finally lays eyes on Harry through the door of the far bedroom, she's engulfed in bangle-clad arms, long hair and lots of cologne. "Ciao, bella!", Alessandro trills in her ear. "Come... A final fitting before we get you ready".
As he's pulling her through their bedroom door, where her sparkling dress already hangs in the window, Harry intervenes.
"Nuh, uh, uh, not so fast! Give us two minutes", he playfully pulls Eloise into the crook of his arm and pushes Alessandro back out the door, closing it in his face with a cheeky grin.
Whirling around, he steps into her so suddenly, Eloise drops her bags and has to grasp on to the lapels of his dressing gown to keep her balance as he kisses her senseless.
"Well, hi!", she's taken aback.
"Hi! Missed you", he starts dropping kisses to her neck.
"Sorry, I'm late. Has it been this crazy all morning?", she chuckles.
"Mmm-", he's cut off by Alessandro, bursting back through the door with Harry Lambert hot on his heels.
"Time's up, piccioncini! Now you...", he points to Eloise, "Strip!".
Clocking Harry's raised eyebrow, she smirks before whipping her t-shirt over her head. Okay, then.
>
Once they were all satisfied with the final alterations to her dress, Eloise jumped in the shower before being promptly pinned down by a hairstylist and manicurist.
When the hairdryer eventually switches off, she can finally hear the conversation going on between Harry, Jeff and Harry Lambert, lounging across the room on the bed and sofas.
Harry's keen to hear about her few days in Boston with her new castmates, and fills her in on his various meetings and dinners.
>
Once her nails and toes are dry, and her curled hair pinned to set in tight ringlets, she ventures into the huge ensuite bathroom in search of Harry.
Padding across the signature black and white striped tile floor, she finds him leaning against the marble sink, with Harry Lambert standing close.
"Argh! Fuck, I just can't do it", he jumps backwards, hands flailing.
"Oh, you're useless", Harry bemoans. "Ooh, baby, can you give me a hand?".
She skips closer and quickly gets distracted, looking at all the Gucci jewellery spread across the counter, before it dawns on her what he's asking and she looks up in horror. "Oh, no way! I couldn't...", she babbles, but Harry grabs her wrist and tugs her closer, pivoting to cage her against the sink.
"Please? He's no help and we're running out of time", he deploys his best puppy eyes and dimpled grin.
Hooting as she promptly reaches to wash her hands, he lifts the ice cube back up to his earlobe again.
Tentatively taking the needle from Harry Lambert's palm, she looks at Harry sheepishly. "I've never done this before", she admits.
"Well, that's reassuring!", he scoffs sarcastically before shrugging. "How hard can it be? Just push hard and do it quickly".
With a gulp she steps closer. "It's a bit fiddly on these adorable little ears, actually!", her tongue pokes out of the corner of her mouth in concentration, tilting her head back and closing one eye to check the tiny dot on his lobe is in the right place.
"Okay, ready?", she blows out a long breath.
"Go for it", he grins, cool as a cucumber.
"Okay...".
"...Sometime today".
"Shut it, or I'll button your lips instead!", she sasses back.
But she pulls back at the last second, "Shit, sorry".
Brow furrowed in concentration, she tries again before jumping back, "Argh, nope! I can't do it". She can't bring herself to hurt him.
"Oh, for fuck's sake, you're both such wimps!", he huffs. "Give it here".
Twisting to the mirror, he takes the needle and, with just one deep breath, jabs it straight through his own earlobe. No nonsense.
She's not normally squeamish, but the thought of doing that to herself makes her stomach turn. Seeing the needle still piercing his ear and the blood starting to trickle down definitely doesn't help, so she recoils and darts out the bathroom, more eager than usual to settle into the make-up artist's chair.
>
A couple of hours later, Harry emerges from the bathroom, coiffed and dressed and looking devilishly handsome, just as her team are finishing her make-up.
The more she thinks about it, the less clear she is on the intended definition of 'camp', but he looks amazing, regardless; in a semi-sheer black lace blouse adorned with frills, a pussy-bow and fluted sleeves, paired with super high-waisted black trousers and heeled boots. A pearl earring adorns his new piercing and his collection of rings draws the eye to his black and teal manicure.
He looks nervous, tugging at his sleeves and fiddling with his rings. Shyly, he looks up at her, tugging at his lower lip. "Is this ridiculous?", he asks quietly.
"You look incredible! And, anyway, isn't a bit ridiculous the name of the game? I'm practically going as Studio 54", she laughs, gesturing to her dress, refracting sunlight around the room.
"It's a bit different for the girls...", he shrugs.
"I don't see why?", she shrugs. "You look great! Like a very worthy co-host".
As the hairstylist finishes teasing and backcombing her hair and temporary extensions, tightly curled into a riot of ringlets, to dance around her head, Eloise keeps a sly eye on Harry as he paces around the room, getting used to the heels on his black patent leather boots - by far the highest he's ever had to contend with.
Upon getting the nod from the stylist, she jumps up and blocks his path, quirking an eyebrow at their new six-inch height difference. Rising up on to the balls of her feet she reaches to peck a kiss to his lips, with a reassuring squeeze of his hands. "You'll be great, baby. I love you, so much".
Breaking from his tight hug, she steps back as everyone else starts filing out the room.
Harry Lambert tosses over a packet of silicone pasties, which Harry catches smoothly. "Help your girl out, H... I'll be back in a few minutes".
>
After Harry recovers from giggling at the decidedly unsexy shop mannequin effect of the nude nipple covers, he helps Eloise wrestle her way into the structured gown.
But he breaks into peals of laughter again at the sight of her bent over, trying to orient her boobs into the dress' engineered cups.
"God, I think this is going to chafe like a bitch", she groans, wiggling and tugging.
Harry Lambert returns, wearing his sunglasses in jest. "Fuck, it looks so, so good!", he squeals.
Essentially, it's a stylised glitter ball.
Oversized mirrored silver sequins adorn a structured minidress. Ruffles, pleats and a pussy-bow make it signature Gucci; albeit a little less flouncy than the materials Alessandro tends to favour.
Hitting mid-thigh, there's extra skin on show from a splice running the length of her back, baring the groove of her spine. Cinched in tightly at the waist, it's rounded shape exaggerates her slim hourglass curves; and it's pronounced, rounded shoulders and structured bust are essentially mini disco balls themselves.
It's going to be a riot on the dance floor later, for sure; she can't wait.
With such a statement dress, her accessories are pared back; well, relatively speaking.
Her nails and toes match her lipstick and the feather-adorned strappy high-heeled sandals - all lending a bright pop of fuchsia pink. She has a disco ball clutch bag, just big enough to house their iPhones, keys and her lipstick. And her only jewellery is her usual platinum diamond studs and conch piercing, and, of course, just one very special ring. Impressively, it almost manages to outshine the rest of her outfit.
Harry Lambert is snapping photos of them when Alessandro bustles back into the room for his final checks.
He's very pink, in a ruffled silk blouse and matching trousers, topped with a heavy crown and decked in a myriad of other jewels.
After fussing over them, primping and preening, he finally steps back to eye them appraisingly. "Perfetto!", he decides after a beat, with a clap of his hands. "Now, champagne! We still have twenty minutes", he claps again and spins on his heel.
One look at the others has Harry fretting that maybe he hasn't gone far enough.
The cohort dressed by Gucci for the night also includes Jared Leto (in a floor-length red velvet gown, with heavy chains of pearls and an accompanying effigy of his own head - only mildly less terrifying than the silicone mask made for Harry's body double in the Sign of the Times music video), Florence Welch (a veritable fairy queen in a gown of pale green and lilac sequins with an enormous cape and train), Dakota Johnson (in a magenta sequin gown, complete with a bleeding heart motif and heavy crown), and Saoirse Ronan (in a red, green and silver sequin gown with heavy gold laurel leaf embellishments).
They all look incredible.
A little insane; but incredible.
>
At 5.45pm, Alessandro, Vanni, Harry and Eloise need to head off first. After a quick pep talk from Jeff, they down their champagne and bid the others goodbye.
They are escorted by a handful of assistants and bodyguards, down in the lift to the basement car park.
It's only stepping up into the blacked-out mini-coach, that Eloise realises her predicament.
She can barely sit down in her dress. The rigid, cinched waist is incredibly tight, and there's no give at all in the structured fabric. But, even if she avoids the discomfort and inability to breathe, it feels like she'll crush the rounded structure of the bottom half of her dress if she sits on it.
After a little pondering, she resorts to crouching between Harry's spread legs.
It's only a few minutes' drive from the hotel to the Met, but, holding on to him more tightly with each corner, pothole and jump on the brakes, with her thigh muscles burning, it feels more like thirty minutes for Eloise.
"Sembra che gli stia dando un pompino", Vanni laughs, setting off Alessandro. In turn, his hooting laugh sets off Harry as well.
From her position alone, Eloise can hazard a guess, but she's just glad she could offer a distraction and help allay their nerves.
Pulling up outside the museum, just before the bottom of the pink carpet, leading all the way up its grand steps, they're all taken aback at the hordes of photographers, film crews, crowds of onlookers and staff buzzing around.
After parting with good luck kisses, Eloise hangs back with Vanni, keeping out of sight in a blocked off walkway to one side of the carpet. Harry and Alessandro will circle back for them once they've done a first pass of the photographers and interviewers together.
>
A while later, peering from their vantage point, Eloise is distracted from following Harry's progress up the carpet, when his co-host, Lady Gaga, arrives. In what can only be described as performance art or immersive theatre, she reveals no less than four outfits in succession; from a fuschia pink smock with an enormous train, to reveal a black gown, then a strapless neon pink slip, then just her underwear and bejewelled tights.
Still craning to see (surely Gaga won't strip anything else off?), Eloise jumps feeling hands on her waist.
"Can't say I was expecting I'd feel underdressed!", Harry chuckles lowly, nuzzling her neck from behind.
Spinning her in his arms, he looks more relaxed and at ease. "Ready? I can't wait to show you off!", he beams at her, leaning in for a quick kiss before taking her left hand and intentionally checking her ring is on display.
>
Having figured they'd already caught their fill of Harry, the photographers and press go wild upon seeing them together. It's their first public outing since reconciling and getting engaged.
After posing together for photos, then Harry stepping back for them get some of Eloise alone, he takes her hand again with a reassuring squeeze, then leads her over to the first of the interviewers, at the edge of the grand staircase behind a pretty floral border.
Given the prestigious nature of the event, and Harry's status in the role of co-chair, none of them goes too far. Any probing questions are on fashion and style or their thoughts on the theme, rather than any prying into their relationship and reconciliation.
"Eloise, it's so good to see you! You look amazing, who are you wearing?".
"Gucci, of course!".
"Now this is a beautiful and very sparkly look, but am I right in thinking that's not the first time you've been spotted in that ring?".
"Maybe not", she smiles coyly, cutting her eyes to Harry.
"Eloise, we asked Harry already, but what does style mean to you?".
"Quite a lot, these days, as it happens...", she smirks, jostling Harry and beaming up at him.
"Congratulations, guys! Now, tell us, have you set a date? Should we expect our invites in the mail already?".
Harry takes that one, grinning down at her. "Don't hold your breath just yet! It's all so new; we're still definitely in that excited bubble. There's no crazy rush, right?".
"So you're both looking amazing in Gucci tonight. Is it safe to assume Alessandro's the favourite for when you walk up the aisle?".
"He better be!", the man himself quips, popping up behind them and slinging an arm around their shoulders. "They're my favourites! Just look at them, ugh, troppo carino!".
They make it to the top of the steps and into the museum lobby, posing for a final set of photos against the pink floral wall of a huge flamingo display. Harry can't resist pulling her in for a sweet kiss.
Beyond that, he and Alessandro are pulled aside to join the receiving line.
With Vanni on her arm again, Eloise heads inside to the bar.
>
With champagne in hand, they secure a prime position, with a view of all the arriving guests, commenting on the outlandish fashions as everyone stops to air kiss Anna Wintour, Serena Williams, Lady Gaga, Alessandro and Harry.
Whilst he's still on duty, Eloise pounces on familiar faces as they approach. There are plenty.
Rosie sweeps up the stairs in an elegant Oscar de la Renta embellished cream halter neck gown with enormous feather sleeves and train.
James and Jules are here too, in matching pale pink.
Rita is in a heavy gold Marc Jacobs gown and a platinum wig.
Alexa is relatively restrained in a floral mini-dress of her own design, with feather edging and a matching beret.
Gemma Chan is in an exquisite Tom Ford silver caped gown, but her enormous headpiece makes it anything but ordinary.
Hailee Steinfeld is there (sans Niall) in an amazing tiered, green and purple ombre dress with an ironic 'No photos please' emblazoned on its full skirt.
Kacey Musgraves is channelling full-on Barbie, with a blonde wig and a hot pink leather dress by Moschino.
Kendall is engulfed in bright orange Versace feathers.
Cara is in a Dior rainbow-striped mesh jumpsuit with a bonkers headpiece (including bananas and fake teeth) that almost takes one of Harry's eyes out.
It says a lot that Kate Moss' stunning silver sequin Marc Jacobs gown, complete with a matching floor-length cape, is the most restrained of the lot.
Eloise has never seen so many sequins, feathers, headdresses, ruffles, pink and neon in one place. It's bonkers.
So who's the wildest?
Gigi is practically unrecognisable in a full silver sequin embellished jumpsuit with a matching floor-length, feathered maxi suit jacket and a headdress reminiscent of a swimming cap. Otherworldly silver eyelashes only add to the effect.
Zendaya's princess gown not only lights up, but comes complete with its own fairy godmother, naturally.
But, true to form, it has to be Katy Perry. This year she's in a silver Moschino mini dress, but ups the ante, caged in a full-on lit up chandelier with a matching headdress.
>
Posting on social media is banned from inside the event, so everyone relaxes pretty quickly as they quaff champagne, then meander through the exhibit, to hang out in the cocktail lounge before heading in for dinner.
Eloise is pulled into a photo by a Vogue photographer. She, Gigi, Kate, Gemma, and a few more besides, are all definitely rocking the silver sequin trend.
A few people quickly strip off some of the more extreme elements of their outfits.
But as her feet start aching and Rosie's whining increases, Eloise gives up on waiting for Harry and makes her way inside.
She's absorbed in conversation with Julianne Moore, Emily Blunt and Tracee Ellis Ross (literally wearing a gold picture frame), when Harry sidles up behind her and hooks his arm around her waist, tugging her back and twisting to drop a kiss to her lips. "I could see you sparkling from over there, my disco queen!", he whispers before trying in vain to pull his attention from her to the women around them.
A good host must always remember his manners, and, with his earlier nerves abated, Harry's usual effortless charm is dialled all the way up to the max. Heaven help everyone; not least Eloise, who he can't help but parade around, proud as a peacock.
Both beaming, they definitely lap up all the congratulations and excitement over their engagement.
>
After a few cocktails - Harry, in particular, hadn't held back - they were finally called in to dinner.
It was only when they found the Gucci tables that Eloise remembered her predicament.
So, after an incredibly uncomfortable long meal - she'd had no choice but to sit, but the sequins and stitching digging into her waist did little to help her appetite, so hers had been a mostly liquid dinner - Eloise is one of the first to leap up, in relief, for the entertainment.
Harry's final duty, after filming some content for Vogue, was to introduce the surprise performer on stage. Given the theme, it had to be Cher.
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Then, after a pit stop at the hotel to change - with Eloise deeply regretting not taking up the offer for a second outfit - they bundle back into the fleet of mini-coaches.
This time, with a longer journey, Eloise resorts to surreptitiously tugging her dress up to be able to perch on Harry's thigh.
But once his hands start roaming, they don't seem terribly inclined to stop.
And he's not the only one up for a party; everyone's in a great mood.
Eloise will be, just as soon as she can stand up again.
Gucci's retro-themed after-party is at Hunter College, in a sports hall.
On the way in, they all do a double-take to see Katy Perry, now in a burger dress with matching shoes, barely able to squeeze on to the elevator. Unexpected comedy gold.
Later, with their Gucci duties done for the night, Harry, Eloise and a few friends head across town to the Boom Boom Room at the Standard hotel.
Mark Ronson is on the decks, and a drunken Harry makes a nuisance of himself, enjoying the view from the DJ booth, whiling away an hour or so observing Eloise - the human disco ball - dancing up a storm with Rosie and Alexa.
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7th May 2019 (very early morning)
Their final stop is in Times Square, for the last after-party at the Moxy hotel's rooftop bar.
It's a little less rammed and all the more fun for it.
In the early hours, someone had commandeered the sound system and soon karaoke is in full swing.
Harry enthusiastically drags a very tipsy Eloise on stage, proudly - if a little slurrily - introducing her as his "Beautiful fiancee". Cueing up a song, he then promptly jumps off the stage, leaving her high and dry.
She's had more than enough champagne to shake off her inhibitions and grows in confidence throughout You & I - not least from her number one cheerleader, grinning moonily from the front row - only to have it bottom out in an instant.
She is completely taken by surprise when an arm slings around her waist, and does a comical double-take upon looking down to see it's Gaga herself - in just her underwear again - belting it out alongside her.
In total disbelief, and dying inside at having unwittingly tried to pass off an impression of someone in front of them, Eloise loses her shit for a solid verse, before figuring she'll never have the chance again and finding her nerve to finish it off in style alongside her.
After staggering from the stage to rapturous applause, Gaga grabs a hold of Eloise before she can head straight for a wildly whistling Harry.
But he interrupts their chat a short while later.
"Wow, you've bagged yourself quite the double-threat here, haven't you, Styles?", Gaga drawls, eyeing them both appraisingly.
"She writes and can dance too!", he adds, laughing as he swats away Eloise's attempts to silence his proud gushing.
"God, stop! How bloody drunk are you?", she whines, starting to think about getting him home.
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Eventually managing to get him downstairs, just after dawn, Eloise drags him to a quiet corner of the lobby to fix his outfit and hair before checking her own, then hopping around as she begrudgingly puts her killer heels back on.
With a few soft slaps to his cheeks to rouse him again, she pulls his arm over her shoulder, reminds him to smile, then braves staggering the few steps to their waiting car.
Despite his less than sober state, he still smiles brightly, says "Hi" to the paps, and holds the car door open for her. What a pro.
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Arriving at Harry's condo, Eloise eventually wrangles him upstairs.
Struggling to shush him as she sets about making tea and toast, soon enough, a sleepy Jeff emerges from the spare bedroom, keen to hear the gossip.
Eventually crashing into bed at 7am, the blackout curtains work their magic and they manage to sleep until early afternoon.
Still hungover, but keen not to waste any more of their final day together just monging around in bed, Harry scoops a very sleepy Eloise into his arms before depositing her in the bathtub and climbing in behind her.
They only emerge into the kitchen to order some food before heading straight back to bed to make the most of their time together.
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Early that evening, two cars wait outside the condo. One to whisk her straight back up to Boston, to start filming Knives Out in a couple of days; and one for him and Jeff to head to JFK, for flights to London and LA, respectively.
Neither is in much of a fit state for their lengthy journeys or their modes of transport, and it makes saying goodbye that much tougher.
Only having been apart for a few days, at most, since their reconciliation in February, the prospect of a month apart feels more than a little daunting.
Little does Eloise know Harry already has a ticket booked for Boston in two weeks time; but, still, in his emotional and needy state it's just as tough for him too.
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