Cate Blanchett cuts an elegant figure in unusual dress

Cate Blanchett cuts an elegant figure in unusual dress at Carol's NYC premiere... as on-screen lover Rooney Mara vamps it up in leather and lace

Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara lit up the red carpet at the New York City premiere of their new movie Carol on Monday.

The actresses - who play lesbian lovers in the 1950s-set film - went for contrasting looks, but they were both absolutely stunning.

Cate took a more classic approach to red carpet glamour in a dark mustard coloured dress, with a cut-out panel across the side and back, revealing her pink corset underneath.

The frock, which was knotted at the 46-year-old's tiny waist, highlighted her slender figure and left her legs on show.

Cate also wore high-heeled nude sandals, giving her statuesque 5ft 9in frame a generous boost.

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The Australian beauty styled her blonde locks straight and wore deep red lipstick and shimmering bronze eyeshadow.

Meanwhile Rooney went for an edgy look in a black leather dress with a lace neckline and sleeves.

The 30-year-old also wore black pumps and slicked her raven locks back and into a bun.

Rooney added another gothic touch with heavy black eyeshadow, and finished off her look with pale lipstick.

Meanwhile Sarah Paulson, who plays the best friend of Cate's titular character Carol in the movie, turned heads in a floor-length bronze and black printed gown which was covered in sequins.

The 40-year-old American Horror Story star kept her make-up simple in order to let her dress do the talking, but did apply a slick of scarlet lipstick.

Also attending the event was Girls star Zosia Mamet, who left little to the imagination in a plunging white dress which was also extremely short.

The 27-year-old curled her blonde hair and showed off thick, dark eyebrows and nude lips.

Kyle Chandler, who portrays Carol's husband, wore a suave grey suit and was joined by his wife of 20 years Kathryn, who was clad in a black top and grey maxi skirt.

Orange Is The New Black star Lea DeLaria - who was dressed in a black suit and tie - goofed around on the red carpet, pulling silly poses.

Also in attendance at the premiere was Patricia Hearst, the granddaughter of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst, who is well-known for the events following her 1974 kidnapping.

Carol is based on the 1952 Patricia Highsmith novel The Price Of Salt, which the author published under a pseudonym because of the illegality of same-sex relationships at the time.

Cate and Rooney, who portrays Carol’s younger lover Therese, are already being hailed for their amazing chemistry in the film, but Cate modestly said that it’s ‘not something that you can plan for’

‘Obviously we did a lot of research about the period and the book and the characters, but that stuff is the magical stuff that you hope the camera’s catching,’ she said on Good Morning America earlier on Monday.

‘[Director] Todd Haynes – we’d worked together on the Bob Dylan film before, but he and Rooney hadn’t worked together. It was really the three of us – a threesome – together making this thing, but you don’t know until you see the final product whether that chemistry has translated, and I hope it did.’

Carol - which is already generating Oscar buzz - will have a limited release in the US on November 20, before hitting cinemas in the UK on November 27.

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