Vamping it up: Lily Cole had been at a Christian Dior event hosted by fellow model Stella Tennant at Claridges Hotel in London before she headed across town to the Groucho Club
She's known as the redheaded British supermodel with beauty as well as brains - but Lily Cole is taking a bit of a Gothic turn of late with her looks and literary tastes.
Last month, the stunning 22-year-old dyed her flame-red locks dark brown for the first time as she returned for her final year at Cambridge University.
But now she's gone for jet black hair - and has revealed a brooding tattoo in Latin on the instep of her foot.
Moody makeover: Lily, seen on the left earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival, appears to be going goth with her dyed black hair last night
She showed off the inking as she left the Groucho club in London's Soho last night.
In an elaborate Gothic font, it says 'Ut Apes Geometriam' which is Latin for 'as bees, geometry.' Which is an extract from a quote from Victor Hugo's dark 19th Century tale The Hunchback of Notre Dame: 'I possess philosophy by instinct, by nature, ut apes geometriam.'
The model seemed desperate to show off the high-brow skin art too, going bare footed in bright orange sequin stilettos despite the freezing temperatures.
She was also clad in black, wearing a stylish shirt dress over leggings and a top with inky nails and sparkly gold clutch bag for a sophisticated look.
Earlier, Lily has been at a Dior private dinner hosted by fellow model Stella Tennant at Claridges Hotel - not your average student night out on a Thursday.
But in her final year of study, history of art scholar Lily has been pondering whether to quit the catwalk completely to focus on her burgeoning acting career.
The beauty starred in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus alongside the late Heath Ledger, as well as in St Trinians.
But Lily, who is at prestigious King's College, has admitted she would rather be in Los Angeles with actor boyfriend Enrique Murciano, 37, than studying.
Brooding beauty: The model looked stunning with her new Gothic make-over
She plans to move to America to be with the star who plays an FBI agent in the detective series Without A Trace after she graduates.
Cole is now adamant her days as a full-time model are at an end and that her future lies in Hollywood.
She's said: 'I’d like to act and not really model so much. I wouldn’t want to treat acting as a convenient thing to do now and again.
'I’ve been modelling for years and I feel like I’ve taken out of it what I need to and I’m ready for new things. I’ve really enjoyed the process of acting and I’d be more inclined to dedicate my time to that.'
Girl on film: Lily on screen in the 2009 movie The Imaginarium Of Dr. Parnassus with the late Heath Ledger
In fact, perhaps the black Goth locks are for her role in The Moth Diaries, filming of which she's currently fitting around her studies.
In the movie which is set for release next year, she plays Ernessa, a teenage girl at a boarding school who suspects her roommate is a vampire.
In another Gothic twist, Lily was also due to star in Marilyn Manson's directorial debut Phantasmagoria: The Visions Of Lewis Carol, alongside the doom rocker himself as Carroll and Tilda Swinton as his wife.
Lily was to play Alice, visions of whom torture the author at night.
But the film has reportedly been canned by its production company after the trailer proved too disturbing.
However, it's unlikely that Lily's new look will prove too disturbing for any fashionistas.
Source:Dailymail