In 1821, President James Monroe was welcomed to Georgetown, South Carolina with a rolled out red carpet. The red carpet, a symbol of prestige and grandeur, did not become widely popular until the 20th century. However, with time, the red carpet would become a stage to celebrate fashion and welcome celebrities to coveted events across the world.
The red carpet, with all of it’s glory, represents the intersection between celebrities, press, fashion, and pop culture. Oftentimes during red carpet appearances, fashion history takes place. These appearances offer designers the opportunity to push the boundaries forward, and use the celebrity as a muse for their vision. While the designer is the artist, the celebrity is the actor, who adopts fashion as their costume for a role that they perform on the red carpet. This process creates for many memorable moments in fashion history, however, in order for fashion history to be created, a designer must be willing to create memorable moments that transcend current fashion trends, allowing the consumer to change the way that they view the product, as well as society.
In his new book, “The New Red Carpet”, Christian Siriano discusses the importance of the red carpet as a medium for fashion history, and important red carpet moments that shaped fashion history.
When asked about the inspiration for this book, Christian Siriano told Political Fashion Editor Javier Luna, “The reason why I called the book ‘The New Red Carpet’ is because I want people to know what I think the red carpet should look like and what’s new and fresh about it. It’s really important to showcase all different types of people from different walks of life and how they can all be fabulous, through maybe not the normal thing you would see on the red carpet.”
The New Red Carpet is about the act of pushing boundaries forward through fashion, while giving space to all muses to look and feel confident and spectacular, regardless of size, gender, and age.
Red carpet fashion has the power to inspire masses, regardless of their background. The photographs taken often become posters that adorn the walls of teenagers across the world, trendy Pinterest boards, Magazine covers, and advertisements consumed across the world. Red carpet moments are important, because both the fashion, and the celebrity have the potential to inspire and attract people across the world.
For his part, Christian Siriano continues to diversify sources of inspiration for people by pushing the boundaries of fashion. Siriano pushed the bounds of fashion, for example, when he dressed Alex Newell in a glamorous disco-inspired gown during the Tony’s. This moment was important, because it allowed people of all gender identities to see themselves on the red carpet, and beyond. The red carpet moment carried additional importance when Newell would become the first non-binary individual to win a Tony Award.
Perhaps one of the most recognizable and outstanding pieces by Christian Siriano to this date is a dress worn by Janelle Monae during the 2019 Met Gala under the Notes on Camp theme. The outfit employs complex tailoring techniques, and innovative engineering to showcase surrealism inspired by Pablo Picasso’s paintings (which were very often inspired by African masks.) These techniques allow for an innovative way for the designer, muse, press, and consumer alike to interact and have an open dialogue. From the complex proportions to the use of color to the innovative technology that allowed for the eye on the dress to blink by itself, this red carpet moment undoubtedly went down as a moment in fashion history. In addition to the initial reception, this dress serves as a garment for students to study.
Then, there is also Oprah Winfrey, a loyal customer of Siriano’s gowns and suits. Earlier this summer, at the DNC, Winfrey delivered a speech wearing a purple suit to encourage the American people to come together.
“Despite what some would have you think, we are not so different from our neighbors. When a house is on fire, we don't ask about the homeowner's race or religion. We don't wonder who their partner is or how they voted. No, we just try to do our best to save them.” Winfrey said
The purple on her clothes represented the unity Winfrey wanted to bring merging Blue (Democrats) and Red (Republicans). It could also be a nod to The Color Purple movie which Winfrey starred in back in 1985.
The messenger is strong but the message is even stronger when the clothes carry a story that boosts the confidence of the spokesperson. The partnership of Siriano and Winfrey prevails and strengthens as Oprah is able to present herself with so much confidence and joy —those are the feelings that clothes convey to the customer and go across the screens to the viewers.
One of the most famous examples of a red carpet used to create fashion history is Billy Porter’s tuxedo gown for the 2019 Oscars. This red carpet look became one of the most Google searched images of 2019. In a time when gender identity is under intense scrutiny, Billy Porter made a historic statement when exploring the magnificent duality of masculinity and femininity between the tuxedo and the gown. Famous for his work in Pose, Porter became infamous for challenging gendered fashion with this red carpet. Through the use of sophisticated tailoring and several thousand dollars worth of fabric, Siriano was intentional with the construction of the garment in order to bring seriousness to the tuxedo gown, and avoid any misconceptions that could arise.
Porter has stated that there is a before-the-Oscars and an after-the-Oscars for him. This tuxedo gown opened the doors to question pre-established norms on what people should wear for red carpets. This moment undoubtedly allowed everyone from designers, celebrities, press, and consumers alike to wonder: what other norms can be broken in regards to red carpet fashion?
When asked, Siriano stated, “I think probably the most important thing to think about when dressing anyone for a big event, a red carpet, or anything is to celebrate the person and to make sure they feel like their most authentic self. Whether that be in a dress, a suit, or a beaded ball gown, it’s however they feel most authentic and that’s how you break the stereotypes of what someone should wear. That’s what I think about when I dress someone.”
In a fast-paced fashion environment where new generations are pushing for clothes that represent their true selves, we are seeing new generations of fashion leaders paving the way to live fashion in a way that feels more genuine to them. These desires allow the consumer to ponder whether current fashion norms are obsolete and should be reconsidered. Artists such as Billy Porter, Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet, or Billie Eilish, continue to make these questions central to their red carpet fashion. They are guided by designers like Christian Siriano, who continue to leave stereotypes aside, and focus on dressing clients in a way that would celebrate their authentic selves.
When asked how he would like to be remembered in the fashion industry, Siriano responded,
“A long time ago I decided it wasn’t enough to just make pretty clothes. It’s really important to me that I leave something bigger behind - to change the perception of what’s fashionable on the red carpet, runway, etc. It’s really about celebrating people of all ages, gender, and size and what’s beautiful in our world. So I would rather leave that behind than anything else.“
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