“I think people are aware, now, of a power imbalance, and it’s something that leads to abuse,” Meryl Streep, dressed in custom black Vera Wang, explained to E!’s Ryan Seacrest on the red carpet at last night’s Golden Globes. “It’s led to abuse in our own industry, and it’s led to abuse across the domestic workers’ field of work. It’s in the military, it’s in Congress, it’s everywhere. And we want to fix that. And we feel sort of emboldened in this particular moment to stand together in a thick black line dividing then from now.”
And so went last night’s red carpet: Glamorous actresses in glamorous black gowns, explaining why they were all wearing the same color to one of the most glamorous events of the year.
It’s a plot point that’s been developing since December, when rumors began circulating of an unofficial dress suggestion that was later revealed as a full-fledged “let’s all wear black” protest last week, with the announcement of the antiharassment legal defense fund Time’s Up, backed by hundreds of actresses including Eva Longoria and Kerry Washington. And public opinion on the fashion-minded protest was mixed from the outset: Some dismissed the black dress code as a lazy form of protest—after all, how many times have celebrities worn pins on the red carpet to bring attention to one cause or another, and what has it really done?—while others hailed stars for not just planning to show up to the red carpet as if everything was normal. Plus, in the age of slogan T-shirts, it’s a form of activism that’s grown to be expected.
PHOTO: Christopher Polk/NBC
As these conversations played out publicly—in the press, on social media, among celebrities themselves—there was a different commotion happening behind the scenes. With just a few weeks to go, Hollywood stylists and designers were in full-on panic mode, given that most red-carpet gowns are custom-made and planned well in advance.
Christian Siriano, who dressed a number of stars for last night’s Globes (including Christina Hendricks, America Ferrera, and Kelly Clarkson) tells Glamour of the last-minute scramble: “We did one finished piece that was in a bright fuchsia that we completed and had to change.”
Still, this type of down-to-the-wire switch isn’t something completely foreign to designers who design for the red carpet. (Lest we forget: Just last year Siriano made not one but two dresses for This Is Us‘ Chrissy Metz to choose from for the Golden Globes, and she ended up wearing neither.) “I have learned in this business that sadly things change last-minute all the time, so it didn’t bother us,” he says.
Designing gowns for the 2018 Golden Globes did prove to be a tight rope to walk for Siriano, though. The women he dressed “still want[ed] to be exciting, glamorous, but just in this solidarity way, where they’ll all making one powerful statement.”
For some of the brands represented on the red carpet, there was an understanding that the blackout protest was more involved than lending out all their black samples. Prabal Gurung, who dressed Kerry Washington and Issa Rae for the Globes, published a touching letter on his website hours before the Globes, writing: “The 2018 Golden Globe Awards has significant potential to alter the course of this historic movement. It is a moment where these admirable, strong, and brave actresses have decided to use fashion as a means of protest. We—the fashion industry—should be proud to help amplify and visually communicate such a powerful agenda.” What’s more, he, along with Calvin Klein, Sachin & Babi, and other brands who dressed celebrities for the event, also stepped up to donate money to Time’s Up’s legal fund. Because of that, this year, the celebrity and fashion brand relationship proved just how powerful it could be.
Meanwhile, in the days leading up to the Globes, top Hollywood stylists, from Micaela Erlanger to Karla Welch, posted photos of racks of black clothing, hinting at what was to come on the red carpet—all while rumors abounded that there was a shortage of black gowns, and behind-the-scenes fighting about which actresses were getting the best black dresses, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Celebrities were taking the dress code very seriously.
Welch—who dressed Elisabeth Moss, Sarah Paulson, Tracee Ellis Ross, America Ferrera, and Amy Poehler for the Golden Globes—was quick to call the night a success: “I think anything that encourages and brings women to use their very powerful platforms is big,” she tells Glamour. “Symbolism is one of the most potent forms of dissent.”
Though celebrities appeared eager to discuss their reasons for wearing black to the Golden Globes, the time-honored red-carpet interview proved to be one of the trickiest parts of the evening. One could argue it would be a tough dynamic from the get-go: The aesthetics and glitz weren’t supposed to be the centerpiece of the evening, and yet actresses had collaborated with top designers on gowns that took hours of handwork and thousands of dollars to make. On the ground, correspondents seemed to skirt the “Who are you wearing?” question altogether—and when it was brought up, it almost felt taboo.
PHOTO: Frazer Harrison
“The red-carpet interviewers on E! and NBC struggled a bit with how to handle a red carpet turned over to a singular color and message,” Tom Fitzgerald, who publishes the blog Tom + Lorenzo with his husband, Lorenzo Marquez, tells Glamour. But according to many experts and fashion enthusiasts, simply avoiding the topic altogether is a disservice: “Those looks were put together by a bunch of people who worked hard behind the scenes,” Fitzgerald says. “It’s not wrong or frivolous to expect a red-carpet event to have a focus on fashion, and indeed, almost all of the attendees stuck to high-glamour, high-end looks from major houses, as per the usual.”
There’s a symbiotic relationship between fashion brands and actresses whereby designers lend, gift, and sometimes even pay for their creations to be worn on the red carpet, for the huge exposure it generates. It might not make it into the preshow broadcast beyond the “Who are you wearing?” question, but it’s an economy in and of itself—and one that’s highly valuable to both parties. By deeming these conversations frivolous or even contrary to the cause, you’re glossing over the work of largely women-led teams of stylists, designers, and seamstresses working to make these red-carpet looks happen. Not to mention: Fashion is a revenue stream that by in large favors female celebrities. (Not many can compete with the reported $15 million Jennifer Lawrence was reportedly paid for her endorsement deal with Dior, for instance.) Why get rid of it?
Fitzgerald’s suggestion is to find another way to incorporate fashion into the red carpet, without making actresses feel like their dresses are the only thing they will be asked to talk about. “Someone could secure that info before they step on camera and just put it up on screen while they’re talking,” he says. “‘Nicole Kidman is wearing a Dior Couture gown’ at the bottom of the screen takes nothing…away from the interview.”
PHOTO: Christopher Polk/NBC
The red-carpet missteps didn’t end there, though, according to some. Heather Cocks, who publishes the blog Go Fug Yourself along with Jessica Morgan, wonders why men, who by in large also participated in last night’s fashion protest wearing all black and Time’s Up pins, weren’t asked about the protest on the red carpet, as if saying the fight to end Hollywood’s sexual abuse and harassment problem was just a women’s thing. “It was disappointing how few men were called on the carpet about the state of affairs and what they intend to contribute,” she explains. “Women can do it alone if we have to, because we’re awesome, but we shouldn’t have to.”
In spite all of this, what turned out to be the biggest surprise of the night for spectators was how successful of a fashion night it ultimately was: Tracee Ellis Ross wowed in a Marc Jacobs gown and turban custom made in black, Claire Foy looked utterly chic in a Stella McCartney tuxedo, and Millie Bobby Brown in a futuristic Calvin Klein minidress earned her place on best-dressed-of-all-time lists. As cliché as it is to say, women last night made black their own, and red-carpet fashion didn’t suffer for it—if anything, it made it one of the most interesting red carpets in years.
As for what the fashion-minded protest from last night’s awards will end up meaning, it’s not exactly clear. And maybe that’s besides the point. Time’s Up has already raised almost $16 million and counting. And it’s hard to ignore that last night’s blackout got a conversation going.
“Within the constraints of a televised awards show that actors are attending, I think it was quite substantial,” Welch said. “Society has told us to instinctually say, ‘Oh, that’s not good enough’ before we actually digest it.”
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