EXPOSURE – THE RED CARPET HOW FAR A BODY CAN GO
You probably recognised this space right away. You’ve probably seen it countless times, you might have dreamed about treading it, you might never have seen it so up close.
The red carpet isn’t just a path to an event - the Oscars, the MET Gala, the Grammys, and the countless other events around the globe gathering together heaps of celebrities. The red carpet is a spotlight where fashion and celebrity meet. At the speed of the camera’s flashes an outfit is immediately projected onto millions, sometimes billions, of screens. Instantly judged, laughed at, or dreamed about.
For every look treading this judgement stage, a whole team of stylists, make-up artists, hairdressers, jewellers, has been working together to create one single, iconic moment. You can sense the smell of hairspray and perfume, camera flashes, hear names being screamed to catch their attention, to direct their gaze towards the lens, and see publicists directing every step.
The red carpet is also a place of power. Photographers and journalists compete to capture the photo that will define the night. Their familiar question, “who are you wearing?”, gives credit to the designer and places the celebrity within the world of style. Answering it means joining the conversation between fashion, fame and business.
This is all both temporary, and lasting. Established and wannabe stars walk it for minutes, sometimes less, but the images live on online, in magazines, and in our collective memory. Some looks get completely forgotten; others become iconic, setting trends and shaping pop culture for years.
This is priceless visibility for designers: a single garment can turn an unknown designer into a global phenomenon overnight. At the same time, this is a space that brings fashion to people who might never follow runway shows but are drawn to celebrity glamour, making high fashion part of their everyday cultural dream.
The impact of such a stage can be far-reaching. A child might experience a seminal moment that will lead to choosing fashion design as their career. This is where the red carpet sparks the future of creativity.
Let’s explore a couple of these looks, to dive even deeper and explain what we’ve just described.
GWYNETH PALTROW – TOM FORD
A great starting point, and an easy look to spot on our red carpet, is the red velvet suit. In 2021 celebrated actress and GOOP founder Gwyneth Paltrow attended the Gucci’s Love Parade presentation in Los Angeles - a fashion show staged by Gucci on Hollywood Boulevard, as part of its 100th anniversary celebrations. This was a direct reference for those in the know: Paltrow was paying homage to one of her most iconic fashion moments by wearing an updated version of the red velvet Tom Ford–designed suit she had debuted at the VMA - Video Music Awards back in 1996. That moment became iconic because the actress blended formal elegance with a rebellious, empowered femininity, breaking traditional fashion rules by having a woman wear a masculine suit in a bold, vibrant color.
The look became so famous - considered a collector’s item and a source of continued inspiration since - that it was natural for 2021 Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele to re-design it in celebration of the history of the brand. It bridges past and present, celebrating Tom Ford’s defining impact on the house while reaffirming Paltrow’s position as a longstanding muse within Gucci’s evolving visual history.
REBECCA FERGUSON – THOM BROWNE
Let’s turn to another look now, can you see the long dress with over 60,000 Swarovski crystals, and a cape with ravens decorating the inside?
For the 2024 Met Gala, themed “The Garden of Time,” actress Rebecca Ferguson arrived in a custom Thom Browne ensemble. The look centers on a heavily beaded column gown in shades of midnight and steel, its surface formed by 60,000 Swarovski crystals that create an almost armor-like sheen. Draped over the gown, a sweeping black opera cape reveals a powder-blue silk lining adorned with dramatic appliquéd ravens.
The ravens were a direct reference to Thom Browne’s Fall/Winter 25 collection, based on Edgar Allan Poe’s celebrated poem “The Raven” from 1845, a melancholic gothic narrative of loss and remembrance that fit perfectly with the Met Gala’s theme.
This outfit is a unique example of an ensemble that is not an adaptation of a runway look, but something branching out entirely, a stand-alone piece conceived specifically for the occasion though developed from the same concept of that specific Thom Browne collection, landing in couture territory. It embodied the Met’s theme through craft, symbolism, and Fergusons’ personal aesthetic identity.
RUPAUL – JUDASSIME
Moving on to another iconic look, can you see the light pink leather dress with the exaggerated, furry hem?
For the premiere of RuPaul’s Drag Race, a reality contest celebrating drag culture and performance art, American singer and songwriter Kathy Perry wore an adapted, custom version of this blush-toned dress by avant-garde designer Judassime for “The Wrong Deal”, their semi couture 2023 collection based on the intriguing stories of the abuse of women in Old Hollywood. Non-binary designer Benjamin Voortmans, alias Judassime, is known for blending fantasy, subculture references, and couture craftsmanship, exploring and addressing the darker themes of life and history through their collections.
The exhibited runway look is a very dramatic one featuring several accessories: a neckpiece and fetish mask in the same colour, a pair of gloves with cat-like nails and a black satin and tulle boa to complete the look. The restyling for Kathy Perry got rid of the accessories and featured a complete redesign of the upper part, with Gautier-style pointy bras to go with the sculpted, body-skimming corseted silhouette and exaggerated textured mermaid hem. A striking fusion of high fashion and drag-inspired extravagance, perfectly suited to the world of Drag Race.