The Stars Who Broke All The Rules On The Red Carpet
Awards ceremonies are nothing if not an opportunity for the stars to make a statement. With the 2020 Oscars around the corner, Vogue revisits some of the red-carpet looks that set bulbs flashing – and tongues wagging.
It’s hard to believe the Lady Gaga who swept onto the 2019 Oscars red carpet in a black Alexander McQueen gown, leather gloves and sparkling Tiffany & Co jewellery is the same woman who wore an ensemble made entirely from raw meat on the red carpet just nine years earlier. Over the years, the red carpet has hosted its fair share of renegades, all of whom found a way to subvert the sartorial rules of the time. It seems that, as the internet’s appetite has grown, so too has the sheer volume of meme-worthy ensembles. And of course, the statements aren’t exclusively fashion ones – remember the sea of black gowns on the red carpet that marked the dawn of the Time’s Up movement in 2018?
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Unforgettable looks from the archive include Björk’s swan dress, which dominated headlines after the 2001 Academy Awards. Not content with rejecting the traditional sweeping gowns, the Icelandic singer took things even further when she stopped to ‘lay an egg’ in front of the cameras. Recent times have seen the surge of the “naked dress” – a favourite amongst the Kardashian Jenners – its earliest appearance perhaps being the Versace safety pin dress worn by Elizabeth Hurley at the premiere of Four Weddings And A Funeral in 1994. Others who have thrown the rule book out of the window include Cher, who defied convention by baring her midriff at the 1986 Oscars. The singer – who said she didn’t want to look like a “housewife in an evening gown” – ensured she commanded attention in her showgirl-inspired two-piece and dramatic feathered headdress by legendary fashion and costume designer Bob Mackie.
Another oft-discussed red carpet cameo is Julia Roberts’ apparent feminist statement at the 1999 London premiere of Notting Hill, when she showed off her armpit hair in a sequined red dress – though years later she admitted it was an unwitting move, having not taken her sleeve length into account when waving to fans. Speaking to Busy Philipps on her talk show in November 2018, Roberts clarified: “It wasn’t so much a statement as it’s just part of the statement I make as a human on the planet for myself.”
Here, Vogue revisits some of the most memorable efforts of Hollywood’s red carpet renegades over the years.