The Oscars happened! And with them, a very particular subset of a very particular level of performance comes to its annual end, leaving behind nothing but the inescapable web of industry positioning and image management, punctuated by occasional moments of deep satisfaction. (Ten years from now, those brave souls who walk past the Dolby Theater in the dark Los Angeles night will swear the phantom guests who applauded Parasite’s Best Picture win are clapping still.)
As always, I am fascinated by the red carpet as a microcosm of celebrity (itself a microcosm of a bunch of stuff we just don’t even have room for right now, I wrote two books about it and I haven’t even scratched the surface of my thoughts on performance, image, audience, dress, and absurdity, because it’s just where we all live now, I don’t make the rules).…Category: Costume
The Oscars happened! And with them, a very particular subset of a very particular level of performance comes to its annual end, leaving behind nothing but the inescapable web of industry positioning and image management, punctuated by occasional moments of deep satisfaction. (Ten years from now, those brave souls who walk past the Dolby Theater in the dark Los Angeles night will swear the phantom guests who applauded Parasite’s Best Picture win are clapping still.)
As always, I am fascinated by the red carpet as a microcosm of celebrity (itself a microcosm of a bunch of stuff we just don’t even have room for right now, I wrote two books about it and I haven’t even scratched the surface of my thoughts on performance, image, audience, dress, and absurdity, because it’s just where we all live now, I don’t make the rules).…
Nothing says red carpet season like a starlet styled to within an inch of her life descending into the many-lensed abyss. Thanks, Golden Globes! I will never stop thinking about this photo no matter how much I try.…May 07, 2019 | Costume, Red Carpet Rundown
This post originally began with a 1500-word essay about camp, which I cut because literally who cares. Ninety percent of the attendees on last night’s carpet couldn’t be bothered to even read the Susan Sontag essay the entire exhibit was structured around, those who did tended to fall back on technical loopholes (“It has a lot of feathers!…
:sinister carnival music in the distance reaches a sudden fever pitch: Oh hey, it’s the Oscars!…
Welcome to the Red Carpet Rundown of the BAFTAs, tha red carpet that pretends it’s more sophisticated and understanding than those Other red carpets (look! Soothing greenery!), until you actually look at it:
(Please understand how sincerely I mean this: Yikes.)
This event certainly never stood a chance against the Grammys, where much bigger statements are made.…Jan 28, 2019 | Costume, Red Carpet Rundown
The SAGs: The one where everyone tries the style stuff they aren’t sure will work for the Oscars, the Emmys, or the Globes!
That’s not entirely fair; obviously, at this point in our late capitalist celebrityscape, every red carpet counts. And in some ways, the SAGs are a playground for actors in ensembles, where other red carpet camera appearances aren’t quite as guaranteed and they get to go all out for this one.…
