The Politics of Red Carpet Fashion

In December 2013, Merle Ginsberg, senior style writer for the Hollywood Reporter, evaluated “which image makers are ascending, trending and flatlining in the red-carpet game” in an article entitled “The Awards Season Style Race”— clearly casting stylists as competitors.  “It’s like a game,” says Phillip Bloch, one of the premiere red carpet stylists for the past three decades.  “Everything is like this competition. This is not a football game!”

Phillip Bloch, who has been observing the evolution of the red carpet culture is a bit distressed by all the competiveness and does not think it contributes to creating a fair or ethical working environment for stylists. “The whole point of [the red carpet] was to look beautiful and dress beautiful. What has happened to just getting dressed to please the fans and to look beautiful?” laments Bloch.  “It’s become this weird competition. It’s almost like they’ve taken the fun out of it. It’s become the Super Bowl of Fashion.

Fashion designers are paying some actresses to wear their designs, and so are jewelers. A variety of companies, are also paying for actresses to attend events. Merle Ginsberg has given them the moniker “Mocktress.” The red carpet, it seems, has become a paycheck for many out of work actresses, who haven’t made a film in years, but are now able to make money—up to $100k and more for appearances, plus payment for wearing specific designers on and off the red carpet.

“Everybody’s got their own agenda,” Bloch admits. “There have always been deals going on here and there, but now it’s like the mob. It’s mercenary.  It’s like mean girls and being in high school.  The fun is gone, the glamour is gone. It’s a huge promotional business.”

Even athletes, DJs, and reality TV stars are trying to borrow dresses for different award shows. “It’s crazy! Too many people are competing to get dresses,” he says.  “Stylists have just so much power.  And if they aren’t working with a good client, they won’t get the dress. It has become bitter, petty, and bitchy—it’s not that interesting.”

“I agree,” says Dr. Yakini Etheridge, a full-time clinical psychologist and part-time blogger. “If you don’t have good connections it becomes very competitive.  It’s about who you know.”

Forced to work with limited budgets, stylists do become desperate at times.  “They have clients with champagne taste and beer budgets,” says Dr. Etheridge.  “But as a stylist you can’t tell a client that, because you run risk of hurting their feelings. Stylists use Rent the Runway, or go to David’s Bridal, get a bridesmaid gown and do some tailoring.  They have to pull tricks out of their sleeves to keep their clients happy.”

“TV Reality stars are the new celebrities,” says Etheridge.  Her website, realitytvfashion.com, is one of the few website focused on urban reality TV fashion and style.  “People may call it trashy.  But the numbers don’t lie,” she says, pointing out that she gets about a half million hits a month.

Independent designers have become the saviors for many of these TV reality stars.  “There is a lot of pressure [on reality stars] to look good and you have to look like you have money.  Many of them spending money they don’t have to keep up appearances.” But with no budget for fashion, it’s the independent designers, who have stepped in, providing clothes for free.

Michael Costello, Project Runway and Project Runway All-Stars alumnae, who has dressed Cher and Toni Braxton, doesn’t believe celebrities should be paid to wear any designer. The stunning white gown Beyonce wore after her performance at the Grammy’s was compliments of Costello and his payback is coming in quickly.

Costello’s fashion PR reps state that the buyers from Saks, Neiman’s, Bloomingdale’s, all want to come to Michael’s upcoming NYFW show. “He never pays any celebrity.  There’s no point in it.  He gets so much more out of it,” says Richard Galvin.

Bloch believes, that is how it should be. “When I go to Fashion Week and I see the gorgeous dresses on the runway, I wonder why isn’t somebody using these?  Ralph Rucci is one of most incredible designers. But he’s not interested in that game.”

Bloch is now creative style director of the women’s apparel division of the NFL. To some that may seem like a long way from the red carpet, but Bloch says its not. “It’s such a natural progression.  All these industries are now melding.” The game is always changing.

—Francesca Simon