How to decode the red carpet whether you’re an attendee or an on-looker.
Red carpet season is fast approaching with the Lux Style Awards coming up this Sunday. In my years as a fashion journalist and stylist, I’ve been noticing one red carpet trend slowly disappearing.
Celebrities and their stylists are stepping away from traditional gown-only options and taking more risks than ever before. While gowns will always be a red carpet option, they’re no longer the only one. The most memorable look(s) now no longer only consist of the grandest gown but is usually the most individualistic, personalized and experimental one along the carpet.
Standing up for a cause
The red carpet has always been a platform to voice opinions for anyone stepping on it and support the causes they feel strongly about. Back in 1972, Jane Fonda wore an all-black YSL suit to the Oscars to protest the Vietnam War and two decades later a sea of black dresses were seen at the 2018 Golden Globe awards along with #TimesUp pins and wristbands. This cemented the red carpet as an important space for Hollywood’s leading women to speak out and address issues that can no longer be silenced. At the LSAs last year, there was a #MeinBhi movement in the show’s content, a localized version of #MeToo as Frieha Altaf would put it. While that didn’t trickle down to the red carpet there were people like Saheefa Jabbar Khattak, who wore a slogan top that said ‘Educate Your Daughters’.
Statements through fashion are not only Instagram-friendly but trending world over; further proof is in Viktor & Rolf’s recent internet-breaking melange of couture dresses with slogan fashion. While people lapped that up online, tread carefully with the elaborate tulle silhouettes that collection had.
Challenging red carpet norms
Part of the fun of making a fashion statement, if not the most fun, is pushing the envelope of what’s considered ‘safe’. One doesn’t imagine wearing glasses to the red carpet but if Oprah and Dakota Fanning can make fancy specs a thing on the red carpet so can we. Not only did they look like more glamorous versions of themselves but they probably felt that way too. One can colour coordinate their spectacle accessory to their outfit or to their lip colour like Meesha Shafi. Conventional feminine beauty also means that women wear figure fitting dresses but there’s a lot to be said for celebrities who stay true to their everyday selves and avoid the gown altogether like wearing oversized tuxedo or crisp pant suits like Kiran Malik’s in 2017.
To go desi or not?
The LSAs, last year, were a majorly desi affair and we wondered why celebrities gravitate to shaadi joras when they think of doing an eastern ensemble? Given that it’s the style awards, a little hunt for a unique style statement with an interesting sari drape or a cool mirror-work coatee with pants would take our celebs far in the sartorial department. Mahira Khan, who chose a slinky black number at the awards in 2017, wore bridals from Elan and Faraz Manan last year and Mawra who’s normally seen in princess-esque gowns, wore a Manish Malhotra lengha choli. Sadaf Kanwal is an example of how to do eastern wear right in her sleek black sari with minimal accessorizing.
Simplicity is sometimes the best policy
There are moments when simplicity feels the most powerful or you’re lacking the confidence needed to push the fashion envelope, there’s always a fool proof, minimal, long-sleeve body-skimming gown such as the one Mahira wore at the LSAs in 2017. The same applies to jewelry because big isn’t always better when it comes to the red carpet. Subtle earrings never fail to elevate a dress paired with a strikingly bare decolletage - they will do the job without any of the fuss.
