Actress Olivia Munn arrives on the red carpet for the 85th Annual Academy Awards on February 24, 2013 in Hollywood, California. (Photo credit should read JOE KLAMAR/AFP/Getty Images)
(USA TODAY) -- Oscar gowns thread their way through popular culture long after the
last acceptance speech. There are the immediate knock-off dresses, of
course. But the lasting influence lingers in more subtle ways, in the
form of shape, structure and shade.
An Oscar nominee doesn't "look good because they're wearing Oscar" de la Renta, says InStyle
editor at large Hal Rubenstein. "They look good because of a certain
detail," whether it's a strapless neckline or three-quarter sleeve.
"Those are the elements that become influential to the consumer. Then
the consumer takes it to a shop in their price point and finds some
resonance."
"It's less about, 'Ooh, I want that dress from X celeb,' and more about the vibe," says Seventeen fashion director Gina Kelly.
Here's a look at how the Academy Awards red carpet has turned up in the closets of teens, twentysomethings and beyond:
Kim Basinger's now-iconic 1998 pistachio gown, worn when she
nabbed the best-supporting-actress trophy, not only put Escada in the
eveningwear business, says Brian Rennie, who was the label's designer at
the time. Thanks to Basinger's victory, dramatically and sartorially,
the company stuck its stiletto into the bridal business as well, making
three versions of Basinger's dreDss in white - one in lace, one
embroidered and one solid - at the request of brides. Escada stitched up
the gown in about five colors and sold 30 to 35 of them at $3,500 to
$4,000 each, vs. $7,000, which is about what Basinger's cost. "It was a
style a lot of people could wear and be flattering," says Susan
Ashbrook, who helped orchestrate the Basinger-Escada marriage.
When
it comes to Gwyneth Paltrow's plethora of Oscar appearances,
conventional wisdom points to her 1999 bubblegum pink Ralph Lauren dress
as her fashion apex, and certainly, the fairy-tale frock spawned a
swath of similar confections during the following prom seasons, says
Kelly. But Rubenstein points to another big influencer: her pale Calvin
Klein slip dress from 1996. "Suddenly, everyone looked overdressed," he
says. That deceptively simple gown "had a lot to do with the rise of
minimalism in fashion in the '90s."
David Meister's phone rang
with requests after Diane Lane walked the 2008 Academy Awards carpet in a
chocolate, one-shouldered jersey gown with beading at the waist. So he
did a version of it for his regular line, for around $600. "If we tweak
it a little" - using a similar fabric but less opulent embellishments,
for instance - "we can make it a little more accessible to our
customer," Meister says. His "signature" collection, on the other hand,
goes for $1,500 to $5,000.
Designers are responding to the bevy of
blush and the riot of red over the past two years - think of Halle
Berry wrapped in Marchesa in the former and Jennifer Lawrence sheathed
in Calvin Klein in the latter. "They were all wearing red, so we said,
'We have to do red,' " says Sheri Simon, who works in sales for one of
the queens of the prom market, New York-based Jovani. As a result, the
company ratcheted up its red repertoire from around 10 to 50 styles.
It
was an even more dramatic story with blush: Jovani used to carry maybe
two gowns in the subtle shade, and now it offers about 100. "That trend
has really taken off," Simon says.
For its just-launched first
prom collection, British-based Oasis soaked up the saturated color of,
for instance, Michelle Williams' 2006 canary Vera Wang column, "which we
know our customer loves - whether that be royal blue, coral pink or
emerald green," says the brand's design director, Clive Reeve.
The
2010-11 Oscar red carpets provided ample altar inspiration for Dan
Rentillo of David's Bridal. There was Hailee Steinfeld's Marchesa
princess dress, but also Scarlett Johansson's lacy, open-back Dolce
& Gabbana and Demi Moore's cascading cream Versace. "We were
inspired by the soft, uneven ruffles, but in our interpretation, we
wanted the skirt fuller and more bridal," Rentillo says about Moore's
gown. And then there was Rachel McAdams in strapless, romantic,
watercolor-patterned Elie Saab. "We thought, 'A bride in a print? Why
not?' So we created a print in a more subdued shade of colors that is
more bridal-appropriate. The customer loved it." Indeed, all of the
aforementioned were best sellers for the company.
Sometimes,
inspiration resonates more profoundly than patterns and pump styles.
Take Octavia Spencer's red-carpet sweep in Tadashi Shoji last year.
"She's not a fashion girl," says Rubenstein. "She's a larger-sized woman
who looked beautiful, elegant and glorious the entire award season,
especially at the Oscars," where she wore white gathered midwaist. "It
was a great object lesson on how to dress beautiful, whether you're
going to a wedding or a Christmas party," Rubenstein says. "Looking good
isn't about being a size 0 or being 5-foot-10."
And there was
Viola Davis, who famously doffed her wig and paired her emerald Vera
Wang gown with her natural short hair. "She looked new and fresh,"
Rubenstein says. "The power of Viola's appearance was about not
conforming to a norm. Individuality and pride are as essential to a
woman's beauty as the right makeup and wardrobe."
Rubenstein calls both looks red-carpet watershed moments, "definitely."
And what about the future? What trends seen so far during this awards season will translate to next year's prom racks?
Yes, girls will continue to paint the gym "red, crimson and scarlet," says Teen Vogue's
senior fashion news director, Jane Keltner de Valle. (Thank you,
Lawrence, for repeating the hue in Dior Couture at this year's Golden
Globes.) But Keltner de Valle also envisions a softer shade trickling
down to the prom dress market: Jessica Chastain's seafoam, constructed
by Calvin Klein for the Globes.
"It's a color we haven't seen for
a long time, but it has a classic, timeless quality to it, and it's not
as in-your-face as red. It was a favorite color of Grace Kelly's," says
Keltner de Valle.
Ariel Winter's Valentino Globes dress wasn't
the only winning component of her outfit: "Her styling was also spot on -
the updo with a jeweled headband made the whole look sparkle and
shine," says Keltner de Valle. "In terms of accessory and beauty trends,
I think that's something that will translate at prom. Headbands are
back in a big way."
Kelly sees girls embracing idol Taylor Swift's
fishtail silhouette, created by Donna Karan Atelier for the Globes.
"And the deep plum color is a nice alternative to black." Her other
Globes prognostications for prom: Amanda Seyfried in Givenchy Haute
Couture. "Girls love romantic lace for prom, but this shape makes it
more modern." And Jessica Alba in tangerine-tinted Oscar de la Renta:
"Bold citrus colors will be big."
At the Grammys? The sheer panels
on Rihanna's red vintage Azzedine Alaia dress "will definitely be
copied," Kelly says. "It's both demure and sexy."
Olivia Barker, USA TODAY