No matter how much it might look like a conspiracy of stylists met beforehand and decreed certain trends for a red carpet — asymmetrical gowns, metallics, nude dressing — except for The Met Ball, commonalities are completely happenstance.
Until the upcoming 32nd annual Actor Awards (formerly Screen Actor Guild Awards) on March 1, live on Netflix, under the fashion direction of Elle Magazine, published by Hearst. For the very first time I can recall, starting at WWD in the early ’90s, an awards red carpet will have a specific theme, created by Elle, which has partnered with the Actor Awards for the occasion in a “landmark collaboration.”
The red-carpet theme? “Reimagining Hollywood Glamour from the ‘20s and ‘30s” – think flappers, art deco, Grecian-inspired gowns, beads and fringe, bias-cut satins, bobbed hair, cloche hats, natty suits and semi-sheer dresses. During the Jazz Age, such louche looks were made popular by Clara Bow and packed Jay Gatsby’s wild parties.
Of course, the Art Deco Age has inspired multitudes of designers over the years — Miuccia Prada, Karl Lagerfeld, John Galliano’s Dior, Ralph Lauren — and Emma Stone, Charlize Theron, the Olsen Twins (and remember The Artist’s Berenice Bejo?) have all gone ’20s and ’30s many times. But keep in mind that the designer couture shows in Paris are this week — from which many Oscar and Screen Actors Guild gowns originate. Designers start showing Fall 2026 mid-February through March, so when will they have time to whip up specific ’20s and ’30s black-tie looks? Should stylists raid the closets of every season’s costumes of Downton Abbey? No, we will no doubt see a lot of archival designer gowns, vintage — or even copies — borrowed from major costume houses that pay homage to famous stars’ dresses of that time.
It’s the men who may find fitting the bill challenging. Cropped tux jackets with long tails, stiff white vests and possibly a top hat — this is what we may see Leonardo DiCaprio wear. After all, he played Jay Gatsby in Baz Lurhmann’s The Great Gatsby only 12 years ago.
“We’d been chatting with Netflix for some time about bringing a fashion theme to the event,” a spokesperson for the Actor Awards tells THR. “Elle’s unique viewpoint on fashion, their coverage of both emerging talent and established stars, made them the perfect partner for the new era of the show. We were inspired by Hollywood in the ’20s and ’30s as the backdrop for the venue design [The Shrine in downtown L.A.].” An Elle spokesperson added: “With the ever-growing interest in archival fashion, this theme felt like a natural fit.”
While The Actor Awards and Elle say they “view the theme not as a dress code,” we know otherwise. Call this a mini-Met Ball, part deux.
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