Art of red carpet risqué
Have you wondered why some daring outfits on a global red carpet get all the praise while the fashion police remain unimpressed about similar trends on other occasions?
Recently, at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, Bella Hadid wore the most eye-catching Schiaparelli lung dress to the red carpet. Bella wore an iconic gold necklace embellished with rhinestones, designed in the shape of lungs, barely covering her décolletage in a long-sleeve black dress with a low neckline that ran below the bust. Her bold look and styling got a perfect score from critiques for being a trendsetter.
Funnily, though, in the past, several veteran actresses who have tried similar provocative looks have gotten bad press for being ‘vulgar’.
When it comes to risqué red carpet looks, a fine line between vulgarity and high-end style holds the secret to what works and doesn’t work.
MATTER OF PERCEPTION
The French Rivera at Cannes is one of the most fashionable and talked-about platforms among showbiz A-listers. Everyone who gets a chance to walk the prestigious red carpet wants to look exceptional and make a mark. But designer Gautam Gupta of the Label Asha Gautam thinks it might leave the viewers feeling overwhelmed.
He says, “This is a very subjective area to decide what’s vulgar and what is sensual. I think style is a very personal thing and some celebrities carry it with confidence while others struggle. Yet, simultaneously, there are a few basic dos and don’ts that make a huge difference — it all depends on the aesthetics and styling matching the body type.”
However, designer Pallavi Singh feels it’s “only a matter of sheer perception,” which is subjective to one’s thought or choice. “For me, fashion is personal and inclusive,” she says. “It’s simply about being confident and expressing yourself in sync with who you truly are. Bella Hadid could pull off a bold look like that so effortlessly on the Cannes red carpet, she looked stunning and bold. But I also believe there should be no rules, just freedom — because when freedom is truly combined
with fashion is when you make a statement in history.”
THE ART OF BEING EFFORTLESS
When it comes to styling for the red carpet, the key is comfort in whatever avant-garde ensemble one chooses.
According to Meha Bhargava, a luxury
FOR ME, FASHION IS PERSONAL AND INCLUSIVE. IT’S SIMPLY ABOUT BEING CONFIDENT AND EXPRESSING YOURSELF IN SYNC WITH WHO YO TRULY ARE. THERE SHOULD BE NO RULES, JUST FREEDOM — BECAUSE WHEN FREEDOM IS TRULY COMBINED WITH FASHION IS WHEN YOU MAKE A STATEMENT IN HISTORY.
— PALLAVI SINGH, design
image consultant, it’s the effortlessness that creates a line between high fashion and vulgarity. “There are no rules for creating any specific look,”
she says. “Cannes is definitely n casual, and the dress code is famous strict and arguably passé, but it h ensured the festival’s position as t
premier showcase for haute couture and decadent gemstones.”
Meha also thinks this year’s festival looks set to be a relatively sober affair. “Social distancing is adding to the pressure to tone down the glitzy parties that have been Cannes’ calling card. Step up the staircase, and you’d have found Bella Hadid posing in vintage Jean Paul Gaultier haute couture, nearly stealing the show from the
movie stars,” adds Meha.
ROCK YOUR STATEMENT
Fashion, like any other art form, is an expression of the designer. How the beholder perceives it and interprets it is open to critique.
So too, as a designer, Nidhi J Jain doesn’t believe in calling anyone’s creative
BELLA WORE AN ICONIC GOLD NECKLACE EMBELLISHED WITH RHINESTONES, DESIGNED IN THE SHAPE OF LUNGS, BARELY COVERING HER DÉCOLLETAGE IN A LONG-SLEEVE BLACK DRESS WITH A LOW NECKLINE THAT RAN BELOW THE BUST. HER BOLD LOOK AND STYLING GOT A PERFECT SCORE FOR BEING A TRENDSETTER.
expression vulgar or anything derogatory. “I feel both style and sexuality should be unabashedly expressed,” Nidhi says. “Style always emerges from criticism and then becomes a trend. Now for some people, fashion is about what enhances their overall personality or adds a dash of elegance to their appearance. For many others, however, fashion is about standing out, and their bold outfit or accessory choice is an expression of that. There shouldn’t be a rulebook on the red carpet; just own the outfit and rock it with confidence.”
Given that fashion is driven by celebrity culture and the red carpet, it should come as no surprise
that celebrities are now embracing environmental concerns and changing their red carpet wardrobes. A case in point is Bella Hadid’s vintage Jean Paul Gaultier haute couture dress, which Meha Bhargawa mentioned, stealing the limelight at Cannes 2021.
Rushva Parihar, co-curator of Fashion Forward Fellowship, points out how dressing in such statement-making styles is not a new trend. “Meryl Streep won her latest Oscar in an upcycled Lanvin gown, and more recently Kim Kardashian, Priyanka Chopra, and Cate Blanchett have all embraced this trend of wearing and re-wearing vintage or upcycled fashion. While these celebrities are driving the trend towards slow fashion, others are embracing new material — think Emma Watson in her recycled plastic gown from 2016 and Lady Gaga in the Gareth Pugh outfit made from coffee filters.”