A Colourful History of Red Carpet Fashion
From the days of original Old Hollywood Glamour to this week’s Golden Globes, fashion plays a leading role during all award seasons.
My research for this story has taken me from 458 BC to 2025, with many iconic gowns along the way. As such, this newsletter has the length and shine of a magazine feature. You may need to click ‘Read Full Story’ below to view it in full in your browser.
While some of us may still be working out what day of the week it is, Hollywood A-listers were sure to show up for the Golden Globes on January 5, 2025. This marks the start of a full events calendar, including the Critic’s Choice Awards, Grammys, SAGs and BAFTAs, as anticipation builds for the Oscars (also known as the Academy Awards) at last, in early March. There’ll be a burst of camera flashes and the odd misstep – and a plush red carpet rolled out for the stars to make their grand entrance.
The first Hollywood stars to arrive at an industry event in such style were the Robin Hood cast, including Douglas Fairbanks and Enid Bennett, at the Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles in 1922. A true showman, the theatre magnate Sid Grauman came up with the idea of the red carpet arrival, which has been associated with royalty for millennia.
Far from the Disney and Marvel universes, the origin story of the red carpet comes from the Greek play Agamemnon (458 BC). During this, a crimson path is set out for the King returning victorious from the Trojan War – but even he hesitates before setting foot. (His line: “I am a mortal, a man; I cannot trample upon these tinted splendours without fear thrown in my path.”)
Not bothered by delusions of grandeur, later royalty and aristocrats took pride in their red furnishings and, in the 19th century, beckoned their ball guests with red carpets – attracting curious crowds and printed press along the way. Then, during the expansion of the railroads in the early 20th century, the ‘red carpet treatment’ came to be expected by well-heeled passengers on boarding.
Since its inception in 1929, the Oscars has been a white-tie affair, and standing outside was one of the few chances fans and the affiliated press had to catch a glimpse of stars like Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn. While an actual red carpet was not introduced – yet – the arrival of stars to the industry’s very first award show (and what they were wearing) was closely watched. By the time of the inaugural Golden Globes, in 1944, stars were sure to look their best for the crowds.
The Oscar awards themselves were first televised in 1951, and legendary costume designer Edith Head, credited with creating the image of ‘Old Hollywood Glamour’, was its fashion consultant. Before the proliferation of designer labels, the studio team created dresses that shone against the ‘set’ and met Broadcast standards (including for modesty).
During the first televised show, Marilyn Monroe’s black tulle skirt was hurriedly fixed by assistants standing by with sewing pins. The dress, designed by Charles LeMaire, was borrowed from the Fox costume department and had already been worn by Valentina Cortese in The House on Telegraph Hill. – Dress sharing was common among the studios, both between films and events.
In 1961, the red carpet was officially ushered in to the award show format. Its colour was indiscernible to those viewing the black and white images after the fact – but it did help guide attendees into the venue through the bright camera and car lights. Soon after, the parade was captured as a TV show for viewers at home, with MCs introducing each entrance. – Modern royalty had arrived.
Since the sixties, fur stoles fell by the wayside, and the red carpets continued to be in step with the times – with disco-ready dresses in the ‘70s, puff-ball silhouettes preferred in the ‘80s, sleek minimalism in the ‘90s and romantic flowing dresses favoured in the early ‘00s.
The red carpets of the ‘90s and noughties were presided over by Joan Rivers, who reported on what attendees were wearing live on E!. As celebrity culture became more widespread, the red carpet was a chance for stars to show a new side of themselves, outside of their character portrayals, when asked: “Who are you wearing?”
The ‘Fashion Police’ clocked up to 10 hours of live coverage around main events and often locked in more viewers than the award shows themselves. Hale Berry, Cate Blanchett and Sharon Stone (who did a costume change midway down the carpet in 1996) were all top contenders for ‘best dressed’.
The sideshow thrived on candid conversations with the stars, and off-the-cuff comments from presenters. Joan’s daughter (and mastermind behind the programme), Melissa, credits Nicole Kidman for transforming the red carpet into a runway, telling Vogue that her chartreuse Dior gown at the 1997 Oscars was the first instance of couture, inspiring other attendees to rise to the next occasion. However, her mother called the dress “the ugliest green you'll ever see”.
This was the central tension of E!s reporting. They gave all attendees a chance to shine, but gave anyone who was deemed too fashion-forward a thorough dressing down. Many looks that made it onto ‘worst dressed’ lists have since become iconic style moments, including Björk's swan dress (and egg) by Marjan Pejoski, which she wore to the 2001 Academy Awards. (Incidentally, this was inspired by movie star Marlene Dietrich, who wore a similar style to a costume party in 1935.)
From the early 2000, more interviewers were allowed on the sidelines of the red carpet. Publicists guided their stars through the throng, and would only permit interviews to reporters willing to talk about their clients’ latest film and fashion partnerships. Celebrities had a mainstream audience to appeal to, and many hired teams of stylists to ensure they didn’t put their foot wrong.
Award season became the world’s largest fashion show, and, consequently, largest marketing exercise. The GlamCam captured every angle of an outfit, often in slow-mo, and the Mani Cam (introduced in 2012) zoomed in on each guest’s nail polish. While Joan defended this uncompromising attention to detail – saying that a manicure was the last vestibule of personality in a star’s get-up – leading actors, including Cate Blanchett and Reese Witherspoon, became fed up with the fashion frenzy that honed in on female attendees’ appearance. They started the #AskHerMore campaign in 2014 (the same year the original fashion reporter provocateur, Joan, passed away).
The red carpet entered a new era, and aware of its political potential, most of the actresses at the 2018 Golden Globes dressed in black dresses to raise awareness and show their support for the #TimesUp movement.
The power of the red carpet has come even further to the fore in recent years. Stylists, who are now celebrities in their own right, can help make or break hopeful actor’s careers. While legacy media has largely stopped reporting on the ‘worst dressed’, social media has savagely taken on the task. The memeification of key moments along the red carpet (including the Fiji Water Girl of the Golden Globes 2019, and the look-a-like contest winners that came along this year), has created a spectacle that is shared around the world in real-time.
As the gallery below shows, those walking the red carpet today have at least one hundred years of show business fashion to inspire their outfit. The real winners know that the best red carpet looks take it all in their stride.
The Gallery: Here & Yesteryear
Great Gowns
Elle Fanning (right) wore a custom Balmain dress inspired by the couture house’s Fall/Winter 1953 collection (middle), back when award shows started taking off. The full skirt and sweetheart-with-an-edge neckline also evoke the gown Joanne Woodward took for a spin on the Oscars dance floor in 1958 (left).
Old Hollywood Glamour
Inspired by the glamorous style of Dorothy Dandridge (left), Joyce Bryant (middle), Diahann Carroll, and Eartha Kitt – Zendaya (right) and her celebrity stylist Law Roach worked with Louis Vuitton to create a golden ‘butterfly’ gown. It is reminiscent of the work of Charles James, ‘the only true American couturier’ who dressed Marlene Dietrich and Jennifer Jones for the red carpet. Regina King wore a simialrily inspired gown to the 2020 Oscars in sparkling pink satin.
Slinky with Shawls
Even before the award shows existed, Jean Harlow (left) was known to dazzle fans with her silk and satin evening gowns – often paired with a languid shawl – in 1930s press imagery. Jamie Lee Curtis (middle) paid homage to the star with a dress by Pamela Dennis at the 1995 Golden Globes. This year, Anya Taylor-Joy stepped up to the play with a vintage Dior ensemble in blush pink.
Crowning Achievement
Elizabeth Taylor’s jewellery (left) attracted much attention during award season, including this suite from the 1957 Golden Globes. Salma Hayek (middle) is another star who has topped her outfit with a tiara on several occasions, including at the 1997 Oscars, with a vintage piece by Fred Leighton. While it’s not typically a tiara, Margaret Qualley (right) is partial to a headpiece and wore a diamond headband and earrings with her Chanel gown this week.
Winning Sparkle
Marilyn Monroe (left) shined at the 1962 Golden Globes, as did fellow award-winner Sophia Loren (middle) 15 years later at the 34th Golden Globes. Their reflection is caught in Angelina Jolie’s latest McQueen gown – the closing look from the label’s 2025 runway show in Paris.
The Naked Dress
While it seems risque to this day, the ‘naked’ dress first rose to fame thanks to Bob Mackie – a protégée of Edith Head – who worked on the infamous slip Marilyn Monroe wore to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to President Kennedy in 1962 (left). He went on to dress Cher (middle) in her daring red carpet dresses, including this look from the 1975 Oscars. Mackie created a playbook for ascending stars who wanted to attract attention and become bonafide style icons – this includes Sarah Jessica Parker (right) with her year 2000 Golden Globes win.
The Classics
There’s something deceptively simple about Emma Stone’s Louis Vuitton dress (right), which is made of a crimson silk faille and took over 200 hours to complete at the house’s atelier. It recalls the clean lines of Mia Farrow’s Golden Globe gown in 1965 (middle), and Elizabeth Taylor’s bodice dress (left) worn to a premiere in 1951.
A Timeless Jacket
Inspired (surely) by Dior’s new look, Dorris Day (left) wore a classic cream jacket paired with black gloves to the Golden Globes of 1958. Meryl Streep (middle) tried out a similar style – but in award-winning gold – at the 1989 Golden Globes. Tilda Swinton (right) is known for bringing personal style to the red carpet – and her latest couture look from Chanel pays homage to this iconic look, while feeling honest to her.
Special Mention: Remote Red Carpets
In an interesting parallel to the award season of 2022 (when stars dialled into the show from their at-home quarantines), Joan Crawford (left) accepted her Best Actress award in 1947 while unwell at home, wearing an extravagant Helen Rose silk nightgown and full hair and make-up, with a handful of reporters documenting the moment at her bedside. A star of the times, Beyoncé (right) called it a night and took her multiple Grammys to bed with her in 2023.
I hope you enjoyed this special Red Carpet edition of For All Seasons. Your feedback helps me determine what topics and formats to focus on next.