World of Fashion
95 Years of Film and Fashion History in 480 Pages: “Red Carpet Oscars”
by Yvonne Heinen-Foudeh, Senior International Correspondent
Says world star Cate Blanchett so aptly in her foreword to Dijanne Mulhearn's opus, "The red carpet of the Academy Awards has always seemed to me to be the place where fashion, fine art, and theater intersect, and so there has been no better way to show off the dramatic creations. I also know how much blood, sweat, and tears went into each model." Indeed there is so much more than fabulous gowns on famous people behind the (formerly) red carpet, rolled out every year by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) on the occasion of the awarding of the “Oscars” for the best films of the respective previous year.
The Sidney-based fashion journalist, stylist, and designer collocates this impressively in her illustrated book “Red Carpet Oscars”, and has thus presented a noteworthy compendium of trending costume history. Her comprehensive chronological survey reflects not only the styles and values of each era but displays how the read (in 2022 beige - for once?) carpet has become a platform to make social statements. In this way, the work also opens up a journey through time, through fashion developments in the respective social and political climates.
In 1940, for example, Hattie McDaniel was the first African American to win an Academy Award, but she was only allowed to enter the hotel "for whites" through a side entrance and was not allowed to sit at a table with the other act.
Mulhearn presents over ninety years of fashion worn at the film world’s biggest event since its inception in 1929, charting what the stars wore and why. From ready-to-wear and haute couture, from preloved to homemade dresses: the actress Luise Rainer for instance had not expected to be among the winners in 1937. Then to receive her Oscar she spontaneously appeared in an elegant nightgown with a fur pulled over it - which in today's world for the fur part of the outfit would probably be more of a no-go than for the bed gown.
Along with decided background information, and amusing anecdotes from the world of film as an art form the book tracks the style evolution of Hollywood’s leading stars, shows the commercialization of the red carpet, the emergence of stylists, and the radical shifts that reshaped formal dressing.
A must-have not only for movie enthusiasts but also all fashion creators and marketers it becomes while showcasing 820 large format photographs of a thousand looks across almost a century of film and fashion. In addition to carefully curated images of the most iconic and inspiring outfits, each year features a short overview, sharing the stories behind the looks and tapping into fashion trends, along with the social and political influences of the time.
Fashion writer Dijanne Mulhearn has compiled the ultimate fashion resource that celebrates both the glamour and the impact of one of the most-watched watched red-carpet runways in the world.
Good news also for the growing number of German native readers with The Needle's Eye community: Dijanne Mulhearn's illustrated book is now also available in excellent translation - under the title "Oscars – Glamour auf dem roten Teppich", published at Prestel Verlag, Munich.
Dijanne Mulhearn, Red Carpet Oscars – Original publisher: Thames & Hudson with a foreword by Cate Blanchett; Epilogue by Giorgio ArmaniHardcover, paperback, 480 pages, 21.5 x 29.0 cm, 820 color illustrations
Ultimate fashion resource, a heavyweight in every sense, the 6-pound (2.5 kg) compendium offers trend-setting fashion developments along the soon-to-be 100-year history of the Academy Awards in chronological overview along sociological and political influences.
Meticulously curated and, copyrighted, of course, 820 onsite Oscar photos present a concentrated load of inspiration. Small sneak peek: Ann-Margret wore this mullet-style model to the 1965 Oscars ©: abcdvdvideo.com.
Cher’s appearance on the red carpet in a Bob Mackie model along with Val Kilmer at the Oscar ceremony 1984: Shirley MacLaine receives the Oscar as Best Actress in a Leading Role in ‘Terms of Endorsement’, Jack Nicholson the one as Best Supporting Actor in his role with that same movie picture.