[ad_1]
The question of what the red carpet would become, that strange celebrity-style ritual that reached its peak in the early 21st century as a marketing / social media / fashion Frankenstein monster, in a Covid-19 world: could it still exist, when? Most people have given up on party dress entirely – it was finally answered on Sunday night at, of all places, the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards. And it was answered by Lady Gaga.
Held live around New York City, socially estranged but without an audience, the VMAs were the last of the summer award shows and the first to attempt something akin to old-time style, rather than bonding with Zoom since your living room. Keke Palmer was the host and they both acknowledged the tragedies of the day (the death of Chadwick Boseman, the shooting of Jacob Blake) and committed to modeling multiple dresses.
Not everyone wanted to enter. Taylor Swift accepted her award remotely. So did BTS, although the band performed in a pre-recorded segment in very fancy suits and ties. There was a space where the hosts and the artists could pose alone for the arrival photos to show off their clothes, but they did not reach the usual critical mass: Sofia Carson, in red Giambattista Valli with a giant pouf peplum; Joey King in short Versace with rose print; Machine Gun Kelly in hot pink Berluti.
It was nice to see them put forth an effort and experience a bit of indirect thrill from dressing up, even without the crowds in attendance and the paparazzi. It also felt like something was missing, like a hot air balloon slowly deflating. (Why do all those people stand up and stand there alone?)
But then came Lady Gaga. She re-inflated it herself.
He accepted his many awards in person. She acted. She changed clothes every time she appeared and appeared seven times. And almost every time she appeared in her seven different outfits, she wore a different face mask.
In the process, she used her image to do for mask fashions and designers what used to be done for, say, Dior and Chanel.
First came his silver circular Area coat, with a matching transparent face shield / astronaut helmet from Conrad by Conrad referencing the VMA Moonman himself. To accept her artist of the year award, she wore an Iris Van Herpen bird of paradise dress with a pink Cecilio Castrillo mask; for the song of the year award, a gigantic iridescent emerald green shirt dress by Christopher John Rogers and a Lance V. Moore mask with matching jewels and fangs. It looked like some kind of super glamorous behemoth.
So it was. In her interpretation of “Chromatica”, Gaga appeared in a pink and black bodysuit, a Diego Montoya mask. And finally, she wore a Valentino couture cape with giant feathers and a silver suit with a silver Maison Met mask, which she also wore for her latest change into a silver Candice Cuoco cape to accept the Tricon award.
His clothes attracted attention, but his masks were unforgettable. Even on a night that also featured Miley Cyrus poking fun at her own story in a see-through Mugler dress, not to mention wearing a sequined tank top and panties on top of a disco ball.
Thanking everyone at the end, Gaga said: “It may sound like a broken record, but wear a mask. It’s a sign of respect. “
Masktivism! That’s one way of injecting meaning into what had become, by any measure, a format increasingly stripped of its original soul and purpose (self-expression). As we move towards more red carpet events, next is the Venice Film Festival, starting this week and where Cate Blanchett, as chair of the jury, has promised to wear only dresses from her own closet, the bar has been raised. .
[ad_2]
