Models and Red Carpet
The people wearing it. The house model and the supermodel, the casting, the magazine cover and the red carpet, and the shift in who gets to be photographed.
Part of Fashion
17 moments in this segment.
- - Hollywood Glamour - Adrian. 1930s. MGM costume designer Adrian (Adolphus Greenburg) dresses Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo, Jean Harlow. The bias-cut satin Hollywood gown, Adrian's 1932 Letty Lynton dress for Crawford was copied by Macy's and sold 500,000 units. Movies become the fashion-marketing engine.
- - Richard Avedon - Funny Face. 1957. Funny Face (Stanley Donen, with Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire), based on Richard Avedon's real-life Harper's Bazaar career. Codified the "fashion photographer as protagonist" archetype.
- - Jackie Kennedy & Oleg Cassini. January 1961. Jackie Kennedy at JFK's inauguration in a fawn coat + pillbox hat designed by Halston (for inauguration day) and her main wardrobe by Oleg Cassini. Most photographed First Lady wardrobe ever; defined American style for a generation.
- - Jackie's Pillbox Hat. The Halston-designed pillbox hat Jackie Kennedy wore to JFK's January 1961 inauguration. Spawned a decade of pillbox imitations; the small round structured hat became the visual signature of mid-century American femininity.
- - Audrey Hepburn - Givenchy Dress. October 1961. Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's wearing Givenchy's black satin column dress, pearls, sunglasses. The single most-copied costume in cinema history; defined "modern femininity" for two generations.
- - Holly Golightly Black Dress. Givenchy's 1961 black satin column dress for Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Single most-copied costume in cinema history; sold at auction for £467,200 in 2006.
- - Twiggy. 1966. 16-year-old Lesley Hornby (Twiggy) named Face of the Year. 41-23-32 measurements; the first model to be world-famous on the basis of her thin, androgynous look. Defined 1960s beauty; the first "supermodel" in the modern sense.
- - Vogue 100th Anniversary - "The Trinity". January 1990. British Vogue cover: Naomi, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Tatjana Patitz, Cindy Crawford. Photographed by Peter Lindbergh. The cover that launched the supermodel era; Linda's "we don't wake up for less than $10,000 a day" quote that year defines the moment.
- - Devil Wears Prada - Cerulean Speech. June 30, 2006. Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly explains how the cerulean blue sweater Andy's wearing was decided by a fashion editor at a high-level Oscar de la Renta show two years before. The most-quoted fashion-industry monologue in film history.
- - Lady Gaga's Meat Dress. September 12, 2010. Lady Gaga at the MTV VMAs in a dress made of raw beef by Franc Fernandez. PETA outraged; Gaga said it was a comment on military "don't ask, don't tell." Permanently preserved + on display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
- - Rihanna Met Gala 2015 - Yellow Cape. May 4, 2015. Rihanna at the Met Gala in Guo Pei's yellow embroidered cape, 16-foot train. The cape was reportedly two years in the making. Single most-memed Met Gala look of the 2010s.
- - Met Gala Becomes the Super Bowl of Fashion. 2016 onward. The Met Gala, Anna Wintour's annual fundraiser, becomes the most-watched fashion event of the year. Each year's theme (Camp 2019, Heavenly Bodies 2018, Karl Lagerfeld 2023) drives the cultural conversation. Most-photographed red carpet in the world.
- - Beyoncé Coachella - HBCU Performance. April 14, 2018. Beyoncé's Coachella ("Beychella") in Balmain custom HBCU costumes. The most-watched live music performance on YouTube of the 2010s. Reframed performance as a fashion event.
- - Fenty Beauty Launches 40 Shades. September 8, 2017. Rihanna launches Fenty Beauty with 40 foundation shades. Reshapes the beauty industry overnight ("Fenty effect"). First non-white celebrity beauty brand to do $100M+ in first month. Fenty Skin 2020; brief Fenty fashion under LVMH 2019-2021.
- - A24-era Fashion Cinema. 2022-2025. A24-produced films become fashion's adopted aesthetic anchor: Past Lives styling, Aftersun mood-boards, The Brutalist costume design. The "A24 girl" Instagram aesthetic, cardigan over silk slip, defines mid-2020s wardrobe references.
- - Kim Kardashian - Marilyn Monroe Dress at Met 2022. May 2, 2022. Kim Kardashian wears Marilyn Monroe's Jean Louis "Happy Birthday Mr President" 1962 dress to the Met Gala. The borrow caused public conservation outrage; the dress was reportedly damaged. Single most-discussed Met look of the 2020s.
- - Sabrina Dress. The "Sabrina dress", Givenchy's 1954 black wool cocktail dress with bateau neckline + grosgrain bow, made for Audrey Hepburn. The film won Edith Head a Costume Design Oscar, without Givenchy credited. He got credit after.
