After a red carpet reveal last year that shook up Hollywood's staid tradition (it was champagne), the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed Wednesday that it would return to traditional red for the ceremony this year. Sunday.
Last year's abandonment of tradition was due to the introduction of an orange. I'm sorry, sienna – tent on the carpet that offered couture-clad newcomers shelter from a predicted storm, which Oscar red carpet creative consultant Lisa Love told the New York Times required the color change to avoid a crash of colors.
After initially considering a chocolate brown rug, she said, they decided on the champagne color, which, along with the sienna tent, “was inspired by watching the sunset on a white sand beach at the 'golden hour' with a glass of champagne in the hand, evoking calm and tranquility,” she told The Times. (A spokeswoman for the academy declined to comment.)
Ms. Love acknowledged in the interview that the 50,000-square-foot carpet, which gave a lot of “House without shoes!” vibrations, it could be a challenge to keep clean.
“It's probably going to get dirty; maybe it wasn't the best choice,” Love said at the time. “We'll see!” (Indeed, heavy rains came and online commentators also questioned the decision.)
Last year's champagne carpet, the first time in more than six decades that the academy's arrival carpet wasn't red, was part of a colorful carpet trend that has swept premieres, galas and awards ceremonies around the world. country in recent years. Catch the Emmys (gray) and the world premiere of “Barbie” in Los Angeles in July (pink, obviously).
Red carpets have been a staple at premieres and galas since 1922, when showman Sid Grauman introduced one for the 1922 premiere of “Robin Hood,” starring Douglas Fairbanks, at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. The Oscars adopted it beginning with the 1961 ceremony, and the special shade, known as Academy Red, has been instantly recognizable in photographs ever since.
But statement rugs have historically presented a challenge to stylists. Red is often unflattering, Mindi Weiss, an event planner who has worked with the Kardashians, Justin Bieber and Ellen DeGeneres, told The Times last year.
“The color of red carpets has changed because of fashion,” he said. “It has to match the dresses, and the red was a contrast.”
But Karla Welch, the stylist who frequently works with stars Tracee Ellis Ross and Greta Gerwig, said red was actually her favorite color.
“I'm not worried about crashing onto a red carpet,” he wrote in an email. “It's iconic and everything goes with it!”
