The Red Carpet: Fashion and Celebrities
When you hear the term “Red Carpet”, what comes to your mind? A lame man’s definition is: an event or an award ceremony in which celebrities are honoured by being given special seats especially at the front row of the event for people to see them.
The Red Carpet is an area projecting the entrance to a building, usually carpeted in red, where celebrities gather and walk before participating in or taking their seats at a big event. The Red Carpet was not always so tied to award shows only. Red carpet can be used for high-ranking dignitaries and Royal Fathers so they avoid having to walk on the ground the rest of us use. The United States President, when traveling by plane to another country, may have a red carpet laid out on the tarmac for him to walk down from the plane to the building.
Today, the Red Carpet doesn’t stop at celebrities alone, it is also used to respect and honour special guests who are held in high-esteem.
A brief history of Red Carpet
In the Ancient Greek play ‘Agamemnon’, written in 458 BCE, the titular King has a red carpet pathway set out when he returns from the Trojan War. It didn’t end well. Red carpets were believed to be reserved for the gods at the time; they walked on them to avoid touching the ground that mortals do. That moment of arrogance confirmed the gods would not spare Agamemnon. By Renaissance times, mere mortals were walking on red carpets without provoking their death. Not just any mere mortals, though. Paintings from the time show religious leaders and royalty as the only ones who walked the red carpet because the colour came from a rare and costly dye made from Cochineal insects. The little bugs are originally from the Americas, and only people with vast wealth could afford to get them across the Atlantic. Red was reserved for royalty in Persia and Ancient Rome because it took a painstaking process of extracting the colour from sea snails using lead.
The tradition was passed to people in the earliest days of the United States, as well. The fifth President, James Monroe, had a red carpet rolled out for him in 1821 as he walked off a riverboat in South Carolina. The red carpet has been rolled out for movie stars since the earliest days of big time cinema. The premiere of Robin Hood at the Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles in 1922 is thought to be the first to feature a red carpet for stars to walk on as they entered the establishment. The symbolic nature of a red carpet had by this point moved from a death knell for Agamemnon to a signifier of wealth and status detached from any royal or godly associations.
The red carpet was a way to reach inaccessible celebrities by the Press at a time before everyone could follow every minute of the lives of the rich and famous on social media. In the 1960s, the first broadcast cameras filmed the stars from the moment they exited their ride to the moment they entered the venue. The cameras made each celebrity’s entrance a time for them to make a statement from the start, as eye-catching fashion became the norm in the ’60s as well. The luxurious connotations of the red carpet have a long history with humans. So the next time you are watching a royal, government official, athlete, or celebrity get the full red carpet experience rest assured that they aren’t the first and won’t be the last.
How to dress for a red carpet event
Dressing for an important award ceremony is all about feeling confident in what you have on and choosing something that really flatters your figure. You need to feel comfortable in what you have on.
Choose the Right Outfit
Your outfit is the most important piece of the red carpet event dress code puzzle. If you want to step outside of your comfort zone, look for a more memorable outfit. Floor length evening dresses always look amazing, but go for a design that flatters your body shape. Red is another popular color if you want to draw attention to yourself. Wear appropriate underwear for whatever garment you go for.
Protect your Modesty
Always take steps to protect your modesty. All the celebrity stylists use double-sided tape to protect their clients’ modesty. The tape holds loose garments in place and prevents any unwanted wardrobe malfunctions.
Invest in Shoe Pads
Shoes are an integral part of an outfit for red carpet events. If you want to make an impression, you need to rock up in some gorgeous strappy heels. Unfortunately, if you are not a seasoned wearer of high heels, your feet will be in agony after a couple of hours wearing high heels. To prevent foot pain from destroying your evening, invest in some gel foot pads. Foot pads provide extra cushioning for the balls of your feet which bear the burden of your body weight when you wear heels.
Have an expert make-up artist
After spending thousands of money on a new dress, beautiful heels and jewelry, will all be for nothing if you don’t put the same amount of effort into your hair and makeup. For best results, pay for a session with a hair stylist and beautician on the day of the event. You can have your eyebrows shaped, tinted and your makeup professionally done. The hair stylist can cut, color and style your hair according to your outfit and personal preferences. By the time the event begins, you will be photo ready for all those selfies.
Hopefully this article has given you some helpful guidance to ensure that you are the best-dressed for the night with elegance and style on the red carpet.
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