On this very chilly (by LA Standards) Tuesday, celebrities, stylists, designers, and industry influencers gathered under heat lamps in the Chateau Marmont’s garden for a special luncheon. The occasion: the inaugural launch of the Runway to Red Carpet showcase, a partnership between CFDA, WWD and Variety.
Guests Alison Brie, January Jones, CFDA Board Chairwoman Diane von Furstenberg, Aurora James, Jennifer Fisher, Juan Carlos Obando, Lea Michele, Fred Segal’s John Frierson and Sophia Bush joined premiere partner Karma Automotive to celebrate American fashion on the red carpet.
Making the afternoon even more special was the conversation with Vera Wang. The CFDA Board Member spoke to WWD West Coast Bureau Chief Marcy Medina about all things red carpet. Asked about the difference between the red carpet then and now, Wang responded that during the course of her 50 – yes, 50! – years in the fashion industry, one thing was a constant: if a designer didn’t get their clothing on actual people, and those people didn’t then in turn get photographed, it was almost as if their designs would remain a secret. The red carpet was then, and has remained, a powerful tool for the presentation of a designer’s collection.
Fittingly, the event was co-hosted by stylists Cristina Ehrlich, Karla Welch, Law Roach and Elizabeth Stewart. Wang, a former fashion editor herself, acknowledged the powerful role that they play in this presentation: “The right look at the right moment can help to launch someone’s career, and these stylists here today work so hard to make that magic happen for their clients. Dressing someone is a responsibility I never forget, whether it’s Nathan Chen at the Olympics or Meryl Streep at the Golden Globes.”
Beyond launching a designer or actor’s career – both of which can happen on the red carpet – Wang referenced movements such as Time’s Up, which added gravitas to the red carpet as one of the most powerful platforms to address important issue. “It’s moments like these,” she said, “that make me remember why I fell in love with fashion half a century ago.”
The Runway to Red Carpet Showcase, at the newly-opened Fred Segal Sunset through March 4, is designed to provide stylists with opportunities to pull American designs for their clients on the red carpet during Awards season in Los Angeles.
