Styling the Story: Storytelling on the Red Carpet
By: Morgan Foss
“The red carpet is one of the most visible ways stories can be told”
Red Carpet at Universal Studios in Hollywood, Photo © BrokenSphere / Wikimedia Commons
The iconic fashion looks we absorb in just a few seconds, truly take weeks or even months of preparation to perfect. At “The Secrets Behind Creating Celebrity Red Carpet Looks” discussion panel, fashion industry experts, Sharon Kanter, Jessica Smalls and Andrew Gelwicks revealed the unspoken truth of the meticulous detail put into every look.
And behind every created look is a story told.
Storytelling on The Red Carpet
Celebrity Fashion Stylist, Andrew Gelwicks, ensures that the celebrity looks align with the talent’s brand. “You have to think about each carpet as an opportunity to market and promote,” said Gelwicks.
Celebrities are brands within themselves, and as stylist, Gelwicks must be cognitive of that. He chooses designers that have similar values as his client. For example, Gelwicks often styles queer talent, and consciously avoids designers, like Dolce and Gabbana, that are not LGBTQ friendly.
More recently, Gelwicks styled Catherine O’Hara for The 71st Emmy Awards. O’Hara is a Canadian American actress, writer and comedian. Gelwicks strategically styled O’Hara in Canadian designers to communicate her support and identification with Canada.
There are many other ways stylist Andrew Gelwicks provides narratives through fashion looks. Oftentimes, celebrities will wear clothing and accessories that display their advocacy for an issue. Gelwicks worked alongside Lady Gaga, through the iconic “meat dress” worn in 2010. Gaga’s dress signified her protest against the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, (Mapes, 2010). Read the article, “Lady Gaga Explains Her Meat Dress: It’s No Disrespect’.
Celebrities communicate many things through their red carpet looks, and stylists, similar to PR practitioners ensure the message is effective through storytelling.
Lady Gaga’s Meat Dress at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. (Photo found on Flickr)
Storytelling on Social Media
“Instagram is the new fashion magazine, we are telling stories in a new style,” said Sharon Kanter, editorial director at Stuart Weitzman, “You have .2 seconds to tell a story with your images on social media, so how will you tell it?”
As the social media sphere expands, industries, like the fashion industry, continue to adapt.
The fashion industry experts at, “The Secrets Behind Creating Celebrity Red Carpet Looks,” discussion panel provided a few suggestions when telling your story on social media.
Show your values
Show your perspective
Show your personality
Define your brand
And never be afraid to start over with a clean slate
Regina Luttrell’s book, “Social Media: How to Engage, Share and Connect,” states a practitioner is responsible for developing custom content that:
Communicates a certain angle or story,
Provides some level of engagement and value,
Identifies the company as a brand,
And establishes a credible source for related information in the future.
Whether you’re a celebrity stylist creating red carpet looks or a public relations practitioner developing content for a company, the importance of effective storytelling remains key.
Fashion Industry Experts, (left) Andrew Gelwicks, (middle) Jessica Smalls, and (right) Sharon Kanter