Award shows red-carpet fashion inspires students’ style

Award show season has arrived, which means actors, writers and directors getting recognition, hosts trying to get laughs and acceptance speeches going on far past their time limit. But one of the main attractions is keeping up with the red–carpet styles celebrities flaunt during the shows and trying to emulate them in college.

Senior fashion merchandising major McKenna Scelp says she enjoys seeing the stars’ ensembles on the red carpet but the amount of commercials during the actual shows detracts from her desire to continue to watch for the award section itself.

“E!’s GlamCam 360 is important,” Scelp says. “It’s all about detailing and gives you more time to study the garments.”

Senior fashion merchandising major Hillary Tattersall says she likes to decide for herself which ensembles work, but shows such as E!’s “Fashion Police”  provide her with a variety of perspectives on red carpet styles.

Bailey Marie Stokes, a professor in the Department of Apparel, Merchandising, Design & Textiles at Washington State University, says many of the styles students can wear are derived from red carpet fashions.



“It’s a source of inspiration, then the trends water down as they make it to the market,” Stokes says. “On the red carpet you will see the haute couture piece or a little bit watered down appearance they will wear instead. So this is a place you will see the beginning of a certain trend that will be an indicator of what is coming next.”

Tattersall says she draws inspiration from styles seen on the red carpet and students could draw from colors and texture and wear a silk shirt in plum or deep red to emulate some of the silk gowns. She also says she looks at hair and makeup trends, especially bold lip colors.

Mimi Sullivan-Sparks, owner of Bloom boutique on Main Street, says although she does not watch the red carpet coverage, she enjoys looking at trends in magazine spreads of these events.



“Magazines like ‘People’ that show full-page spreads on starlets in certain colors or styles could set the tune of the next season,” Sullivan-Sparks says.

Fashion merchandising professor Dilia López-Gydosh says some themes that are dominant on the red carpet can transition into everyday styles for students. She says she noticed a lot of nude color gowns in the most recent shows, such as the Screen Actors Guild, as well as some upcoming jewelry styles.

“Amanda Seyfried wore a really long necklace with a pendant, which was the opposite of everyone else but is really trendy right now,” Lopez-Gydosh says.

Students also have the option to incorporate accessories inspired by the celebrities, Tattersall says. She has seen more simplistic necklaces recently with minimal earrings on the red carpet recently, she says, which is a look students can imitate with ease. 


Scelp says pulling styles from red carpet fashion is not so much emulating the gowns themselves but rather the overall feeling of the ensemble. 



“You see what’s out there and make it your own,” Scelp says. “Color pallets, hemlines, cutouts. Jewelry is big. Hair is easier to mimic. It’s your own hair, so it’s cheaper.” 



Stokes says in her classes students list celebrities such as Lauren Conrad, Blake Lively and Leighton Meester as fashion inspirations whose styles they try to emulate for a cheaper cost. She says there is a growing trend of following celebrity trends while still expressing individuality.

University professor Ikram Masmoudi says she has seen a growth in the style of her students. She says her students have become more fashionable over the last 10 years she has been teaching. Although Masmoudi says she appreciates fashion, too much emphasis on clothing can distract students.



“While I do like fashion and try to be trendy, I hope students do not get distracted,” Masmoudi says. “Campus isn’t the platform for that. It creates a disconnect between the self and the space. This isn’t a cocktail party.”


Stokes says she notices her students putting more emphasis on their wardrobe choices, but she attributes this partially to the department in which she teaches. She says her fashion students come in dressed well because fashion matters to them as opposed to the engineering department, for instance, where students may not be as concerned about their attire. 


Tattersall says she has seen a growth in the desire to stay trendy and an increase in the overall fashion sense of her peers, although some of that may be due in part to the fact that she, like Stokes, is surrounded by other fashion majors.



“I think it’s exciting,” Tattersall says. “When I get dressed and put effort into my outfit, I feel more focused. It’s more appealing to go to class when people look like they try.”