Designers Compete for Oscars Opportunity
Seven designers are vying for the opportunity to have his or her original evening gown worn at the 81st annual Academy Awards.
The designers’ looks were showcased at a Feb. 10 fashion show at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences headquarters in Beverly Hills. The “Oscars Designer Challenge” was created as an opportunity for an up-and-coming designer to have his or her design worn by one of the Academy Awards escorts on Hollywood’s biggest night. And for the first time, the Academy is inviting the public to vote on an element of its Oscar telecast. Oscar fashion coordinator Patty Fox, along with Oscar telecast producers Laurence Mark and Bill Condon, selected the contestants from sketches submitted by 50 designers. Finalists include Los Angeles–based Alan Del Rosario, Robert Rodriguez and Marianne Kooimans; New York–based Moire Conroy and Nicolas Putvinski; and Chicago-based Sam Kori George and Maria Pinto—Michelle Obama’s go-to designer. Fox hosted the show and introduced each designer, who walked the runway with his or her gown. “We were looking for talent. We were looking for someone that could manufacture the gown that they had sketched. But we were looking for names that had not been well-known,” explained Fox. She also added that the winner’s dress will likely be seen on Oscar night more than any other gown on the red carpet.
Designers created a range of looks in a subdued palette. Pinto channeled a modern Marie Antoinette to create her platinum strapless gown, and Del Rosario’s silk-and-lace mermaid gown was inspired by the glamour of old Hollywood. Rodriguez, who formerly held a design position with Christian Dior, said Grace Kelly was the muse for his elegant white silk-crepe-file column gown with a black asymmetric strap. Kooimans, who owns a boutique on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in the Venice neighborhood of Los Angeles, said her one-shoulder gown was inspired by the dress’s Italian embroidered fabric. Conroy’s flowing gray chiffon dress was inspired by the ’60s Summer of Love in San Francisco, and Putvinski, a former Phillip Treacy intern, fused inspiration from the skyscrapers of New York City with a little bit of old Hollywood. And George said he was inspired by champagne—a la the Taittinger girl—to create his strapless silver crepe gown decorated with handmade orchids.
The public can vote for their favorite dress in the “Oscars Designer Challenge” until Feb. 17 by visiting www.oscars.com. The winning design will be announced live during the arrivals show on Feb. 22. —N. Jayne Seward
