Fashion on the Red Carpet

Offers the first scholarly study of the Oscars red carpet as a media phenomenon Unravels the political actions of institutions and individuals that put Hollywood Designers and stars under the limelight during the interwar years Establishes the business models proposed by Hollywood as precursors of the contemporary branding, licensing, and endorsement strategies used by fashion conglomerates Traces the historical transformation of the Academy Awards ceremony from a private banquet into one of the most popular events in global media culture Follows the changes in the fashion and film industries that impacted the dynamics of fashion at the Oscars Describes the public relations strategies that set fashion to the forefront in Oscars' history Critically addresses the contemporary impact of celebrity culture The Academy Awards' red-carpet is the most prominent fashion show in media culture. Fashion on the Red Carpet investigates the historical liaison between Hollywood and fashion institutions, to describe how public relations campaigns and the media articulate fashion discourses around the Oscars. The power-shift towards television, the emergence of celebrity culture, the post-war reactivation of transatlantic trade, the growth of fashion journalism, and the increasing circulation of designer names in the media, are converging factors leading to the institutionalisation of the red-carpet as a fashion event in its own right. Departing from archival sources, and tracing discourses of fashion, stardom, and celebrity surrounding Hollywood and the Oscars, this fascinating book explains how the red-carpet became a marquee for the endorsement of high-end fashion brands.