Kerry Washington Says Red Carpet Fashion is About Marketing & PR

Katie Holmes, in Zac Posen, with the designer, and Freida Pinto at the Variety & WWD Stylemakers luncheon. Photo: Katie Jones/Variety/REX Shutterstock

Since the days of Edith Head, Adrian, and Hubert de Givenchy—fashion and entertainment have long intersected. However, these days the line hasn’t just been crossed; it’s been obliterated. The red carpet has become a runway while the star’s pros have become celebrities in their own right, a fact that took center stage at Variety & WWD’s first StyleMakers event held at Smashbox Studios in Culver City on Thursday afternoon. Katie Holmes, Viola Davis, Kourtney Kardashian, and Kerry Washington were among the well dressed stars who came to honor those working both in front of and behind the camera in the world of—what honoree Zac Posen—called “fashiontainment.” Let’s let him explain…

“Fashiontainment is its own entertainment force,” said Posen. “It’s its own enterprise and business. It’s important because what woman doesn’t like to feel beautiful? It drives people to dream. It brings people to watch the shows and to go to the movies. It’s all symbiotic.” So just how important is celebrity in relation to fashion? “It gives huge exposure to brands. It’s become vital. It’s also deep in the history of Hollywood and fashion…. I love old Hollywood and I like new Hollywood. Hollywood is one of the greatest American contributions globally. It goes to the level of fantasy and that anything’s possible and that you can self create.”

Fellow honoree Freida Pinto agreed with Posen. “I feel dressing up for film or dressing up for every day life or dressing up for a fashion red carpet is all about self expression. Since film allows me to do it and fashion allows me to do it, I see no separation,” said Pinto, who wore a bright yellow Roksanda dress for the afternoon affair which was presented by Smashbox Cosmetics and ULTA Beauty. As for being recognized as a fashion influencer, she joked, “I’ve gotta admit that I’m embarrassed. I don’t know what I’m going to say [on that stage]; ‘Thank you for dressing me up?’”

Kerry Washington felt differently. On hand to honor her Scandal costume designer Lyn Paolo, Washington said she approaches Olivia Pope independent of the carpet. “They’re separate for me. The fashion that I do on the carpet is different from the fashion on the show,” she said, wearing a monocratic Solani number. “Sometimes there’s overlap. I’ve had a journey in learning to understand both. [The red carpet] is about marketing and PR and [costume design] is about telling a story.” The actress added, “There’s no way that I could get up and play Olivia Pope every day without Lyn Paolo. She helps me define this character. She helps me be this character. She helps me understand this character.”

Other honorees on hand—including hairstylist Jen Atkin, make-up artist Lisa Eldridge, photographer Matthew Rolston, and stylist Elizabeth Stewart—chimed in on their early “fashiontainment” beginnings and thoughts on what’s to come in the future.

“When I first started out, celebrities didn’t used to be on the covers of magazines. It was supermodels,” said Eldridge, who splits time between the editorial world and her role as creative director for Lancôme. “I just wanted to do makeup. I was mainly interested in fashion magazines like Vogue. I wanted to do a Vogue cover—that was my goal. It became part of the job that you would be making up actresses.” Still, she estimates that only a quarter or third of her business is celebrity dependent.

Kerry Washington in a Solani dress, with Viola Davis in a Zac Posen dress at the Variety & WWD Stylemakers luncheon. Photo: Katie Jones/Variety/REX Shutterstock

And if one has any question as to the validity behind of this movement, they need look no further than the merger of IMG and William Morris, a development that excites Eldridge. “The more people come together and create new formats and new models for that, the better,” she said. “I think to a certain extent fashion is becoming out-moded because the Internet is taking over. Do people wait six months now before they want the clothes? It’s becoming faster and faster. In the world we’re living in, maybe the traditional fashion show isn’t going to work anymore.”

Having helped organized Los Angeles Fashion Week for many years, Davis Factor addressed his thoughts on the future of runway shows. “I was at fashion week in New York and it was a little spread out in three different locations. I loved it,” he said. “I thought it was fantastic because it was a refreshing break from the way it always was, but to me – it looked like – I’m not sure that they know what they want to do yet, but they want to keep it going until they figure it out.”

Fresh face and former Disney star Olivia Holt enjoyed her first fashion week this past September where she took in shows from Christian Siriano, Alice+Olivia, Marchesa, and Sherri Hill—and said she was excited to see what’s in store with the merger. “I respect it,” she said. “Whatever they create and whatever they bring to the table, the majority of everybody is going to love because they love both of them…. Growing up as an actress slash singer, fashion wasn’t something always came to my mind until I stepped into that. It was cool for me to go to my first fashion week. I’m glad I got that opportunity. It’s cool to be around creative people like that.”

Stewart was keen to discuss how the industry has grown since she first came onto the scene. “I started in editorial which provided me with a great background for what I do now,” she told Yahoo Style. “I moved to LA to get married, which made it very hard to work in the editorial world because it was in New York and Paris. The celebrity thing was just starting. Celebrities were just starting to be on magazine covers. It was incredible timing for me. I basically rode the wave,” said Elizabeth, whose first client was Calista Flockhart. “I’d styled her for a couple InStyle covers and she asked me to dress her and that’s actually what turned me into a celebrity stylist. I can thank Calista for everything.” As for today’s recognition, she said, “It means a lot. We spend a lot of time schlepping boxes and packing things, so it’s pretty amazing that we get recognized. I like to be behind-the-scenes. I feel like I belong behind the scenes, but I’ll take it.”

Katie Holmes presented to Posen while Kardashian presented to her hairstylist Atkin, but there was one Oscar-nominated attendee who admits she doesn’t typically feel comfortable in the fashion scene—whether it’s become a form of entertainment or not. “I am shocked that I am presenting an award about style,” divulged Viola Davis, while looking out at the crowd. “My biggest obstacle has been feeling a sense of belonging on that red carpet. Feeling like I can wear a dress and the hair and the make-up and the shoes and that it can all be put together and I can look like I belong with everyone else.” While wearing a look by none-other-than Mr. Posen himself, Ms. Davis, at least, looked the part.

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