The looks spotted at the 96th Annual Academy Awards have been widely analyzed in the last 48 hours all over the Internet, so, rather than commenting about them further, let's draw a comparison.
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo took the stage to announce the Oscar for Best Song ("What Was I Made For?" by Billie Eilish), showcasing styles that align with the method dressing trend discussed in yesterday's post.
Grande donned a dramatic candy-pink fitted strapless gown by Giambattista Valli Haute Couture, while Erivo opted for a dark green custom Louis Vuitton leather gown featuring ruffles cascading down the back, culminating in a train, matched with a bolero with oversized puff shoulders. Their choices echoed their roles as Glinda and Elphaba in the upcoming film adaptation of the Tony Award-winning musical "Wicked" (View this photo).
Both gowns emphasized the shoulders/arms, a trend that resonates with the costumes in Yorgos Lanthimos' "Poor Things" and aligns with the current rediscovered interest in sleeves. Grande's ruched column gown was strapless, but incorporated a unique accessory combining oversized gloves, sleeves, and cape.
Let's zoom in on Grande's puffy cape-cum-sleeves-cum-gloves reminiscent of inflated balloons. We explored grand sleeves and puffed-up sleeves in previous posts, but this hybrid sleeve-glove-cape amalgamation draws inspiration from various sources.
Such super sleeves can be observed in Renaissance portraits like Peter Paul Rubens' depiction of Isabella d’Este (probably a close copy of a lost Titian original), the Marchioness of Mantua and one of the leading women of the Italian Renaissance, and in Pieter Holsteyn II's engraving of Giulio Romano's portrait of Margherita Paleologo (Marquise regent of Montferrat and Duchess of Mantua).
Reflecting on fashion history, Schiaparelli introduced emerald silk velvet gloves for the Winter 1951-52 season that incorporated a sort of long puffy sleeve that covered the arms (intriguing note: that collection was entitled "SHAPE" - a word indicating not just the emphasis on forms and silhouettes, but also an acronym standing for Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, directed by General Eisenhower at the time the collection was created; there you go, another hint at the fact that, yes, fashion can be political).
These gloves accentuated what they concealed and concealed what they revealed, embodying a visual ambiguity that was theatrical and unbalanced, just like Valli's gown for Ariana Grande.
Madame Grès also came up with a design that incorporated blillowing sleeves in 1959 that she reinvented in the '70s as a stunning silk paper taffeta gown with an empire waistline and huge sculpted sleeves. In these designs the monumental sleeves created a cape-like effect that voluminously filled the space around the wearer bestowing upon them a sort of statuesque elegance.
So, remember fashion students, when you appreciate a painting (especially from the Renaissance), pay attention to each element of the composition and do not overlook any detail. You never know where a Renaissance sleeve might lead you.
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