Ariana Grande attended the Golden Globes First-Time Nominee Celebration at The Maybourne Beverly Hills on Tuesday, celebrating her nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for her role as Glinda in ‘Wicked.’
Dressed in a champagne-hued 1959 Christian Dior by Yves Saint Laurent dress, the look perfectly aligned with Ariana’s delicate and romantic style sensibilities. But that’s where my admiration ends.
There’s a certain prestige in pulling an archival piece and reviving its magic on the red carpet. We’ve seen Zendaya do it effortlessly in Mugler Fall 1995 Haute Couture Fembot look and Taylor Russell confidently in a John Galliano Spring 1995 suit. But not every archival moment is a triumph. For every Zendaya and Taylor, there’s a Rachel Sennott in Jean Paul Gaultier Fall 1995 dress or Kim Kardashian in Thierry Mugler’s Haute Couture bodysuit.
Unfortunately, Ariana’s Dior falls into the latter category. While the design, silhouette, and colour are undeniably beautiful, the bodice shows noticeable pulls, and the skirt is riddled with dents, detracting from what could have been a flawless moment.
This is one of those instances where inspiration could have served Ariana better than preservation. A recreation by Dior, as we’ve seen with Carey Mulligan’s Oscar gown, and many of her other look during awards season, and Chanel’s ambassador pieces, would have likely resulted in a cleaner moment.
Part of this comes down to the reality that women’s bodies have evolved over the past 60 years. Archival pieces often aren’t always equipped to translate seamlessly to today’s red carpets.
For Ariana, this could have been elevated with a touch of reinvention.
Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
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