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New York Times
03-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
21 Unforgettable Looks at the Oscars
The 97th Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday was the end of an awards season that lost some of its luster because of tragic wildfires and controversies surrounding certain nominated films. But, for the most part, the heaviness in the air did not dim the sparkle of the season's red carpets — and the custom 'Academy Red' rug that stars paraded down at the Oscars was no exception. The occasion known as Hollywood's biggest night had stars pulling out all the stops. Some turned heads in brilliant colors: saturated reds and blues, for instance, as well as pastel yellows and pinks. Others shone in metallic finery that shimmered with each step they took. And many who went with understated tuxedos or gowns made them more special with sparkly jewelry. Of all the fabulous attire, these 21 ensembles took the cake when it came to looks at the Oscars that won't soon be forgotten. Emma Stone: Most Glazed! A piece of fine porcelain came to mind upon seeing the actress in her pale Louis Vuitton dress covered in glassy sequins. Michelle Yeoh: Most Smurfette! Though the bright blue color of the actress's Balenciaga gown recalled the complexion of some forest-dwelling fictional characters, there was nothing cartoonish about it. Zoe Saldaña: Most Opera Curtain! The rich oxblood shade and sumptuous folds of the 'Emilia Pérez' actress's tiered Saint Laurent gown recalled the drapery that surrounds many opera stages. Sheer opera gloves finished the look — and furthered its operatic associations. Timothée Chalamet: Most Kerrygold! In a creamy yellow Givenchy suit, the 'A Complete Unknown' actor looked as smooth as a stick of dairy fat. Halle Berry: Most Shattered! It seemed that the actress was willing to risk seven years of bad luck for the opportunity to dazzle viewers in a Christian Siriano gown constructed with mirrored shards. Doja Cat: Most Catty! The rapper and singer brought big cat energy in a leopard-print Balmain gown that appeared to be a nod to her stage name. Ariana Grande: Most Glinda! The 'Wicked' actress capped a season of sparkly pink looks with the most ethereal of them all: a crystal-laden Schiaparelli gown that made it seem as if she were floating down the carpet — not like a witch, but like a fairy. Colman Domingo: Most Hugh Hefner! In a red Valentino jacket resembling a dinner robe, it was as if the 'Sing Sing' actor had taken a style cue from a certain mansion-dwelling playboy. Demi Moore: Most Tinseltown! Thousands of silver sequins on the Armani Privé gown worn by the actress, a star of 'The Substance,' gave it the same type of glitter that earned Hollywood one of its most memorable nicknames. Selena Gomez: Most Dolce Vita! Sophia Loren, the Italian movie star, was an inspiration for the 'Emilia Pérez' actress's crystal-dotted blush pink Ralph Lauren gown. Cynthia Erivo: Most Bewitching! A deep green color gave the actress's Louis Vuitton gown traces of her 'Wicked' character, Elphaba. Its high pointed collar recalled the garb of another witch: Maleficent. (In fact, the actress said the look was a tribute to Hattie McDaniel, the first Black person to win an Oscar.) Mikey Madison: Most Out of Character! The actress's ladylike Dior gown, a replica of a 1956 couture ensemble designed by Christian Dior himself, was the polar opposite of her wardrobe of booty shorts and stripper heels in 'Anora.' Da'Vine Joy Randolph: Most Pulled Together! A prominent rosette at the front of the actress's Tamara Ralph ensemble seemed to function as a connective element between its sequined bustier and cascading silky skirt. Andrew Garfield: Most Groovy! Sepia-lens sunglasses gave a retro touch to the actor's chocolaty monochromatic Gucci look. Lalisa Manobal: Most Unexpected Proportions! The Blackpink rapper and newly minted 'The White Lotus' actress wore a Mark Gong ensemble that took the traditional tuxedo jacket and shirt to new lengths. Whoopi Goldberg: Most Water Feature! When the actress and co-host of 'The View' stepped onto the carpet in her bluish, iridescent Christian Siriano gown, she almost appeared to be walking in — not on — water. Meg Ryan: Most '90s Minimalism! In a strapless Ashi Studio column dress made of burgundy velvet, the actress harked back to the decade known for grunge, lip liner and 'You've Got Mail.' Lena Waithe: Most At Ease! A sign that someone knows they look good is an air of relaxed confidence, which precisely described the actress's demeanor when she hit the carpet in her slouchy Louis Vuitton suit. Jeremy Strong: Most Committed! The actor, a of 'The Apprentice,' is known for intensely committing to his roles. What, then, to make of the fact that his mossy Loro Piana suit at the Oscars was at least the third time that he has worn green to an awards ceremony this season? Miley Cyrus: Most Eye-Catching! The singer didn't necessarily draw attention because of what she was wearing (gloved and sequined McQueen), but because, at first glance, she seemed to be missing her eyebrows. June Squibb: Most Spring Has Sprung! Decorating the actress's heavily-embellished caftan was a garden's worth of cheerful flowers.
New York Times
26-02-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Who Makes the Red Carpet? Steve.
On a recent weekday morning in La Mirada, a suburb outside Los Angeles, Steve Olive, 58, walked among hundreds of carpet rolls in red, green and lavender in a white, sun-drenched, 36,000-square-foot warehouse. Laid out on the floor was a 150-foot stretch of rug, delivered by truck from Georgia a few days before, in the custom shade of Academy Red that is only available for the Oscars. Mr. Olive himself may not be famous, but celebrities have strolled the plush craftsmanship of his carpet for nearly three decades. His company, Event Carpet Pros, has supplied carpets for the Oscars, Golden Globes, Grammys and Emmys, as well as for Disney, Marvel and Warner Bros. movie premieres and the Super Bowl. And, at a moment when carpets have moved beyond the classic red and become splashier and more intricate, his handiwork has become more prominent. He has crafted custom designs like a shimmering, sunlit pool carpet for the 2023 'Barbie' world premiere and a green-and-black ectoplasm drip carpet for the 'Ghostbusters' world premiere in 2016 that took a month to create. 'I haven't come across anything that we couldn't do,' Mr. Olive, who founded the company with his brother-in-law, Walter Clyne, in 1992, said in an interview. But this week — after a brief dalliance with a champagne shade two years ago — the Oscars opted for tradition and returned to a carpet in Mr. Olive's exclusive Academy Red. The 50,000 square-foot rug was installed outside of the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on Tuesday, in preparation for the ceremony this weekend. What sets Mr. Olive apart in a chaotic, high-stakes industry is his reliability, said Joe Lewis, a producer for the Oscars who has ordered the awards show's red carpet from him for the past 16 years. (Mr. Olive declined to disclose the cost of the job.) 'He's like a drive-through window,' Mr. Lewis said. 'You place your order, you pull around and it's ready for you. That's what we like about Steve.' Word of Mouth Growing up in Cerritos, Calif., then a tiny town of about 15,000 about 20 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, Mr. Olive never thought he would leave the state. His parents worked 14-hour shifts in a bottling factory to support four children, with Mr. Olive being the youngest. After graduating from high school, an opportunity arose to work as the bodyguard for 1980s acts like Mötley Crüe, George Michael and the Thompson Twins. Mr. Olive, a 6-foot-2 former linebacker, did not think twice. He was working local security backstage at a Thompson Twins concert, he said, when he got a lucky break. 'The band bodyguard had to fly back to England, and they asked me if I could started immediately,' he said. 'I was like, 'I'm in.'' But after an admittedly sheltered adolescence, life on tour, Mr. Olive said, proved to be a shock to the system. 'It wasn't a pretty picture, with the drugs and the groupies,' he said. 'It was very difficult for me.' Regardless, he was on the road for about five years, traveling across Europe and Asia. But he was ready to do something — anything — to get out of that job. 'It was quite gross at times,' he said of the environment he encountered while taking care of bands. His brother-in-law, Mr. Clyne, who had been installing tents around the country, saw a need for a company that specialized in event flooring. He asked Mr. Olive if he would be interested in starting one with him. In the beginning, Mr. Olive said, they were a hustle-fueled operation, putting rolls of AstroTurf under tents at small events to hide the ground and enlisting friends to help with installs. 'It was a word of mouth thing, like, 'Hey, who'd you use for your carpet?'' he said. 'And it just spread.' They pitched themselves to events that might be interested in their services. Soon, Mr. Clyne set his sights on one of the biggest events of all: the Academy Awards. 'We got involved from reaching out to the academy, and other vendors and contacts we had in the business that referred us,' he said. It's hard to imagine, but the modern awards show red carpet did not always exist. What is now considered a prime opportunity to capitalize on the relationship between fashion and celebrity, not to mention the publicity a designer receives when a star models their wares on one of Hollywood's biggest stages, was once a much more subdued affair. Before 1961, stars walked directly into the venue without a designated spot to take photographs. Once the current red carpet made its debut, though, it became a premium platform for not only fashion, but also personal branding, life announcements like pregnancies and engagements, and, of course, must-see pop culture candy. And, Mr. Clyne argued, Event Carpet Pros, with its scrappy team and 'anything is possible' mentality, could provide the floor for that world stage faster and more efficiently — and, in 1997, the Oscars bit. 'He's old school' Mr. Olive works out of an airy office in a corner of the La Mirada warehouse, with a brown leather sofa, a large flat-screen TV — recently tuned to a Los Angeles Dodgers game — and a movie theater-size poster of Al Pacino from the 1983 drama 'Scarface.' On his desk are a dry-erase computer pad, an oversize monitor, a magnifying glass and square, black-rimmed spectacles. The rush of traffic filtering in from Alondra Boulevard becomes like white noise after a while. The business has fully stocked warehouses on both coasts, including a second location it opened in Dalton, Ga., in 2015, where the carpets are manufactured. In addition to marquee events like the Screen Actors Guild Awards, the Country Music Association Awards and the MTV Video Music Awards, the company also handles orders for weddings, birthday parties, corporate events and golf tournaments. ('Georgia is big for those,' Mr. Olive said.) With approximately 70 employees, Event Carpet Pros handles as many as 30 orders and 10 installs per day during awards season, completing a total of more than 30,000 projects each year. The carpets are made from recycled materials and are recycled after the events, Mr. Olive said, possibly beginning life anew as wall insulation or carpet padding. Mr. Olive used to go to the premieres, he said, but he now lets other members of his staff handle the on-site work. 'I haven't been much of a film person, but I used to be,' he said. 'Since Covid happened, I got away from the films, because you had to go to movie theaters.' (He does, however, profess to be a fan of country music, specifically of Chris Stapleton.) One of the company's most frequent customers is Craig Waldman, the president and chief creative officer at 1540, an event production company based in California whose clients include Marvel, Disney, Netflix and Apple. Over more than 30 years, he and Mr. Olive have worked on thousands of events together, including the 'Captain America: Brave New World' and 'Bad Boys: Ride or Die' world premieres. 'To know him is to do a man who will do whatever it takes,' said Mr. Waldman, adding that his longtime collaborator was now more like family. 'He's old school in the best way — someone who values relationships, craftsmanship and getting the job done right.' In Hollywood, 'whatever it takes' has always been a tall order, but in the past 20 years, it's become even more demanding, as studios have asked for different carpet colors to stand out among a sea of red on social media, in addition to logos, prints, glitter and more. 'It's turned into just an extravaganza,' said Mr. Olive, who said this year's trendy colors so far had been fluorescent green and champagne. Red carpets are still the most popular, he said, followed by white and black. But there is yet to be a custom design, he said, that his company has not been able to pull off. 'We're always able to find some way to get it done,' said Mr. Olive, who keeps an Instagram archive of some of his favorite creations going back more than a decade, including an 'Aladdin' print carpet, a runway-pattern rug for the 'Planes' movie premiere and the red-and-yellow carpet for the 'Deadpool & Wolverine' premiere at Lincoln Center in New York last year. While a large portion of the company's orders involve custom dye requests, it also keeps a stock of carpet in 30 colors on hand. 'I'll get a call at midnight, and someone will say, 'We forgot to order carpet for our event tomorrow. Can you show up by 10 a.m. with 20 rolls of black carpet?'' Mr. Olive said. 'And we'll be there.'
