The red carpet at the Oscars has always been a stage for stunning fashion, but few moments have challenged norms like Billy Porter’s tuxedo dress at the 2019 Academy Awards. His bold choice wasn’t just about style but he intended to redefine masculinity in mainstream fashion. While it received praise from fashion journalists, it did not sit well with conservative commentators.
Porter arrived at the 91st Academy Awards wearing a black velvet tuxedo gown designed by Christian Siriano. At the time, he was starring in his breakout role in the FX drama Pose. The hybrid design from Siriano beautifully combined the elegance of a tuxedo with the grace of a ball gown.
Porter’s look quickly became a conversation starter and became one of the greatest red carpet moments at the Oscars. It wasn’t just the Oscars that saw Porter’s boundary-pushing fashion. He appeared in a custom silver suit with a fuchsia-lined cape at the 76th Golden Globe Awards.
Billy Porter approached Christian Siriano for the revolutionary attire
When Billy Porter was invited to host red carpet interviews for ABC News at the 2019 Oscars, he was already making a powerful fashion statement during the 2018-19 awards season. For the Oscars, he reached out to Christian Siriano, a designer celebrated for his gender-fluid designs.
Conventionally, custom red-carpet gowns take months to complete. Porter approached Siriano on February 9 for the Oscars scheduled on February 24. Siriano loved a challenge and collaborated with Porter and his stylist, Sam Ratelle, to conceive the tuxedo gown.
Porter wanted Siriano to design a dress that didn’t fit the conventional gender norms. They envisioned something that would blend classic menswear with high-fashion femininity. Porter explained the design during an interview with Vogue:
We wanted to play between the masculine and the feminine. This look was interesting because it’s not drag. I’m not a drag queen, I’m a man in a dress. He came up with a tux on the top, and a ballgown that bursts out at the bottom. I wore it with Rick Owens shoes. […] And I rocked some Oscar Heyman fine jewelry with it. They’re known for colored jewels and gemstones.
Siriano also designed a secondary outfit, which was a more practical option. The designer’s idea was that Porter walked the red carpet in the gown but changed into a tuxedo and palazzo pants when he had to host the interviews. Creating such an intricate design within a short time frame was no small feat.
Billy Porter just set the bar impossibly high for #Oscars fashion. pic.twitter.com/GFj4qAETg6
— Jarett Wieselman (@JarettSays) February 24, 2019
It took a single week to create the entire design. Siriano’s team, along with Ratelle, worked tirelessly up to 18 hours a day to complete the gown in time. The risk was worth it as the final product wasn’t just breathtaking, it was a revolutionary design.
Porter’s Oscar attire was a declaration of self-acceptance and artistic freedom. He shared with Vogue, “I felt alive. I felt free. And open, and radiant. And beautiful! Which has not always been the case for me. I haven’t always felt so good about myself.” It wasn’t the only attire that Siriano designed for him that year.
Siriano designed an Egyptian Sun God look for the actor when he appeared at the 2019 Met Gala (via Vogue). He later designed Porter’s famous rainbow gown that he wore to Stonewall 50 – WorldPride NYC 2019 (via Vogue).
Billy Porter’s used fashion as a political statement
Billy Porter’s tuxedo gown was more than an iconic fashion look, it was a political statement. His look clearly disrupted expectations in Hollywood and sparked vital conversations about activism inside of fashion. Porter opened up about his activism and art in a conversation with Superman actress Rachel Brosnahan.
During their appearance on Variety‘s Actors on Actors interview, Porter told Brosnahan that he knew his tuxedo dress would create a conversation. He shared, “I knew that that tuxedo gown at the Oscars would create a conversation surrounding what gender means, what all these rules we put on everybody in life.”
Red carpets have traditionally reinforced rigid definitions of masculinity, with men expected to wear classic tuxedos. Porter pointed out that while women’s clothing choices progressed over the years, men were imposed these restrictions. He shared:
We’ve gotten past a problem with women wearing pants. When women wear pants it’s powerful. When men wear a dress it’s disgusting. We’re not doing that anymore. I’m not doing it.
Porter’s look fit seamlessly into the discussion about gender inclusivity. He shared that artists had the power to change people’s hearts and minds. He shared, “I think that we as artists … have the power to change the molecular structure of people’s hearts and minds and change the world.” Porter shared that the “dress changed the world.”
The significance of Porter’s fashion statement extended beyond Hollywood. He addressed the criticism from conservative commentators, sharing, “People are going to be really uncomfortable with my black ass in a ball gown—but it’s not anybody’s business but mine” (via Vogue). LGBTQ+ advocates saw Porter’s move as a step toward greater representation in fashion and Hollywood.
Billy Porter’s tuxedo dress had an enduring legacy
Billy Porter’s 2019 Oscars look immediately won over fashion critics. Harper’s Bazaar shared that Porter’s dress deserved “its own Academy Award.” PEOPLE magazine called Porter’s red carpet appearance as “one of the biggest style moments of the Oscars red carpet.” He was deemed one of the best-dressed celebrities at the 2019 Oscars by Vanity Fair.
He even dominated the Google search engine, and the tuxedo dress became the most searched red carpet outfit in 2019 (via PaperMag). Years later, the dress still remains a reference point for gender-fluid fashion. It continues to inspire designers who are pushing boundaries in genderless clothing.
Siriano’s design opened doors for more experimental and inclusive designs. However, some conservative voices pushed back against the outfit. Tomi Lahren bashed the outfit, calling it an “assault on masculinity” (via The Advocate). Porter was accused of emasculating Black men, but he never wavered.
He saw the negative reactions and told ABC News, “I don’t understand why my putting on a dress causes this much strife in your life.” Interestingly, he wore a golden feather top and ball skirt at the next Oscars, indicating that he didn’t care about the criticisms.
Billy Porter is one of the first to hit the #Oscars red carpet pic.twitter.com/sytS5Ll9QS
— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) February 9, 2020
Following the cue from Porter, celebrities like Harry Styles, Lil Nas X, and Bad Bunny have embraced gender-fluid fashion on major platforms. Porter’s tuxedo gown paved the way for this growing acceptance.
However, he criticized Vogue for featuring Style in a gender-fluid Gucci dress on their cover in 2021. He claimed that it was inappropriate that a straight white man represented gender-fluid fashion (via LA Times).
Fans will look out for such iconic outfits on the red carpet this year at the 97th Academy Awards. The 97th Academy Awards airs on Sunday, March 2, at 8 PM ET on ABC.
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