After last year's red carpet upended the foundation of Hollywood's standard tradition — it was the color of champagne — the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed Wednesday that this year, it will return to traditional red.
Last year's departure from tradition was prompted by the introduction of an orange — sorry, Sienna — a tent on the carpet that provided shelter for costumed attendees from a forecast rain, Lisa Love, a red carpet creative consultant for the Oscars, told The New York Times that the color change was needed to prevent a color clash.
After initially considering a chocolate brown carpet, they settled on a champagne color, which, next to the Sienna tent, “was inspired by watching the sunset over a glass of champagne at 'golden hour' on a white-sand beach. On the hand, it evokes calm and serenity,” he told The Times.
The 50,000-square-foot spread, “Shoes-Off House!” Vibrations can be a challenge to keep clean.
“It's probably going to get dirty – maybe it's not the best choice,” Ms Love said at the time. “We'll see!” (It actually rained heavily, and online commentators also questioned the decision.)
Last year's champagne carpet — the Academy's arrival carpet hasn't been red in more than six decades — is part of a trend of colorful carpets at premieres, galas and awards ceremonies across the country in recent years. Check out the Emmys (Grey) and “Barbie”'s world premiere in Los Angeles in July (Pink, obviously)
Red carpets have been a staple of premieres and galas since 1922, when showman Sid Grauman staged the premiere of Douglas Fairbanks' “Robin Hood” at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. The Oscars began adopting it at the 1961 ceremony, and since then, a special shade called Academy Red – instantly recognizable in photographs.
But attention-grabbing rugs have historically presented a challenge for stylists. Red is often unflattering, event planner Mindy Weiss, who has worked with the Kardashians, Justin Bieber and Ellen DeGeneres, told the Times last year.
“The color of red carpets has changed because of fashion,” she said. “It had to match the clothes, and the red clashed.”
