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How Important are the Grammy Awards to Fashion Designers?
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StacyL on 02/09/2009 13:58:00
 
How Important are the Grammy Awards to Fashion Designers?
Presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Grammy
Awards is the music business’ most prestigious honor. But it’s also
important for fashion. In fact, Glenn Peters writing for ‘Associated
Content’ says that the foremost reason why people watch the Grammys “is the
fashions worn by the artists attending the awards.” No doubt. The media
probably pays as much attention to the stars’ clothing as anything else –
maybe more. TV presenters can’t help commenting on celebrities’ outfits,
providing extra incentive to ‘get it right’. And, most do.
From Rihanna’s a blue jewel-tone Zac Posen cocktail dress to Carrie
Underwood’s floor-length ‘bold floral’ Zuhair Murad dress, the red carpet
has been transformed into a virtual catwalk in recent years. Female stars in
particular clearly try to outdo each other in style, sophistication, and – of
course – sex appeal. Not surprisingly, the Grammy Awards website even has a
special “red carpet fashion” section.
From the fashion design industry’s perspective the Grammys are important for
a few reasons. First of all, top designers not only get to show off their
clothing to millions of people (for free), their label is endorsed by some of
the most popular, glamorous and attractive people alive. And although the attire
of the men attending the awards tends to be far less varied than the women’s
often spectacular dresses, menswear designers still benefit. Their designs will
be seen when the evening is televised, and will no doubt turn up in men’s
magazines later on, even if national newspapers tend to focus on the women.
Secondly, outfits that may only have been seen previously on the catwalk, are
now seen in an environment that’s a little more natural – or, at least, a
little more social. And well-designed clothes should look their best in such an
environment. (However, this can be a double-edged sword, however, because some
outfits look their best on the catwalk. And the few days or weeks following the
Grammy Awards, magazines will be busy highlighting the worst as well as the best
style of the Grammy Awards evening.)
Thirdly – and most importantly – the fashion industry gets a hint of
what’s likely to take off as the next big trends. Plenty of fans are going to
want to look like their idols, after all. And most other people watching the
Grammys want to be up to date with clothing as well as music. Fashion might be
geared toward particular ‘seasons’, but in reality, fashion and
fashion-textiles designers are constantly reacting to what’s emerging in
apparel. When a particular garment style is hot, everyone is going to want to
produce their own version of it, even if it’s going to appear in the stores
mid-season.