Christina Hendricks shocked thousands when she shared her tumultuous experience of trying to find designers to work with for awards shows. It’s turned out she’s not alone in her struggle, with countless other stars getting snubbed by sought-after designers for ridiculous reasons.
No One Would Style Her
While it’s hard to imagine passing up the opportunity to style Esquire’s “Sexiest Woman Alive,” many designers did so in 2012. Even after securing the title, Hendricks told the Daily Record, “not one designer in town” would loan her a dress due to her size 12 figure. “They only lend out a size 0 or 2.” Hendricks continued, “Then it becomes downright annoying because all these designers are saying ‘We love Mad Men, we love Christina, but we won’t make her a dress.’” Hendricks still manages to stun every time she steps out onto the red carpet, however.
Even Beyonce Knowles Struggled
Curating a look for music powerhouse Beyonce Knowles is undoubtedly every stylist’s dream today, but would you believe that wasn’t always the case? When accepting the Fashion Icon Award at the 2016 CFDA Awards, Knowles recounted the struggle her girls’ group, Destiny’s Child, encountered early in their career: “High-end labels didn’t want to dress four black country curvy girls, and we couldn’t afford designer dresses and couture.” Luckily, Knowles’ mother is a gifted seamstress, and along with Knowles’ late uncle, the two crafted early outfits for Destiny’s Child. Knowles continued, “My mother actually designed my wedding dress, my prom dress, my first CFDA dress, my first Grammy dress, and the list goes on and on.” Knowles’ family helped her turn this setback into an asset, starting her on the path to becoming the fashion icon she is today.
Megan Mullally’s SAG Search
Despite being set to host the 2019 Screen Actors Guild Awards, actress Megan Mullally couldn’t find a designer who was willing to work with her. “Designers do not send me dresses. I’m online scrolling through the gowns sections of various websites, which I know how to do pretty well at this point.” When she settled on a gown from Saks fifth avenue, the store ended up canceling her order. “Oh, the glamor of it all,” Mullally lamented on Instagram. Amid responses from infuriated fans, designer Christian Siriano offered to step up and design a dress for the star, but it turned out to be too little too late, with Mullally ultimately opting for a stunning black number from Alexander McQueen’s online store.
Bryce Dallas Howard Frequents Department Stores
Bryce Dallas Howard turned heads at the 2016 Golden Globes in a gorgeous black and metallic blue number. When asked which designer she was wearing, Howard proudly stated that she had picked up the dress herself at Neiman Marcus earlier in the week. She went on to explain that she prefers the wide selection of size 6 dresses a department store can offer over the “maybe one option” she would receive from a designer: “I realized that I needed to stop trying to have a conversation with fashion–that I needed to get back to having a conversation with myself, in what just looks and feels best for the thing I’m going to tonight. I am not sample size, I have never been sample size, I will never be sample size.” While the lack of size inclusivity in high fashion is a very real and very frustrating issue, Howard does a great job choosing her own red carpet looks.
This list is far from comprehensive and goes to show that while the fashion industry is moving in the right direction, things are far from equal for those with different body types. Here’s hoping that if stars continue using their platforms to put discriminatory designers on blast, we will see some systemic change in the near future.
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