With awards season well on it’s way, designers across the world are plunging at the chance to don their finest frocks on the stars. The pre-show red carpet is where all the action takes place at every event–interviews, photos, 3-D fashion cameras. The question, “who are you wearing tonight?”, is inevitably asked by every reporter. Major designers such as Prada, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel are household names today largely because their designs were once worn by pop icons such as the fashion-forward Grace Kelly, or first lady Jackie Kennedy. Aside from fashion shows, celebrity appearances at major award shows like the Grammys, the SAG awards, the Emmys, or the Academy Awards is the most effective way to showcase both new and vintage designs.
At this year’s annual Golden Globe Awards on January 15, 2012, hundreds of our favorite stars, dressed to the nines, stepped out and created a worldwide fashion buzz. Modern Family’s beloved Sarah Hyland arrived to the red carpet in a stunning vintage Dolce & Gabbana lace gown, glowing and radiant as she made her way through the sea of reporters. Suddenly, snap! The TV star felt her dress begin to fall to the floor as she quickly grabbed the bodice with a look of horror. Hyland’s entire back zipper had snapped open. Now, the American pop culture audience is no stranger to wardrobe malfunctions (can we recall the Janet Jackson Superbowl nightmare circa 2004?), but a moment of panic swept Hyland’s team as they frantically attempted to sew a new zipper together.
Attached is a a YouTube clip of an E! News interview with anchor Giuliana Rancic right after the dress was fixed. One can only imagine the horror that swept the Dolce & Gabbana press team upon the question….
Guiliana: “That must be the worst zipper in the universe, because you are so tiny that there is no reason a zipper should ever explode on you. By the way, who are you wearing?”
Sarah: “Vintage Dolce & Gabbana”
Crisis management is key to PR; it will be interesting to see how the team at Dolce & Gabbana handles this slip-up. Thankfully, mistakes happen, and people understand that. If a company is transparent to their audience and acknowledges their not-so-perfect moments, there is a human element that comes with this and allows customers to value the brand, maybe even more so than before. Fortunately for Dolce & Gabbana, the designer and the brand is known for its prestigious quality, handcrafted designs, and polished reputation that it has maintained over the years. Whether Hyland will be wearing another D&G design in the future, its hard to say, but I have no doubt that the designer will effortlessly bounce back from this red carpet disaster with just a few simple steps.