In fashion and celebrity worlds, the early months of any year are usually dominated by who wore what at which awards ceremony – and which end of the thumbs up thumbs down barometer of taste it falls. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not important news.
But this year is different — optics have never mattered more. At the Golden Globes, just two weekends ago, the black dress code (adhered to by all bar two or three attendees) signified the solidarity against the ever-growing number of sexual harassment accusations within the film industry. The dress code was important, at one of the most politically laden award ceremonies since Marlon Brando invited Sacheen Littlefeather to collect his Oscar — but the styles of the actual dresses have never mattered less, instead it is the politics and the ideology behind them that mattered, paired with the speed with which the movement gathered steam.
Ours is a visual world: from pink pussy hats to slogan Ts with eschewing make-up to the ice bucket challenge, images spread ideas quicker than words — and consider the number of ways to share them. It’s hard to remember the world before this ability existed — for good, and for bad.
But what goes on after the red carpet’s stop rolling, when the think pieces have all been read, and the gifs exhausted? Usually after an awards ceremony dresses get returned to their associated designers to be archived, or kept and worn again. But this season, those black dresses became so much more than just fabric and sparkle; they are political statements, symbols of social injustice. So this year, Time’s Up — the instigators of the dress code — partnered with Ebay for Charity and Condé Nast, to host an auction of the Golden Globes gowns and tuxes. The proceeds will go to the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund, which supports the victims of sexual harassment with legal representation. Starting on Friday, you will be able to bid on Claire Foy’s Stella McCartney suit, Tracee Ellis Ross’s Marc Jacobs dress and turban and 30 more donated pieces.
And if you don’t have a few thousand to drop, worry not. Three of the designer dresses will be available via sweepstake whereby eBay users can donate starting at $25.00 to the TIME’S UP for a chance to win the dress of their choice.
Fashion hates a repeat, and with the Oscars just six weeks away there is no clue yet as to how the red carpet will respond. But what we do know is that, whether or not you care about who won the Golden Globe for what, the Time’s Up campaign for people to wear black reminded you that fashion is so much more than clothes.