Writers’ strike rolls up the red carpet

The writers’ strike has left big gaps in my Wednesday and Thursday nights. I am now forced to… The writers’ strike has left big gaps in my Wednesday and Thursday nights. I am now forced to fill up the space that “Gossip Girl,” “Ugly Betty” and “Grey’s Anatomy” previously occupied with homework, reruns and other useless activities. I’m not sure how long I can handle this.

Since Nov. 5, The Writers Guild of America has been on strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. According to Wall Street Journal writer Nick Timiraos, the strike has “cost the Los Angeles-area economy $1.4 billion so far,” and the point of contention is over the manner in which directors are compensated for work distributed over the Internet. While I’m all for the writers being fairly compensated, I’m not so into the lack of new TV shows.

However, college television viewers with nothing better to do and out-of-work entertainers are not the only groups affected by the strike. The fashion industry has also been impacted. Because awards ceremonies were scaled back and the red-carpet events for both the Golden Globes and the People’s Choice Awards were cancelled, fashion designers are missing out on the important exposure that the red carpet provides.

According to an article by LaMont Jones in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the publicity that designers receive from celebrities clad in their red-carpet creations helps them to become household names overnight. A design hit on the red carpet can help jump-start smaller designers’ careers.

Additionally, Jones writes that most of the parties and events associated with these awards ceremonies were canceled as well. These parties, in addition to the red carpet, provide images for newspapers, magazines and TV shows to critique and gain attention for designers. Without these media outlets, designers lose out on valuable coverage.

Hopefully the strike will end before the Feb. 24 Academy Awards, which is usually the most glamorous night in Hollywood. Timiraos from the Wall Street Journal also writes that 40 million viewers tuned in to the Oscar ceremony last year, which means designers would be missing out on 40 million eyes viewing their designs if the red carpet is cancelled. Sandy Cohen from the Associated Press writes that the Academy has two plans in place for the event – one if the strike ends and festivities can continue in the usual manner, and an alternative plan if they are forced to have the ceremony without writers incorporating a lot of film clips and history.

With the usual high-profile red carpets absent, designers are placing more importance on other events. The Screen Actors Guild Awards this past Sunday, an event sanctioned by the WGA, was very glam this year. After browsing pictures on Style.com, my top three picks for best-dressed were Christina Applegate wearing an Elie Saab gown, Debra Messing in jeweled creation by Oscar de la Renta and Kate Beckinsale dressed in a yellow-tiered gown designed by Luisa Beccaria.

I thought almost everyone I saw during the pre-show looked fabulous – I didn’t see many celebrities I would immediately put on a worst-dressed list. The only celebrity whose dress I didn’t like was “Grey’s Anatomy’s” Sandra Oh, who went with a “traditional Korean dress motif” by Kim Meehee, according to Eonline.com. I didn’t particularly care for the large red bow on the bust of the dress, and I felt she should have gone with something a little more elegant for this event.

If the Academy Awards doesn’t roll out the red carpet, the SAG Awards could turn out to be the most important awards show event of the season. The TV network E! even hosted its first ever SAG Fashion Police program the day after the broadcast to recap celebrity fashion hits and misses. Designers are also turning to movie premiers and film festivals for exposure.

And of course, the celebrity-obsessed public suffers also. Barely any ridiculously thick, after-awards show special edition gossip magazines makes for some pretty weak beauty salon reading. And additionally, limited exposure for designers means limited availability of high-fashion-inspired gowns at lower price points, for those of us who can’t afford haute couture or vintage Hermes, like Angelina Jolie.

On the bright side, Women’s Wear Daily reports that designers are expecting a high turnout of nonworking actors to Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, which begins today in New York, where they will be showing their collections for fall 2008.