This Week, Celebrities Returned to the Red Carpet 

So far, 2020 has been decidedly short on fashion. The coronavirus crisis put the entire world on pause as event planners figured out how to conduct high-profile gatherings safely. Six months since the global shutdown and runway shows, music events, and film premieres are only just beginning to reemerge. Last week marked the first big return to the red carpet with the MTV Video Music Awards in New York and the Venice Film Festival. Imbued with a new significance, these celebrations brought out some of the world’s most fashionable people, and standout pieces direct from the runways.

The VMAs are best known for their outré style statements and Lady Gaga turned Sunday’s ceremony into a veritable fashion extravaganza with nine wardrobe changes and a rotating selection of haute couture, ready-to-wear, and outlandish accessories. Her take on Christopher John Rogers’s emerald ballgown was especially daring. A standout from the designer’s fall 2020 collection, the demure dress was given a high fantasy twist thanks to the addition of Lance Moore’s steampunk tusk mask and a pile of Lilian Shalom jewelry.

The surreal takes on social distancing continued at the Venice Film Festival, where mandatory masks accented a variety of looks. Italian pop star Elodie wore a silver style to complement her chain metal Atelier Versace gown, while Pieces of a Woman star Vanessa Kirby matched her crimson face covering to her minimalist Valentino Haute Couture. Of course, the award for the most impressive mask goes to the abstract James Merry design that Golden Lion recipient Tilda Swinton chose to wear with her cream Chanel Haute Couture suit. While the Venice carnival-inspired metallic design wasn’t intended to shield against anything other than paparazzi flashbulbs, the specially commissioned piece was wearable art.

Elsewhere at the festival, jury president Cate Blanchett sent a message about sustainability by revisiting the fashions of red carpets past. Her embroidered Alexander McQueen top was impressive the first go-round when she wore it at the London premiere of Carol back in 2015. Paired with pants and a black blazer at the Venice screening of Nicole Garcia’s Amants, and it took on a new verve; a shining example of why great fashion doesn’t have an expiration date.