Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

Legal Issues in What Celebrities Wear At Award Shows

By Howard S. Hogan

For many viewers, the main attraction of Hollywood award ceremonies are the gowns and tuxedos worn by celebrities as they stroll from interview to interview on the red carpet and then alight to the stage to accept their Oscar, Emmy, Grammy or Golden Globe. A positive appearance at these award ceremonies can be a make-or-break moment for the fashion houses that outfit the stars and bring sought-after attention to the star. But what rights govern the wearing of designer gowns by celebrities at these events? And what rules apply when designers want to make commercial use of the celebrities who wear their creations?

From the designer's perspective, dressing a celebrity for an awards show represents a significant investment in time, energy and creative output. Designer Vera Wang described the process as a “gamble of the highest order.” The stakes are high not only because designers must be careful not to deliver a gown that will be “ridiculed or ignored” or that “just technically doesn't work,” Wang said, but also because if a celebrity changes her mind at the last minute, it can be “devastating” to the designers and the sewers, staff, public relations people and others who have devoted months of work to completing and promoting the design. For example, actress Anne Hathaway famously agreed to wear a Valentino gown to the 2013 Oscars, as announced in a press release. At the last minute, though, Hathaway opted to wear a pink Prada gown while accepting her Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 2013, Vanity Fair catalogued a history of similar snubs.

This premium content is locked for Entertainment Law & Finance subscribers only

  • Stay current on the latest information, rulings, regulations, and trends
  • Includes practical, must-have information on copyrights, royalties, AI, and more
  • Tap into expert guidance from top entertainment lawyers and experts

For enterprise-wide or corporate acess, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 877-256-2473

Read These Next
Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough Image

There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.

Judge Rules Shaquille O'Neal Will Face Securities Lawsuit for Promotion, Sale of NFTs Image

A federal district court in Miami, FL, has ruled that former National Basketball Association star Shaquille O'Neal will have to face a lawsuit over his promotion of unregistered securities in the form of cryptocurrency tokens and that he was a "seller" of these unregistered securities.

Why So Many Great Lawyers Stink at Business Development and What Law Firms Are Doing About It Image

Why is it that those who are best skilled at advocating for others are ill-equipped at advocating for their own skills and what to do about it?

Blockchain Domains: New Developments for Brand Owners Image

Blockchain domain names offer decentralized alternatives to traditional DNS-based domain names, promising enhanced security, privacy and censorship resistance. However, these benefits come with significant challenges, particularly for brand owners seeking to protect their trademarks in these new digital spaces.

Coverage Issues Stemming from Dry Cleaner Contamination Suits Image

In recent years, there has been a growing number of dry cleaners claiming to be "organic," "green," or "eco-friendly." While that may be true with respect to some, many dry cleaners continue to use a cleaning method involving the use of a solvent called perchloroethylene, commonly known as perc. And, there seems to be an increasing number of lawsuits stemming from environmental problems associated with historic dry cleaning operations utilizing this chemical.