It's still fashion...

Gabourey Sibede in Marchesa,

"If fashion was porn, this dress is the money shot!"

So here it is the day after the Academy Awards. The day when news outlets ignore what's going on in the world to focus on the dresses of the night before. Seriously. I, home sick in bed, watch newscast after newscast open with the fashion and then return to the fashion. The awards themselves are secondary. Always have been. This is why J. Lo (who will probably never be a nominee or winner) is always front and center at the Oscars. She always delivers on the red carpet.

But this year, I noticed something. I knew it would happen and I wasn’t surprised, but I am prompted to speak on it. in a word, Gabourey. This woman has been up front and personal with her "I love me so you'll love me" attitude the entire awards season. Everyone, myself included, has been glued to her every interview. I think we were simultaneously impressed with her confidence and waiting for a sign that it was an act. Last night she proved that it was truly no act. She stormed out on that red carpet. Every person I saw speak to her was immediately swept up in her joy. But...no one asked who she was wearing. There is no coincidence in that. They don’t know how to address her; they don't know how to deal with her. They don't know how to associate the word fashion with Gabourey, though she clearly has that figured out for herself.

I could actually feel the hesitation in people's voices as they passed over her when making comments on the dresses. Some wanted to say she looked great; some were just uninterested in her period. But, no one knew how to say either. The fact is, in the fashion industry someone like her is not only non-existent, they're undesirable. I know this for a fact. I'm from LA, born and raised, and I don't fit the standard of beauty in my own home town. I know the feeling. But I also know how great it feels to finally accept yourself and tell everyone else to kiss your entire ass. And there's a lot of ass.

The fact is, she wore Marchesa and she wore it well. They crafted a dress for her that would give her the right silhouette on the red carpet. Silhouette is something that any woman can have no matter what size she is. And Marchesa doesn't make a plus size pair of socks. Her stylist got a top designer (one of my favs in awards season) to make her something they don't sell. I'm sure for that yes, there were other design houses that said hell no. When Queen Latifah was nominated for her Oscars, her stylist (who dressed plus size women) had to find her a dress in her size and have it fitted. Times have changed for the better.

There was a lot of diversity this year. Mo'Nique's Tadashi dress was really pretty (although I liked the purple shorter version she wore on Oprah's after show better). Jennifer Lopez's Armani Prive was amazing! Latifah made a great choice in Badgley Mishka. Nicole Richie was stunning in her size zero vintage Reem Acra gown. Gaby was stunning in her Marchesa. These are women who've learned to make fashion work on their bodies, no matter what type of body they have. But the fashion community doesn’t know what to do with the change or how to address it. I'll be interested to see how the fashion shows describe Gaby. The last time, they kind of gave her the "aww poor thing, she's trying" critique. Let's see if they can say anything genuinely good or bad about her dress. Set her size aside and truly critic the look. Can they treat her like they do every other person on the carpet?

I highly doubt that the couture, runway show, trend setting segment of the fashion industry will embrace women like Gabourey anytime soon. They're just getting around to digging Latifah. But I think we're a step closer to addressing these crazy body issues in the industry. For the past year, the fashion industry has been under fire for having sickly skinny runway models following the death of more than one girl. And there are campaigns everywhere hoping to address obesity in our community as well. Trust me, I'm trying to get myself together too. But until everyone is exactly where they want to be, we should start practicing a little self love and Gaby sets a great example.

BTW, check out one of my favs from Marchesa's Spring 2010 show.