Academy Awards have continued to make several changes, but one thing that remained constant is the red carpet. Now, even that changes as workers outside the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood unrolled a champagne-coloured carpet for the 95th Oscars. As the Academy Awards approach on Sunday (March. 12), this year’s host, Jimmy Kimmel shed light on the decision to go with a champagne carpet.
Reason Behind The Champagne Carpet…
The 95th Academy Awards have broken a 60-year-old tradition! This is the first time since 1961 that the Oscars carpet won’t be bleeding red. Yea, the Oscars production team has decided to opt for a champagne carpet as they wanted a light and soothing colour that would not clash with the orange tent, which will be erected to shield the attendees from the sun and potential rain.
As workers unrolled the champagne-coloured carpet, Oscar’s production team expressed that the colour was chosen to evoke “calm and peacefulness”, like watching the sunset on a white-sand beach at the “golden hour” with a glass of champagne. Well, the thought behind is indeed philosophical.
Jimmy Kimmel, who is set to host the 95th Oscars on Sunday (March. 12), stated: “I think the decision to go with a champagne carpet over a red carpet shows how confident we are that no blood will be shed.”
The people behind this change, creative consultants, Lisa Love (longtime Vogue contributor) and Raúl Àvila (creative director for the glamourous Met Gala in New York), revealed that this year, the carpet will be covered, in part to protect the celebrities and cameras from the weather. But again, it would also help turn the arrivals into an evening event.
“There has always been a disconnect between the elegant black tie dress code and the fact that it’s mid-afternoon when people arrive to be photographed in the daylight. With a covered carpet, they could change that. We turned a day event into the night,” Love revealed in an interview. “It’s evening, even though it’s still 3:00.”
The History Behind The Red Carpet…
As the 95th Academy Awards tosses away the red carpet, it’s worth recalling its history. The red carpet dates back to 1961. This was the time when the 33rd Academy Awards were held at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, when “The Apartment” won best picture and Burt Lancaster and Elizabeth Taylor won the lead acting prizes.
However, the world could only see the red carpet in its full glory in 1966 when the Oscars were first broadcast in colour. This is the first time that the stars will walk on a champagne-coloured carpet. “We chose this beautiful sienna, a saffron colour that evokes the sunset because this is the sunset before the golden hour,” Love said.
The lighter shade was approved by Academy CEO Bill Kramer. The 95th Oscars are taking place on Sunday at 3:30 P.M. Eastern. The ceremony is set to start at 8 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ABC.