Fashion
18 Times Celebrities Called Out The Designers Who Refused To Dress Them
Lack of size inclusivity on display.
Countless times, celebrities have publicly announced that it can be hard to find a designer to dress them or perhaps style them for red carpets and other events if they’re of a specific size and shape; the outfits worn on red carpets are often loaned. It’s unbelievable that designers still consider anything plus-sized unworthy of wearing a designer outfit in this modern age.
All body types should be celebrated. Instead of designers asking celebrities to change their appearance, it definitely will be a lot easier if designers begin to make clothes in more sizes. While it might not appear like that biggest deal, since celebs still find something gorgeous to rock, it, however, calls attention to the fashion world’s lack of inclusivity. Not every star is treated equally, and to prove this point, we’ve collated 18 celebs who have called out designers for refusing to dress them. Scroll through!
Rachel Bloom.
Multiple designer brands denied her request for a dress, so she bought her own Gucci gown off the rack and rocked it to the 2017 Emmys. “I’ve said in an interview before, ‘Oh, sometimes it’s hard for places to lend me dresses because I’m not, like, a size 0,’ but also I can afford it, so it’s okay,” Rachel told E!
Melissa McCarthy.
The actress had asked 5 to 6 high-profile designers to make her a dress for the 2012 Oscars but was consistently denied. Two years later, she launched her line of plus-size clothing. Melissa had studied clothing and textiles in college. She designed her dress for the 2011 Emmy Awards with the assistance of her friend Daniella Pear, who partnered with her on the fashion line.
Octavia Spencer.
On the red carpet of the 2012 Palm Springs International Film Festival, Spencer told reporters that “no designers are coming to her for the upcoming Golden Globes because she’s just a short, chubby girl.” She added: “It’s hard for me to find a dress to wear to something like this! It’s a lot of pressure, I’ll tell ya.” Nonetheless, she won Best Supporting Actress wearing a custom Tadashi Shoji Gown.
Bryce Dallas Howard.
Howard purchased her dress for the 2016 Golden Globes because she prefers having lots of options for a size six instead of maybe one option. “I just picked it up at Neiman’s this week.” She told E!
Khloe Kardashian.
Following her weight loss in 2016, Khloe pointed out that she “would never have options for clothing” at photoshoots during a cover shoot. In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Khloe claimed designers had attention on Kourtney and Kim, adding that perhaps she was too much work for stylists or they had nothing in her size.
Amber Riley.
Riley took to Twitter to share that she risked seeing other plus-sized celebrities “in the same sh*t” on the red carpet because of limited options available. She added: “We can’t win.”
Aidy Bryant.
Just before the 2019 Emmys, Aidy tweeted that having clothes as a plus-sized person “seems like a fairly basic request.” And in response, Eloquii found her a custom gown. Speaking to People, Aidy explained: “I think it’s a different experience for plus-size women in film and television to get clothes for events. It’s just not as welcoming for us to get cool clothes that are equal in glamour, in style to what I am going to say ‘small size; costars get to wear. So to have this experience where they approached me and it’s not us begging them, and they’ve been like,’ Let’s make this special.’ It’s been very glamorous to me in a way I maybe haven’t experienced before.”
Cardi B.
Cardi B’s request to be styled by high-end designers and Instagram boutiques was rejected right after attaining the spotlight. She was considered ‘not the IT girl,’ but Cardi has said she didn’t take the disappointments personally. In an interview with Teen Vogue, she explained: “I’m not going to turn down an opportunity because they don’t want to let me in or they just don’t like me in their clothes, period.”
Ashley Graham.
Graham couldn’t attend the 2016 Met Gala because she couldn’t get a designer to style her. Speaking to The Cut, she said: “You can’t just show up in jeans and a T-shirt.”
Hayden Panettiere.
Designer Tom Ford refused to dress Hayden for the 2014 Golden Globes because he only dressed one actor for the event. So Hayden bought her own Tom Ford outfit. Due to this, she faced criticism, in which Tom Ford had to send her flowers and a sweet note approving of her decision. “It’s like buying a piece of art.” She told People.
Jonah Hill.
In 2020, Hill explained that it was difficult for him to develop a personal sense of style because outfits aren’t made for overweight people to have style. Hill told GQ: “For me, that was a big turning point of realizing, okay, be yourself. You don’t have to be anything you don’t want to be. And if you’re interested in fashion, then you should be, don’t push that away. Lean into it.”
Leslie Jones.
Before the premiere of Ghostbusters (2016), Leslie tweeted: “It’s so funny how no designers want to help me. Hmm, that will change, and I remember everything. In response, Christian Siriano said: “It shouldn’t be exceptional to work with brilliant people just because they’re not sample size.” Leslie equally responded, stating: “Hmm, what a difference a tweet makes. Should I name the designers that didn’t look out? Put y’all a** on blast. You will not get my love later.”
Beyoncé.
At the 2016 CFDA Awards, Beyoncé received the Fashion Icon Award. She shared that high-end designers refused to dress Destiny’s Child at the inception of their career because they “didn’t want to dress four Black country, curvy girls!” Eventually, the singer’s mom and uncle made all of the group’s costumes from scratch. Beyoncé said: “They put so much passion and love into every small detail. When I wore these clothes, I felt like Khaleesi. I had an extra suit of armor. It was so much deeper than any brand name.”
Bebe Rexha.
For the 2019 Grammy Awards, many designers refused to dress Rexha because she didn’t fit the runway size. “If a size 6/8 is too big, then I don’t wanna wear your f**king dresses.” She said in an Instagram clip that was captioned: “My size 8 a** is still going to the Grammys.” Following her post, many A-list designers reached out to the Grammy nominee, and she attended the event in a ruffly Monsoori gown.
Jane Seymour.
In an essay for the Guardian (2019), Seymour wrote that after being a glamour icon and unofficial muse in the 80s and 90s, “nowadays not every designer will dress someone her age. I don’t care whether re-wearing clothes is acceptable or not – if I’m feeling the dress and the occasion and if it fits, then I’ll wear it again.”
Jennifer Hudson.
In 2011, Hudson called out the designers who wanted to dress her after losing weight. “So many more opportunities open up when you’re on the other side. I’d no idea what I was missing out on. It’s like a whole other world. Suddenly every designer wants to dress you. It’s like, You look amazing! Please, choose a dress. Have a bag and what about shoes? I mean, wow!” Hudson told Daily Mail.
Christina Hendricks.
In 2012, Hendricks was voted the Sexiest Woman Alive by Esquire, yet not one designer in town would loan her a dress. “They only lend out a size 0 or 2,” Hendricks said. Hendricks said to the Daily Record: “So I’m still struggling for someone to give me a darn dress!”
Gabourey Sidibe.
Sidibe purchased her dress from Torrid for her first major red carpet event in Cannes because designers saw her as too fat to dress her. Speaking to Teen Vogue, she said: “Even though we are moving towards more visibility for plus-size people, there is a lot of pushback. So it’s important to keep fighting and being visible until the conversation changes, and it is no longer about our bodies because I’m not my body. I’m a whole person.”
