Talk about a grand entrance.
Singer and actor Billy Porter hit the 91st Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday in a bold velvet tuxedo gown.
The all-black, one-of-a-kind design by Christian Siriano featured a bow tie, ruffle-cuff white shirt and a classic tuxedo jacket. But the best part? A strapless, full-skirted black gown.
Speaking with Vogue magazine before he walked the red carpet, the Pose actor said Siriano wanted to play with the masculine and the feminine.
“This look was interesting because it’s not drag. I’m not a drag queen, I’m a man in a dress,” he told the magazine.
“I want people to understand that you don’t have to understand or even agree with other people’s authenticity or truths, but we must all respect each other.”
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And with this statement, Porter recognized that people may not understand his look altogether.
“People are going to be really uncomfortable with my black a** in a ball gown — but it’s not anybody’s business but mine,” he said.
Last month, Porter also turned heads at the 76th annual Golden Globe Awards, walking the red carpet in a bright pink cape.
The custom Randi Rahm creation took six months to make, the Hollywood Reporter noted.
“I immediately knew this look would be a very important statement for Billy in many ways,” Rahm told the site.
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“It needed to speak to his amazing personality, the importance of his role on the groundbreaking show Pose, as well as the message we collectively want to send to the world regarding the fluidity of fashion, tolerance and acceptance.”
—With files from the Associated Press
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