And the Oscar Goes… Green

This year’s red carpet was full of stars decked out in diamonds and tulle but some carried a deeper message beyond the fabric. Actress Suzy Amis Cameron, wife of Avatar’s James Cameron, held a design contest this year for her Oscar gown. She called it the Red Carpet Green Dress. The contest rules were minimal with one very important guideline; it had to be both sustainable as well as elegant.

The winner of the “Red Carpet Green Dress” competition was Jillian Granz. Jillian is an apparel and textile design student at Michigan State University. Granz created her design with sustainable materials and techniques including using non-toxic dyes.

Lucky attendees at the Global Green Pre-Oscar party last Wednesday had a chance to see Cameron’s dress unveiled before it hit the red carpet. I personally love the gown. It’s a beautiful Avatar-esque blue with Grecian draping  – modern, elegant and eco-friendly.

Suzy Amis Cameron

The Red Carpet Green contest was also a fundraiser towards scholarships for the green nonprofit elementary school MUSE. Amis founded the school with her sister in Topanga, California. The mission of MUSE is to teach environmental education to children.

Amis says, “I was impressed by the creativity and diversity of designs that came in from around the world for the ‘Red Carpet Green Dress’ contest. Jillian’s design really stood out because it was highly creative and inventive in its use of sustainable materials. This is exactly the message we want to send to young designers and a message we care about at MUSE.”

Livia Giuggioli, wife of Colin Firth was also an eco belle of the ball last night. She wore a dress created by Orsola de Castro. Livia said to Vogue UK in an interview, “Orsola is the queen of upcycling so everything about the dress has been salvaged from the waste bins of some very prestigious labels, no less, so my dress will be made from waste but you’d never know.” Livia and Colin also own a green store; ECO in Chiswick England.

Livia Giuggioli

I think these examples are just the beginning of the eco influence. It’s pioneering a movement that continuously shaping and changing all of fashion world.

Ashley Spiker

Ashley Spiker is the creator of the style & fashion blog, Alice in Stilettos. She is passionate about style and her goal is to encourages others while helping them create or improve their own unique personal style.