Fashion: January 2008 Archives

By JOELLE DIDERICH

PARIS — Luxury brands Christian Dior and Giorgio Armani kicked off Paris couture week Monday with glittering displays, but many of the outfits may not get an airing on the most prestigious night of the year: the Academy Awards.

A strike by writers, entering its 12th week, already has forced the cancellation of the Golden Globe awards, and could lead to the Oscar ceremony — scheduled for Feb. 24 — being scrapped for the first time in its 80-year history.

The loss would be more than symbolic for global fashion brands, which reap millions of dollars of free publicity from media coverage of celebrities walking the red carpet.

Sure, filmmakers are lamenting the loss of the Golden Globes, and fretting about the Oscars. But there's another group of workers really worried about the state of award shows this season: the fashion designers. Including this one in Grand Rapids, Mich.