The Original Red Carpet Menace - Mr. Blackwell and his Worst Dressed List
by Alice Fashion History Pop Culture
Mr. Blackwell at his 11th Annual "Worst Dressed List" Presentation. // Entertainment Weekly
As I watched the Emmys Red Carpet last night and observed the gorgeous, albeit expected, showing of gowns, one caught my attention.
Bronwyn Newport of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City was wearing a vintage sheer and embellished gown from designer Mr. Blackwell.
Bronwyn Newport in Mr. Blackwell // Instagram
Now, love her or hate her, Bronwyn knows her fashion history. She highlighted not only the designer behind the fabulous gown, but also his connection to red-carpet history.
Mr. Blackwell and model. // Instagram
Mr. Blackwell was the creator of the first annual "Worst Dressed" List. (He had a Best Dressed List too - but people seemed much less interested in that!)
Mr. Blackwell and his '50s dresses. // Getty
Long before Joan and Melissa and long before the biting reads of RuPaul's Drag Race, Richard Selzer, aka Mr. Blackwell, entertained the public with snappy takedowns of Hollywood's greatest stars. But this was not the first career, or even fifth, for Blackwell.
Jayne Mansfield in a fitting with Mr. Blackwell.
Richard desired to be an actor early on, managed cabaret acts, and eventually found some success as a custom gown designer for Hollywood's up-and-coming starlets under the label "Mr. Blackwell". The gowns and the man behind them quickly became so well known that Richard Selzer and Mr. Blackwell became one and the same.
Jayne Mansfield wearing Mr. Blackwell.
Known for his ability to dress the more ahem, amply busted women in town, he found an easy collaborator in Jayne Mansfield, once paid $10,000 to revamp her wardrobe and make her a real competitor for Marilyn Monroe. (In classic Mr. Blackwell fashion, this collaboration crumbled in grand fashion when Mansfield posed for Playboy magazine in 1958.)
Jayne Mansfield in a Mr. Blackwell gown.
Mr. Blackwell went on to form relationships with Julie Andrews, Tippi Hedren, and a host of other movie stars. His pieces exemplify the 1950s with their impossibly nipped waists and sharply pointed bust lines.
Julie Andrews in one of Mr. Blackwell's empire swing dresses.
If Christian Dior's "New Look" was the silhouette of the 1950s "lady", Mr. Blackwell's silhouette was the go-to for the era's sex kittens. (Mr. Blackwell was also a pioneer in selling dresses on TV and was an early high-end designer who created a plus size line with Lane Bryant.)
Mr. Blackwell's TV show - an early pioneer in shopping TV.
However, in 1960, his dresses would begin to take a backseat in his career. (Sadly, they're very good dresses...) The magazine The American Weekly asked Mr. Blackwell to create a "Best and Worst Dressed List" for the year, and to say Mr. Blackwell answered the call would be an understatement. For decades to follow until he died in 2008, Mr. Blackwell released a list cleverly skewering celebrity style.
Ever a showman, Mr. Blackwell quickly moved his list from a "quiet" publication release and instead every January hosted the press in his home in Los Angeles, where he would descend the staircase and announce the list via large cards paraded around by models. (All wearing Mr. Blackwell, of course.)
"She dances in the dark and gets dressed there too," of Björk in 2000.
And while being added (and roasted) on Mr. Blackwell's celebrity style list became a sought-after position, Mr. Blackwell soon realized he'd become the court jester of the fashion world.
No longer celebrated for his ability to design and dress women, Mr. Blackwell loved the success but desired more respect. And soon, his fashion criticism expertise was overshadowed by the dynamic red-carpet takedowns of Joan and Melissa Rivers in the late 1990s.
The "list" became a pop culture moment. Announced on the news and punctuated by Mr. Blackwell's frequent visits to The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.
Mr. Blackwell announcing Cher as the #1 on his Worst Dressed List.
And while Mr. Blackwell's list was fun and culturally groundbreaking, I felt the need to give the man his flowers in fashion as well. His nipped waists of the '50s gave way to glam kaftans of the '60s, and empire waist silhouettes in the late '60s into the '70s. Mr. Blackwell's label is a lesser-known but covetable vintage designer to consider.
Me in a very rare plus size Mr. Blackwell. Sorry ladies, she's mine. 💛
So thank you, Bronwyn Newport, for giving the late Mr. Blackwell some love on the Emmys red carpet last night. Hopefully, a new generation will fall in love with his wit and his style.
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