Both outfits of this week happened at The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment event on Wednesday. Let’s start with Selma Blair who received the Equity in Entertainment award, presented to her by Michelle Pfeiffer. Have you seen Introducing, Selma Blair? You can stream it on discovery+ via Amazon and it’s well worth your time. It was filmed during her stem cell transplant to treat MS and it’s at once heartbreaking and frustrating but also funny and charming – because Selma is so raw and vulnerable but also tough and irreverent. Just like she was during her speech the other night, when she was honoured for representing through her story the story of others with disabilities who are not given space in the industry:
“My story is but one of many. Disability is not a distant monolith. It is an intractable part of our shared humanity. Everyone in this room knows the power of entertainment to create a sense of community. And it is our responsibility, those of us in this room, to do so. By creating more inclusive content, by telling stories that more authentically represent and include all of us, by being allies in our workspace by setting the bar higher for accessibility standards, by living and working in the intersectionality of our collective human experience, we become worthy of the enormous access and influence we have." (see video of Selma’s full speech, including Michelle Pfeiffer’s introduction here)
Back in September, during our coverage of the Emmys, Sarah wrote about accessibility, and how there was no accessibility access to the stage that was shown on camera – Emmy organisers built a ramp but it was backstage, and the whole point of visibility and inclusion is to make sure everyone is seen. Selma is trying to do this work, to make sure that people with disabilities working in Hollywood are not relegated to the margins, that they are seen and heard. In her case, you want to hear her, and you definitely want to see her, because this outfit, she was feeling herself in this outfit so much she namechecked the designer, Thom Browne, as soon as she got up to receive the award.
Everything is wonderful here – the jacket a little cropped, and shorter in the sleeves to expose the white shirt, and the pinstriped pants, and the length of the pants, the perfectly paired shoes too, and of course the tie. It’s sharp and stylish and totally my vibe right now, I think I might have to copy it from top to bottom.
As for the other outfit of the week, on Ruth Negga…this corduroy jumpsuit, OMG. It’s so good. It’s so f-cking good. The colour is perfect, because if you’re going to create a style moment out of corduroy, it might as well be brown. Those black patches on the shoulders are an excellent detail. And the decision to pair it all with blue leather gloves? Chef’s kiss.
