The popularity of award-show fashion has practically eclipsed the award shows themselves, as celebrities look forward to these events mostly to showcase their expensive designer dresses and shiny jewels.
And after the world witnesses the A-listers strut down the red carpet in their lavish garments, the question of what happens to it after the event pops into mind.
After speaking exclusively with several Hollywood celebrity stylists, the answer became clear.
For most – if not all – designers, a red carpet event is one of the most publicised ways to receive global exposure of their brand, its dresses, and the celebrity whom they are associated with.
Preparation for the award shows start as soon as the nominations are announced, and designers begin sketching their potential creations with their chosen celebrity’s figure in mind.
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And award shows are the best places for that. So much so, that some top tier designers often pay A-list celebs to wear their dress, and the amount? Well, celebrities can rake in anywhere from £60,000 and £100,000 just for wearing it.
The most common way celebs go about picking their dresses is after they decide to borrow it from the designer for the night.
This is often for free, which works well for both parties as the designer gets their name out in the high-profile red carpet photos and the celebrity wears the brand and dress they truly like and look good in.
To make sure that the outfit looks perfect in each paparazzi photo that is snapped, the stylists also walk the red-carpet events along with the celebrities taking care of the dress.
If a celebrity has worked with a particular designer before, it takes less time to customise the dress.
However if the A-lister's relationship with the designer isn't a great one, the designer might keep delaying the customisation of the gown or even refuse to work with the celebrity altogether.
But what happens to that very expensive dress when the red carpet is rolled up and the TV cameras move on to the next event?
Well, there are several outcomes for these dresses after their one night of fame excess.
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Most of the time, these dresses were loaned out to celebrities, meaning they go right back to the designer after the event is over.
After speaking with celebrity fashion designer and stylist Charlie Le Mindu, who has previously designed dresses and music video outfits for Lady Gaga and Lana Del Rey, he revealed what goes on behind the scenes of the flashing lights.
He exclusively told Mirror Online: “When a celebrity is interested in collaborating with me for a red carpet dress, I create the gown bespoke for the client.
“At the beginning, we set a budget for the creation of the dress. The dresses themselves can cost anywhere from $10,000 to $40,000 – depending on the fabric and materials used.”
Charlie’s claim to fame was when he was the sole designer for Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance music video, and since then, his creations have been in high demand in the fashion world.
“I would make a few dresses for the celebrity, so that they would have a choice of which one they prefer.
“I would then send them to the client, they would only pay for the shipping of the dresses. After that they try them on and see which one they want to wear.”
He added: “Then after they wear it they can either buy it from my atelier or return it to me.”
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And on very rare occasions, the designer will gift the dress to the celebrity.
But with many thousands of dollars of work and materials at stake, along with long hours of labour, some designers are more generous than others.
And celebrity fashion stylist Harriet Byczok, who has previously styled Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams and actress Zawe Ashton, exclusively told Mirror Online: "For big events sometimes bespoke pieces are made especially for the celebrity, quite often in this case as the pieces have been made especially for them it can be kept.
"If a piece is worn by the celebrity at the end of the season and the designer no longer requires it for press sometimes the designer will gift it to the celebrity."
Harriet – who is managed by The Only Agency, added: "Once a dress has been worn on the red carpet and received a large amount of coverage the designer will not loan it to another celebrity to wear so this is another scenario where the designer might gift."
Perhaps the most famous time where this has happened was when Jennifer Lopez wore the plunging green Versace dress to the Grammys in 2000 Grammys.
The dress became such an iconic fashion moment and public sensation that people at home were desperate to find out more about the dress – which ultimately inspired Google to introduce Google Images.
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Designer Charlie, however, said he has never gifted a red carpet dress to a celebrity.
“It only happens sometimes, but I've never done that. Sure, I've given accessories such as bags to Lady Gaga before, but never a dress,” he said.
“Well-established brands such as Chanel have more of an opportunity to gift their dresses, although it still doesn't happen much.”
However big name brands such as Louis Vuitton, Valentino and Dior will take back a red-carpet dress and keep it in their archives.
Charlie explained: “After a celebrity wears one of my creations, I tend to never contact them again.
“This is because I like working with different clients on various looks. For example, when I worked with Gaga on the Bad Romance music video, the outfits she wore were sent to museums where they were valued and given a price point.”
Charlie, who was born in the fashion capital of the world known as Paris, but now resides in fashion-obsessed New York City, said that every gown or dress he or any other designer creates gets valued after it’s been worn.
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Another way you may get your hands on a dress that was worn by a celebrity for a big night is at a sample sale.
When a designer's atelier becomes overstuffed with leftovers from last year's line, and sample-sized dresses that were tried on repeatedly in the store, they hold a sample sale.
This is where celebrities or members of the public can purchase the dresses that caught their eye, however a lot of the times these dresses are replicas.
Harriet explained: "Members of the public are able to buy the dresses but usually not until the next season.
"Fashion week showcases the dresses that will be on sale next season. Each Press office usually has one sample of each piece that is shared between editorial and to be sent to celebrities to be worn on the red carpet.
"Then the following season they go on sale."
The most famous case of a celebrity dress being up for grabs to members of the public was the 2016 Vanity Fair party dress Kate Hudson stunned in.
The metallic gown, designed by Maria Lucia Hohan, instantly became an internet sensation – and Maria decided to sell that dress after Kate returned it following the bash.
Maria put the gown up for sale, costing a whopping $3,325. And without a doubt, the dress was snapped up within a matter of minutes.
And when it comes to the question of just how hefty the average red carpet dress' price tag is, Harriet revealed: "For high profile events red Carpet favourites such as Valentino and Oscar De La Renta retail around £5,000-£10,000.
"But this varies on the event and the celebrity wearing it. Self portrait another celebrity favourite retails at around £350."
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