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Swan dress

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Björk's Swan dress
ArtistMarjan Pejoski
Year2001 (2001)
TypeWhite dress

The swan dress of Björk or the Björk swan dress[1] refers to the famous white "swan" dress worn by the Icelandic artist Björk at the 2001 Academy Awards on March 25, 2001. A poll by Debenhams, published in the Daily Telegraph, voted it the ninth most iconic red-carpet dress of all time.[2]

Design

Designed by Macedonian designer Marjan Pejoski, the dress was designed like a swan and at the ceremony Björk mimicked laying an egg on the red carpet.[3] It was described by Emanuel Levy as "A giant swan dress, a full-body stocking that was covered with a giant swan whose neck wrapped around her with its head and beak resting on her breasts".[4] She had two copies of the dress produced, given that it couldn't be taken to the dry cleaners.[5] She later used that dress on the cover of her 2001 record album Vespertine and wore variations of it many times on the Vespertine Tour.

Reception

The dress was talked about in the fashion and entertainment world for weeks after the event. It was widely criticized and seen as outrageous and outlandish and an outfit that "became the year's fashion faux pas".[4][6] Some viewed it as bizarre enough to be more than just a publicity stunt, something confirmed by Björk.[7] Jay Carr of the Boston Globe wrote, "Bjork's wraparound swan frock . . . made her look like a refugee from the more dog-eared precincts of provincial ballet", while Steven Cojocaru called the dress "probably one of the dumbest things I've ever seen".[8] Joan Rivers remarked "Later I saw her in the ladies room spreading papers on the floor… This girl should be put into an asylum."[8] However, the dress was praised by some for its originality; The New York Observer's verdict was "total overall j'adore" and Melissa Etheridge was also reported to have praised the dress.[8]

In response to the media hype, Björk said "It's just a dress".[8] She said, "I don't really know why I'm obsessed with swans but as I said, everything about my new album is about winter and they're a white, sort of winter bird. Obviously very romantic, being monogamous. It's one of those things that maybe I'm too much in the middle of to describe. When you're obsessed with something, you can explain it five years later, but in the moment, you don't know exactly why. Right now, swans seem to sort of stand for a lot of things."[9] One astrologer said that the dress had symbolic value.[10]

The dress was later emulated by Ellen de Generes at the 2001 Emmy Awards.[9][11] In 2007, the gown was proposed to take part in the year's Oscar fashion show, highlighting the signature gowns from the red carpets of the Oscars from previous years. However, according to Oscar producer Laura Ziskin, Björk's team refused to let the dress take part.[12]

References

  1. ^ Plumley, Lisa (28 October 2008). Home for the Holidays. Zebra Books. p. 32. ISBN 9780821780534. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  2. ^ Urmee Khan (9 October 2008). "Liz Hurley 'safety pin' dress voted the greatest dress". The Telegraph. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
  3. ^ Barsanti, Chris (16 December 2010). "Dancer in the Dark". Filmology. Adams Media. p. 84. ISBN 9781440507533. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  4. ^ a b Levy, Emanuel (14 January 2003). All about Oscar: the history and politics of the Academy Awards. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 24. ISBN 9780826414526. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  5. ^ Vanity fair. Condé Nast Publications. June 2007. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  6. ^ Beller, Thomas (October 2001). "Into the Light". SPIN. 7 (2). SPIN Media LLC: 85–86. ISSN 0886-3032. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  7. ^ New York. Vol. 38. New York Magazine Co. 2005. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  8. ^ a b c d Crouse, Richard (1 September 2005). Reel Winners: Movie Award Trivia. Dundurn Press Ltd. pp. 67–68. ISBN 9781550025743. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  9. ^ a b Pytlik, Mark (29 May 2003). Björk: wow and flutter. ECW Press. p. 171. ISBN 9781550225563. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  10. ^ Out. Here Publishing. November 2001. p. 130. ISSN 1062-7928. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  11. ^ The advocate. Liberation Publications. 2007. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  12. ^ "Wear are they? Remembering Oscar gowns". MSNBC. 1 August 2007. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
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