Long before the call to wear black to the Golden Globes went out to show solidarity with Time’s Up, actress Saoirse Ronan wanted to use the red carpet to capitalize on the attention surrounding Lady Bird, the film for which she is nominated for Best Actress, with a feminist and empowering style moment.
Not only did Ronan’s stylist Elizabeth Saltzman recommission the Atelier Versace gown she was set to wear in black, but the actress also wanted to commission an entirely female team to bring the look to life. “Saoirse and I had a conversation at the beginning of the season that should Lady Bird go the distance, we wanted to work with all females — female make-up, female hairstylists, female designers — and that we would never talk about it to anyone. It would be our fun secret, our empowering moment,” Saltman told British Vogue in an interview.
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As for the final product, the beautiful black gown with a hint of silver embellishment that Ronan wore on the red carpet, “it’s not about sex, it’s about strength. It’s not about frivolity, it’s about confidence, excellence, purity and support,” says Saltzman. A sentiment both Donatella and Allegra Versace understood, “because Lady Bird is a mother-daughter tale. It has been the year of Versace, remembering Gianni and the empowerment he gave to women,” she notes. And this dress does just that — and so much more.
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