When it comes to fashion, Billy Porter is a risk taker. The Pose star wore a daring black gown to Sunday's Academy Awards and is speaking out about the criticism he's received.
When you come to the Oscars, you must dress up. Thanks @CSiriano for creating this custom couture masterpiece. @OscarHeymanBros you have outdone yourselves with your iconic jewels. Style by @sammyratelle Grooming by Anna Bernabe. @TheAcademy
#AcademyAwards2019
#oscars
#oscars2019
pic.twitter.com/IpTG2OK20x— Billy Porter (@theebillyporter) February 24, 2019
"People are going to be really uncomfortable with my Black a** in a ball gown, but it's not anybody’s business but mine," the 49-year-old told The Associated Press Wednesday.
Porter's Christian Siriano number received plenty of praise online and even on the red carpet by fellow thespian and Oscar nominee Glenn Close.
My favorite Oscars moment is and always will be Glenn Close studying Billy Porter and coming to a clear conclusion. #Oscars
pic.twitter.com/tWW529seT2— Jamie B. Golden (@jamiebgolden) February 25, 2019
Speaking with Vogue, Porter described the relationship he's developed with Siriano, who first gained notoriety after winning design competition Project Runway in 2008.
"We wanted to play between the masculine and the feminine. This look was interesting because it’s not drag. I'm not a drag queen, I’m a man in a dress," the Tony Award winner said. "He came up with a tux on the top, and a ballgown that bursts out at the bottom."
Regarding the negative comments Porter has read about his ensemble, he doesn't pay them any mind. Furthermore, he doesn't understand why his choices affect the personal lives of said detractors.
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"The comments are not my business. What people think about what I’m doing is not my business. I lived that already," the LGBTQ activist expressed to The Associated Press. "I'm inside of my authenticity and the whole point is that you have to respect me as much as I respect you. If you don’t like it, go somewhere else. You don’t have to look. It’s not about you. I don't understand why my putting on a dress causes this much strife in your life."
Ain't that a word.
Porter was recently named ambassador for New York Men's Fashion Week, a role he fulfilled from February 4-6. In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, he championed the idea of clothes being another vehicle of self-expression.
"I have always used clothes as a tool for self-expression and find immense pleasure in celebrating life, love and joy through fashion. I am thrilled."
A huge advocate for playing with prints, colors and silhouettes on the red carpet, Porter is known to catch the public's attention with his outfits. For this year's Golden Globes, he stepped out in a custom-made Randi Rahm design complete with an eye-catching cape.
@theebillyporter rocking his custom-made @RandiRahm couture ensemble at the 76th Annual @goldenglobes
pic.twitter.com/EFbWnrFG6N— Randi Rahm Studio (@RandiRahm) January 16, 2019
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