Instead of the usual parade of cleavage, peekaboo thighs and sheer fabrics, the red carpets of the upcoming Hollywood awards season are going to look more like the set of “The Nun’s Story.”
The traditional display of vanity and paid-to-wear frippery is getting a blackout in the #MeToo age.
The Hollywood Reporter and other news outlets revealed last week that actresses are uniting in support of sexual-misconduct victims by wearing all black and more modest gowns to the year’s first big awards bash, the Golden Globes, on Jan. 7.
“I started getting calls from stylists about a month ago,” a rep for one of the biggest designers of red-carpet gowns told The Post.
A source close to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which hosts the Globes, said the organization’s officials had nothing to do with the creation of the black-gown movement — nor were they aware of it until recently — “but are 100 percent supportive.”
“Yet,” the source added, “they still expect this to be the party the Globes always is.”
That may be true, but Hollywood agency CAA — which parted ways with agent Cameron Mitchell after he was accused of sexual assault in November — has canceled its annual Globes bash and will use the money to start a legal fund for victims of sexual harassment and abuse.
A Globes insider said the black-gown idea “started with the actresses who came together on this. But they aren’t in mourning. It’s a show of solidarity and sisterhood with women everywhere.”
The black-gown movement was ripped by actress Rose McGowan, one of the first women to accuse pervy movie mogul Harvey Weinstein of assault — in her instance, an alleged rape.
“Actresses, like Meryl Streep, who happily worked for The Pig Monster, are wearing black @Golden Globes,” McGowan tweeted, in reference to Weinstein.
“YOUR SILENCE is THE problem,” she said of Streep, who has said that she and others didn’t know about the producer’s predations.
“You’ll accept a fake award breathlessly & affect no real change,” the tweet continued.
McGowan concluded her screed by name-dropping the fashion brand of Weinstein’s now-estranged designer wife, Georgina Chapman: “I despise your hypocrisy. Maybe you should all wear Marchesa.”
One concern among Hollywood celebrity stylists now is, how many black gowns do designers actually have on hand? The spring 2018 collections, which is what stylists would normally pull from, are all about lavender, pink, big florals, ethereal whites and art-infused prints.
A rep for one of the biggest showrooms of international designer gowns said it was besieged with requests for quieter dresses, no frills — and of course, black.
“We’re scouring the archives of designers for black, and they’re willing to [design] new gowns for A-list actresses,” the rep said.
A staffer for one of Hollywood’s biggest designers said: “The gowns will be more modest, but strong — a strong shoulder, all about power.”
Marilyn Heston of the MHA fashion-publicity firm in Los Angeles, said: “There’s always a last-minute scramble for better dresses — just this year, they’ll be black. I’m sure there won’t be as much strapless as usual, and the jewelry will be toned down. We’ve had a ton of requests for black shoes and black evening clutch bags.”
Tarana Burke, who founded the #MeToo movement, said she wasn’t contacted by anyone regarding the black-dress effort but considered it a bold statement of solidarity.
“This is what #MeToo is all about,” Burke said. “It speaks to the entire gravity of the times.”
There isn’t yet a #MeToo ribbon for celebs to wear, but Burke said stars were likely to pin on the teal ribbon conceived for April’s Sexual Assault Awareness month, created years ago in relation to campus sexual violence.
The Globes are called “Hollywood’s party of the year,” and first-time host Seth Meyers will have a lot to do with the evening’s mood.
The late-night TV host recently said he would almost certainly address the sexual-harassment scandals in his monologue but “the best jokes will be written within a week of it.”
A person in his camp told The Post: “Seth’s very smart. He’ll make respectful remarks about sexual abuse at the beginning, then at least a few Harvey Weinstein jokes later. After all, Harvey was the king of the Golden Globes.”
The Screen Actors Guild is staging its own protest for its awards ceremony on Jan. 21, by having only female presenters for the 13 acting awards.
Kathy Connell, executive producer of the SAG Awards, has a daughter who works aiding sexual-assault victims and helped influence the decision.
“This move was not just about sexual assault but equality in general,” Connell said.
The question still remains as to how the Oscars will handle its big elephant in the room: Whether last year’s Best Actor winner Casey Affleck, who has been accused of sexual assault by multiple women (and has denied the charges), should be presenting Best Actress, per Oscar tradition.
“Either way, it’s not great,” said a major talent agent. “If he goes, he could get booed. If he doesn’t, it’s clear he was not wanted there. Casey’s publicists are very concerned about it, believe me.”
There’s currently a petition, signed by 15,000 members, asking that Affleck be barred from presenting.
Dawn Hudson, Motion Picture Academy CEO, said the academy’s officers are mulling a decision.
Affleck’s publicists did not respond to requests for comment.
Whatever else happens, fashion historian Bronwyn Cosgrave predicted one safe bet:
“One thing you can be sure of, no one will be wearing Marchesa!”