Skirting the Carpet

When carpets meet fashion it’s a photographer’s dream…

The red carpet brings the fashion world’s most stylish and sought after designs into the public’s eye. This week at Carini, we have delved into fashion archives searching for times when carpets and fashion were paired to a tee. From fashion photographer Juergen Teller to Vivienne Westwood, we have gathered the ways in which carpets have been used as part of set design in some of the most renowned editorials in fashion’s history.

The story of the red carpet began a long time ago; in fact, the earliest known reference to walking a red carpet in literature is in the play Agamemnon by Aeschylus, written in 458 BC. When the title character returns from Troy, he is greeted by his vengeful wife Clytemnestra who offers his a red path to walk upon:

“Now my beloved, step down from your chariot, and let not your foot, my lord, touch the Earth. Servants. Let there be spread before the house he never expected to see, where Justice leads him in. a crimson path.”

Agamemnon, knowing that only gods walk on such luxury, responds with trepidation:

“I am a mortal, a man; I cannot trample upon these tinted splendors without fear thrown in my path”

It is by no coincidence that the icons of the fashion world have used carpets in their advertising and editorials – from a contextual base, their product is aligned with authenticity and labor, dedication to the craft (with each of our carpets taking on average of 10,000 hours of labor to create). The red carpet was traditionally used to mark the route taken by heads of state on ceremonial and formal occasions, in recent decades it has been extended to use by VIPS and celebrities at formal events.

Check out our Pinterest board for more of our favorite Skirting The Carpet moments: https://www.pinterest.com/joecarinicarpet/skirting-the-carpet/

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