Beyond the Fitting Room: Doechii Transforms Couture Process into Red Carpet Poetry
In a daring display of sartorial rebellion that would make Coco Chanel clutch her pearls, rising star Doechii defied the legendary designer’s famous advice to “take one thing off” before leaving the house. Instead, at last night’s 2025 GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles, she piled on the accessories with magnificent abandon, delivering a masterclass in fashion insurrection.
Commanding attention in a complete look from John Galliano’s provocative spring 2024 collection for Margiela, Doechii transformed the red carpet into her personal atelier. Her ensemble centered around an off-shoulder bustier meticulously crafted to resemble a designer’s mannequin—complete with exposed stitching and faux pin markings that celebrated the raw artistry of couture creation. The laminated nude plastic corset with its architectural asymmetrical shoulders and dramatic peplum silhouette provided a compelling foundation for her statement.
The bustier was artfully paired with a deconstructed black silk maxi skirt featuring intentionally unfinished layers that cascaded from the waistband in a beautiful chaos of fabric. Both pieces bore the distinctive haphazard white stitching that has become a hallmark of Galliano’s recent work for the boundary-pushing house.
But the true genius of Doechii’s ensemble emerged in her theatrical styling choices. In a move that transformed fashion utility into avant-garde accessorizing, she wrapped a simple white measuring tape around her neck—simultaneously employing it as a prop and reimagining the early 2000s skinny scarf trend with a meta-fashion twist. Her wrist bore a pin cushion bracelet worn like a corsage, further blurring the line between fashion creation and fashion presentation.
Her signature frameless rectangular glasses—a recurring element in her increasingly intellectual aesthetic—completed the creative vision while offering a scholarly counterpoint to the outfit’s deconstructed glamour. The delicate transparent frames provided a subtle nod to the librarian-chic movement currently sweeping through high fashion’s most progressive circles.
In true Margiela devotion, Doechii’s footwear demanded equal attention: the house’s iconic Tabi “bourgeoise spectator pumps” in a black and white Oxford iteration. The distinctive split-toe design and deliberately distressed finish complemented the artisanal deconstruction of her ensemble.
What makes Doechii’s interpretation particularly fascinating is its departure from Galliano’s original runway styling, where the look was presented with wraparound goggles, latex gloves, and a textured headpiece. By reimagining the collection through her own aesthetic lens, Doechii demonstrated the powerful dialogue between designer intent and personal expression that defines true fashion moments.
This “Phantom Thread-esque” approach to red carpet dressing represents more than a singular style statement; it signals a growing movement among celebrities to embrace conceptual fashion that tells a story beyond mere glamour. As the boundaries between costume and couture continue to dissolve, Doechii stands at the vanguard of performers using fashion as intellectual discourse.
In a celebrity landscape often dominated by safe choices and stylist-approved conformity, Doechii’s willingness to embrace Galliano’s architectural vision in its full, uncompromising glory proves that true style icons aren’t afraid to challenge convention. As the evening demonstrated, Doechii and John Galliano share not just an aesthetic appreciation but a kindred spirit of fashion rebellion—proving definitively that when rules exist to be broken, some of fashion’s most exhilarating moments emerge.
