Editors Note: Look of the Week is a regular series that highlights the most talked about outfit of the last seven days, showcasing the good, the bad, and the ugly.
At the Governors Awards on Tuesday, America Ferrera ditched Barbie's signature color and instead wore a black custom Moschino tuxedo. The sleek ensemble featured grosgrain peak lapels, matching pants, a cummerbund, and a bow tie.
Ferrera's interpretation of classic menswear provided a striking contrast to her "Barbie" co-star Margot Robbie's ruffled hot-pink homage to a vintage Barbie doll at this week's Golden Globes, continuing the trend of power-dressing and statement-making by Hollywood's leading ladies.
Calm, cool and collected: Zhou Xun, Emily Blunt and Cate Blanchett are seen filming a campaign for IWC Schaffhausen in Portofino, Italy.
Photopix/GC Images/Getty Images/FILE
The red carpet at the Golden Globes was shocked by Gillian Anderson's stunning dress.
Fashion designers have also given the tux some playful makeovers in recent years. Who could forget the stunning green Burberry three-piece with black lapels worn by Lou, Cate Blanchett's character in "Ocean's 8"; the playful sage Tom Ford tux, paired with a black tie and oversized pink bow accent on her waistline, that Blanchett herself wore to last year's Green Carpet Fashion Awards; or Janelle Monae's Dolce & Gabbana embroidered floral number at the 2018 Grammys?
Cate Blanchett wears a Tom Ford tux to the Green Carpet Fashion Awards 2023.
Dave Benett/Getty Images
Janelle Monae attends the 2018 Grammy Awards in Dolce & Gabbana.
Presley Ann/Patrick McMullan/Getty Images
But it wasnt always easy for women to sport a jacket and pants in public.
Ferrara's sharp tuxedo was reminiscent of Marlene Dietrich's suit in the 1930 film "Morocco." This look, featuring a top hat, was revolutionary at a time when it was unheard of for women to wear pants outside the home. Actresses like Dietrich, Greta Garbo, and Katharine Hepburn faced pressure and opposition from the very studios that employed them, but they persevered, laying the groundwork for women to wear pants today.
It wasn't until Yves Saint Laurent included his iconic "Le Smoking tuxedo" in his Fall-Winter 1966 collection that the female tuxedo began to be recognized in haute couture. However, even then, the tuxedo was not widely accepted as a wardrobe staple.
{{img_placeholder_3}}
Hollywood icon Marlene Dietrich broke with social convention of the time by sporting a tuxedo with bow tie and top hat.
According to the brand's website, Saint Laurent's tuxedo was considered too ahead of its time and was initially rejected by his high-end clientele. Despite the designer's confidence in the outfit, only one tuxedo from that collection was sold, even though he described it as an "indispensable garment" that would always make women feel stylish.
The label emphasized that the garment was stylish, not just fashionable, as quoted from its founder. The designer continued to incorporate tuxedos into his collections until 2002. With a new generation of actors such as Bella Ramsey, Zendaya, and even 16-year-old Ariana Greenblatt embracing the tuxedo trend, it is expected that we will see more of them on the red carpet and beyond.
{{img_placeholder_4}}
America Ferrera in her custom Moschino tuxedo. The Saint Laurent museum cite the look as being a "stylish garment not a fashionable garment."
Valerie Macon/AFP/Getty Images
Observers appear far kinder today than in Dietrich and Hepburns time.
"Le smoking⦠hot," read one comment on Ferraras stylist Karla Welchs Instagram post, while another user wrote: "Oh! One year ALL the women should wear tuxes to a show!"