File this look under: show-freakin'-stopper. Billy Porter may not be nominated for any awards at the 2019 Oscars [1], but he showed up on Sunday night ready to turn heads. The Pose [2] star arrived on the red carpet [3] with husband Adam Smith in an incredibly fabulous custom Christian Siriano velvet tuxedo gown [4]. Yep, business on the top and magnificent on the bottom. After posing for photos in the ballroom gown, Billy wore a tailored velvet skirt as he hosted a red carpet show.
The stunning look is not at all out of character for Billy. After pulling up to the Golden Globes earlier this year wearing a pink cape [5], Billy "had the courage to push the status quo," he told Vogue about his Oscars look [6]. "My goal is to be a walking piece of political art every time I show up. To challenge expectations. What is masculinity? What does that mean? Women show up every day in pants, but the minute a man wears a dress, the seas part. . . 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."
He added, "People are going to be really uncomfortable with my black ass in a ball gown — but it's not anybody's business but mine." Well, he looked spectacular to us, and he even honored ballroom legend Hector Xtravaganza with his gown [7]. See photos of Billy's Siriano look ahead, and prepare to be wowed.
