Why Hayden Panettiere’s Off-the-Rack Tom Ford Golden Globes Dress Is Causing Controversy

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Hayden Panettiere set tongues wagging when it was reported that the Tom Ford dress she wore to the 2014 Golden Globes was something she bought off the rack.

Now, what’s so wrong about buying a dress for a special night? It’s what we regular human beings do, right?

Hayden Panettiere set tongues wagging when it was reported that the Tom Ford dress she wore to the 2014 Golden Globes was something she bought off the rackHayden Panettiere in her off-the-rack Tom Ford dress at the 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards held at The Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 12, 2014

The controversy lies in the fact that this happened during an internationally televised awards show, in which celebrities are treated as walking ad campaigns for top luxury fashion designers and exclusive global brands. The actors and actresses may have only borrowed everything they’re wearing, but like any regular ad campaign, all of that was carefully planned, styled, and orchestrated beforehand.

Naomi Watts was supposed to be Tom Ford’s master-planned muse that night. Not only does Tom Ford infamously dress just one star per awards show, but he also only chooses to dress big-name movie stars. So, for TV actress Hayden Panettiere to just show up in a dress she bought off the rack is considered a major faux pas.

Hayden Panettiere Tom Ford dress 2014 Golden Globes

What’s even more bothersome is how Hayden wasn’t straightforward about the store-bought origins of her Tom Ford dress. When E! News asked who she was wearing that night, she replied, “Tom Ford. It’s the first time I’ve ever worn him, because I’ve been begging ever since. I feel sexy in it, I feel comfortable in it, and I’m in Tom Ford. I would wear a plastic bag if it was designed by him.”

Was she trying to imply that Tom Ford actually dressed her in that vague response?

Anyway, we don’t even know why Hayden chose that particular black-and-white halter gown when it’s already been worn twice before. Jourdan Dunn wore the exact same dress to the Harper’s Bazaar Women of the Year Awards, while Julianne Moore wore a long-sleeved version to last year’s Golden Globe Awards. If you’re going to pay thousands of dollars for a dress, it might as well be a new one, right?

Jourdan Dunn receiving her Model of the Year award in a video she shared on Instagram on November 7, 2013

 

Julianne Moore at the 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at The Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 13, 2013Julianne Moore at the 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at The Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 13, 2013

One person who doesn’t seem to be bothered by all of this is Tom Ford himself. Hayden Panettiere tweeted this picture of flowers and a card that Tom sent her after the Golden Globes:

Hayden Panettiere tweeted this picture of flowers and a card that Tom sent her after the Golden Globes

Note how she was still being vague about whether she was actually dressed by Tom Ford.

We want to know what you think: Do you consider Hayden Panettiere’s showing up to the Golden Globe Awards in a store-bought, off-the-rack dress trendsetting or tacky?

Credit: Apega / WENN