There are few garments more democratic than a blue shirt — and few stages more rarefied than the Oscars red carpet. For Barbie Ferreira’s appearance at the 98th Academy Awards, Zac Posen decided to bridge the two together.
Designed through Posen’s GapStudio line, the Euphoria star’s gown began with the outline of Gap’s Big Shirt before escalating into something far more dramatic: a corseted bodice structured with more than seventy bones and a sweeping moiré taffeta skirt in the brand’s unmistakable blue. It was a clever bit of American fashion logic — the blue shirt, perhaps the most ordinary garment in the national wardrobe, reimagined with the discipline and spectacle required for the Oscars red carpet.
In an exclusive conversation with GRAZIA USA, Posen discusses how the Big Shirt became a couture experiment — and why bringing Gap to the Oscars felt like a particularly American kind of glamour.
GRAZIA: Barbie’s gown draws from corsetry but also references the Gap Big Shirt. How did those two seemingly opposite ideas come together in the design?
ZAC POSEN: I was interested in balancing structure and fluidity. The bodice is built with the precision of traditional corsetry, while the skirt comes from the relaxed spirit of the Gap Big Shirt. That familiar gesture of tying a shirt around the waist became the starting point for the silhouette.
GRAZIA: The gown is rendered in Gap’s signature blue—what made that color feel right for this particular Oscars moment?
POSEN: Gap blue carries a lot of heritage for the brand. In moiré taffeta it takes on a beautiful depth and movement. It felt like the right way to bring that color onto the Oscars red carpet.
GRAZIA: The Gap Big Shirt is such an everyday icon—what excites you about transforming something so familiar into couture?
POSEN: I enjoy starting with a form people already recognize and seeing how far it can evolve. With the Gap Big Shirt, I approached the familiar structure, the collar and proportions, and abstracted it through draping into a new gesture. By transforming it into a gown, the original shirt gains another meaning and purpose while still carrying the memory of its everyday form.
GRAZIA: Corsetry has experienced a major resurgence in fashion. What fascinates you about it as a design language today? What does that level of structure allow you to achieve visually and architecturally?
POSEN: Corsetry is really about shaping the silhouette. I’ve worked with construction and corsetry alongside fluid drape throughout my career, and that dialogue between structure and movement continues to fascinate me.
For Barbie’s look we used more than seventy individual bones to sculpt the bodice. The boning is sewn in so it almost creates a trapunto effect, giving the surface a subtle raised structure while defining the architecture of the piece. Once that structure is in place, the fabric of the skirt can move with a lot of fluidity.
GRAZIA: The skirt can be completely unbuttoned and worn open like a robe or jacket. Why was versatility important to this design?
POSEN: Versatility is very much part of Gap’s spirit. Even with a red-carpet gown, I like the idea that the piece can transform and be styled in different ways. The skirt can be completely unbuttoned and worn open like a robe or jacket, which shifts the gesture of the garment entirely. It also brings a sense of fun and irreverence to the look.
That sense of transformation is really the spirit and the hybrid nature of the design, and I like the idea of giving that kind of freedom and empowerment to a young performer wearing it.
GRAZIA: Barbie Ferreira has a very distinct presence on the red carpet. What aspects of her personality did you want the gown to amplify?
POSEN: Barbie brings a strong sense of individuality to the carpet. I wanted the look to feel glamorous but still effortless, with a bold silhouette balanced by the relaxed shirt inspiration.
GRAZIA: How do you approach designing for a woman who embodies both glamour and modern irreverence?
POSEN: It becomes a process of balancing those counterpoints. You create a strong silhouette while grounding it in something familiar so it still feels natural and modern.
GRAZIA: The Oscars red carpet has long been dominated by European houses. Does bringing Gap into that space change the conversation about American fashion?
POSEN: Absolutely. It proves that American fashion isn’t just about basics; it’s about the evolution of those basics into something extraordinary. It shows how far a heritage brand can evolve through design and craftsmanship. GapStudio is about exploring that potential and presenting it on a global stage.
For me personally, it’s very meaningful. I’ve had the privilege of evolving alongside many incredible talents in the entertainment industry for more than twenty years, representing independent American design on the red carpet. To now do this with one of the most iconic American companies is something I feel very proud of and take seriously, bringing a sense of excellence, care, glamour, and empowerment to that stage.
GRAZIA: What does “American glamour” mean to you today?
POSEN: American glamour today is about confidence and natural presence. It carries a spirit of self-invention and reinvention, the idea that identity and style can continually be authored by the individual. That sense of possibility has always been central to the American imagination, and I find it incredibly powerful. It reflects a culture where creativity and individuality define glamour in a truly authentic way.
GRAZIA: When someone like Barbie steps onto the Oscars carpet in a look like this, what story do you hope it tells?
POSEN: I like the idea that something as essential as a blue shirt can be reimagined for the red carpet through craft and design. It’s a strong, vibrant look, a little fanciful and unexpected, and it carries a real sense of presence. When Barbie steps onto the carpet in it, she feels powerful, romantic, and confident, enchanting the room with a certain vibrancy.
A look like that creates a moment of curiosity, almost like a new perfume entering the space, leaving an impression and suggesting the many exciting creative chapters still to come.
