Red Carpet Rollercoaster
Dresses in limbo: David Peck waits to see if his creations will make the Emmy's
Of all the eyes glued to the red carpet at the Emmy’s Sunday, none will be keeping a closer watch than Houston designer David Peck. A last-minute call from a Los Angeles stylist on behalf of an Emmy-nominated writer sent Peck into fashion frenzy and the end result was two couture gowns, waiting for their moment on someone’s best-dressed list
Despite his hard work, there’s no guarantee Peck’s getting a Hollywood ending, so he’s just holding his breath until the cameras roll.
If Peck was being followed by a reality show TV crew over the past two weeks, viewers would have seen what it’s like for the designer instead of the stylist. The frantic fittings, the rush to get the dresses made and then sent to the client are what it takes to make a celebrity (and designer) shine.
Peck was in the middle of prepping his show for Houston Fashion Week, when he was asked to design a dress for a Mad Men writer. Peck created two dresses, a strapless terracotta bustier draped peplum gown and a one-shouldered black-and-white crepe de Chine gown.
And then he got the news all designers dread, but expect. Other gowns were in the running.
“It’s not surprising. It never goes the way you think it’s going to go and there are thousands of dresses competing against yours,” Peck says. “Even when you hand-deliver a dress to Anne Hathaway, you can’t count on it until you see it on the red carpet.”
He’s not giving up hope though. Ali Marie Kahn, a LA-stylist from Houston, has passed the dresses to a contact at Marie Claire magazine, who is sending them out to other red carpet walkers.
“It’s not over, there’s still a chance. I’m just not sure who yet,” Peck says.