E! News entertainment host, Nina Parker is a class act. From hosting two shows on the entertainment giant to hosting Love & Hip Hop reunions to gracing red carpets like the Grammys and the Oscars, Parker has truly maneuvered through the industry being authentically herself.
And through it all, she has done so, serving looks every stop of the way. This awards season, Parker has been booked and busy, usually hosting E! red carpet segments and waltzing on the carpet in between takes. This past weekend, her hectic ceremonial season ended with the 92nd Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles, California however, the host approached the Oscars a little bit differently this year.
“I designed and created my own Oscars dress this year due to very limited plus-size options. I’ll create a lane of my own,” Parker wrote on her Twitter (@MzGossipGirl). The host posted a picture posing in a royal blue v-cut gown with chic sheer sleeves. “You CAN have couture AND curves!” her tweet concluded.
“There’s been progress, I can’t say there hasn’t, but it seems like in 2020, we’re still very much behind and not where we should be.” – Nina Parker
In between tapings for E! yesterday, Parker spoke to ESSENCE to detail more of her dress designing experience.
“I made it out of frustration. I’ve been doing award season for several years and have always had challenges with trying to find a dress that fits a curvy woman,” she exclaimed. “My stylist Ashley Loewen had reached out to a couple of designers to see if they would dress me. None of them really replied back. So we decided, you know what? We’ll just do it ourselves.”
After sourcing fabrics and sketching with her stylist, Parker and Loewen found a dressmaker to create what would be Parker’s Oscars 2020 look. “There’s been progress, I can’t say there hasn’t, but it seems like in 2020, we’re still very much behind and not where we should be,” she says. “I believe the average-sized woman is a size 16 yet, 16 is considered plus size and how is it plus if it’s average?” Parker asked.
After creating her first dress, there may be a future for the host and her stylist to dive into fashion design. “We’ve just kind of started this partnership together and so that definitely is something that I’m hoping for when the right opportunity presents itself. Because it definitely seems like it’s needed,” Parker concluded.