- Hey everyone, I'm George Kotsiopoulos
and welcome to the Billboard Magazine
Hollywood Reporter Annual Pride Summit.
The LGBTQ community,
has certainly had its share of obstacles.
And while not being able to physically celebrate
Pride together is the least of our worries,
it's still not going to stop us.
Pride is not canceled and I'm so thankful,
we're able to band together to virtually celebrate.
Here's my friend Paige Mueller,
who is the VP of Unscripted at Hello Sunshine.
I love Paige because she's a wonderful ally
and cheerleader for the LGBT community
and she really loves to get dressed up.
Paige is always very chic and elegant,
but she really knows how to have fun.
Her clothing choices are pretty classic
but her favorite color is also leopard.
I thought this very simple, black, column gown,
would be great for her to emphasize her curves
and its simplicity was just screaming
for a really, really big moment.
I picked up this rainbow cape at the party store
and I just thought this gave us a wow factor,
and Paige added even more to it with her red lip.
I love a cape, it's like going out wrapped in a blanket
and kind of makes you feel like a superhero.
I think it's the best.
Here are my friends Katasi Kulubya,
who is a Lead Product Designer at Disney,
and her partner Felicia Dalton,
who is a math teacher at Windward School.
But do not worry, Felicia will not be chaperoning today.
I always love how Tasi looks.
She veers on the softer side of androgyny.
She showed up in this great, black, double-breasted blazer,
skinny trousers and the perfect black pen shoes.
But I thought it would be great
to give her a more formal look.
So I lent her one of my white shirts and a bow tie.
I thought it would be a cute homage to those
adorable couples who get all matchy-matchy for their proms.
So I pulled out this electric, blue, bow tie,
which I actually wore
for my first Emmys red carpet appearance.
Just to match the color of Felicia's slipped dress.
Felicia veers more femme with her dressing,
but it's silly to define someone just in one way.
Felicia has an edge so I lent her my motorcycle jacket
and gave her some shocking, pink earrings for fun.
We even added the pink star for an asymmetrical look,
and also a nod to what the girls in the 80s were doing
when I was in high school.
I think they look fabulous.
And I think they're gonna win Cutest Couple.
Owen's look is for the kind of person
who doesn't like to wear a lot of color
and might be a little bit more reserved.
Some people, gay or straight are just not
into wearing bright colors.
And that's fine.
But this is a great way to participate
and still feel comfortable.
None of this applies to Owen of course.
By any means he's just a model today,
but his look just shows how you can make a huge statement
with just one simple accessory like this colorful tie.
Mason McCulley is my actor friend who is
absolutely not afraid of getting dressed up.
Mason showed up with this super fun sequined blazer
that he bought and had never worn.
And when he tried it on I thought it looked perfect
with what he was already wearing.
So many people want to be super comfortable at formal events
and just wear their jeans and sneakers.
But honestly, you can't do this,
because it's important to elevate your look
for many reasons.
First of all, if you show up to a party
and everyone is dressed fabulously,
you're certainly going to experience a major FOMO.
I know I have been there.
Not to mention it's poor etiquette.
Your hosts invited you with a specific dress code in mind,
so it is a little rude
to not even make an attempt to participate.
My sweet friend Claudia Lee, is a fearless actress
and I did two looks on Claudia
because this is what she does.
She professionally becomes different people
and I just couldn't stop her.
Like many youngsters in their early 20s,
Claudia is obsessed with all things 90s.
She picked up this purple, sparkly, vintage dress last week.
Yes, 90s are vintage now.
And I thought it'd be perfect for Pride Prom.
We wanted to give it a bit of edge
so I gave her my 70s, vintage, denim vest
and added a bedazzled biker key chain around her neck.
Claudia's other look is a vintage, one shoulder,
rainbow dress from the 70s that was kneeling,
though we tucked it under as a micro-mini
to make it more modern.
Claudia loves to dance so she was happy
to wear old-school sneakers.
Plus, the sneakers were a nice balance
with the super girliness of the dress.
Think, Kristen Stewart on any red carpet.
She is a perfect example of someone
who dresses as their authentic self,
while still wearing what's appropriate for the event.
I think she has great style
and she's always true to herself.
This is my really good friend Todd Hawkins,
who is Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Hawkins Mikita,
a social impact firm.
They advise celebrities and entertainment brands
and executives on their philanthropic
and political strategies.
Todd also works with LGBTQ organizations
to advance equality and justice
and he's a national board member
of the Human Rights Campaign.
Todd is more preppy than flashy
but he was willing to get out of his comfort zone
for Pride Prom.
Todd is not prone to wearing really bold, bright colors
but he is certainly not afraid of them.
And thank God, because he looks amazing in them.
I served the perfect shirt for under Todd's suit
on the rock,
and it just happened to be from the women's department.
It used to be for the last few decades
that it was socially acceptable for women to wear
men's clothing but not vice versa and boy has that changed.
Wonderful that now there are shops that you can just walk
into and they don't direct you to one side or the other.
It's more like,
"shop wherever you like, you know anything goes."
This is Haley Provost, who is a journalist
and she also happens to be my adoring nice.
Her look is more a mash-up of a bunch of different styles
that harkens back to prior decades.
It's all about the 80s and 90s for these youngsters,
and for Haley, that means bicycle shorts,
bustiers and blazers.
Her cobalt, blue, power blazer
is straight off of an episode of "Designing Women".
Her earrings are a little bit like Melanie Griffith
in "Working Girl" but before she met Harrison Ford,
and her bustier and biker shorts are kind of like Madonna,
a little bit Demi Moore at the Academy Awards.
You guys remember that look?
She made it herself.
But the icing on the cake are
her fabulous, metallic, rainbow pumps.
Remember, just a couple of accessories
can take your look just over the edge.
For my look.
Lately I've been obsessed with wearing any type of suit
as a shorts suit, even to a formal event.
I just think it's more fun,
and it's a little bit irreverent.
So Pride Prom, for me could have been about bold colors,
but I'm making it about bling,
because I really wanted to wear one of the ties
from my new collection that I'm doing
with my friend Laura Bossy,
who is this fabulous couture designer
and tailor to the stars.
So we're taking these vintage designer ties,
meticulously hand-beading them,
and making something that was useless
into something that's fabulous.
Whenever I wear one of our ties,
I'm always stopped at parties, and I gotta be honest,
I love the attention.
We are dressing for ourselves,
but who doesn't love people coming up to you
and telling you how fabulous you look?
I really hope that all of these tips help you feel fabulous.
And if you get some adoring fans on the way,
then it's just an added bonus.
Thank you so much to Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter
for having me today.
And I hope that you guys have a fabulous time
at the Pride Prom.