From handmade clothes to Gucci and Armani, Celine Dion's journey to couture queen is,
in the most literal sense ever, a rags to riches story of titanic proportions.
"Time to hit the road."
1997 marked the release of the blockbuster hit, "Titanic," which had '90s tweens flocking to
movie theaters and returning again and again. The cultural phenomenon that the film drummed
up was almost an obsession. Of course, Dion's award-winning movie track, "My Heart Will Go
On," was a large element of the fandom. The song became a jewel in Dion's discography.
As Dion's fame rose with "Titanic" sales, she set aside the excess of the '80s and elevated the
prom dresses of her youth, opting for looks that embodied the minimalist mood of the era. She began
stunning in sheer, sleek, spaghetti-strap maxi dresses, getting bold with the "naked" look — like
the red, sparkly dress with sheer paneling on the waist that she wore to the '97 T.J. Martell
Foundation Gala. She also wore a "naked" brown halter crochet dress to the '97 Grammy Awards.
A new era of the "naked dress" is upon us,
so clearly Dion's bold steps in the '90s helped set the foundations for today.
Celine Dion's now-infamous backward Galliano tuxedo she wore to the 1999
Oscars was polarizing, standing out amongst the glittering dresses on the red carpet.
"The people thought I made a mistake because I was late and I put the jacket reverse, but I'm not
stupid." "Right!"
But the daring fashion twist is now known as one of her most iconic looks.
Even though she considered the look a flop, it opened the door to different
ideas of glamor and remained one of her favorites. She told Vanity Fair 2019:
"People thought, Is that a joke? What is she trying to say? I wasn't trying
to say anything. I'm just having a great time."
Dion presented an updated version of her backward tux at the Giorgio Armani Prive
Haute coutur show that same year, wearing Armani wide-leg trousers and a white shirt
that created its own knee-length tail and a large black bow tie around the collar.
Celine Dion has always been a fan of shimmering like an elegant chandelier on stage during her
Las Vegas residencies at Caesar's Palace. In 2003, she took up her first residency in Vegas,
and it remained her domain for the next 16 years. Before Dion,
Vegas was no longer a glamorous place for major stars — instead,
it had become a graveyard of the once-famous. Dion told Elle that when she first announced
her residency it didn't immediately sound like a good career move. As she put it:
"People thought we were absolutely bazooka for performing here!"
During her epic performances, Dion awed crowds in glamorous gowns with
dramatically low necklines and sparkles. In 2011, show-opening curtains rose, revealing Dion in a
25,000 crystal Armani Privé gown, illuminated by stage lights. Her stylist at the time,
Annie Horth, put together the glam looks and explained the stunning moment, saying:
"You want people to be excited by what they see. The stage clothes have an edge all their own."
Horth and Dion first teamed up in the late '90s, taking a break when Dion moved to
Vegas. But when Dion decided to move away from traditional Vegas costumes, she got Horth back
on board to give her wardrobe a facelift. Horth collaborated with haute couture designers to
develop seven distinct looks. Ever since, Dion almost only wears couture for performances.
Celine Dion's couture angel look gave her performance of Titanic's "My Heart Will
Go On" wings at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards. Her emotional vocals,
paired with the breathtaking crystal chandelier curtain and visuals of
the tragic movie romance playing behind her, made for an emotional watch on the
film's 20th anniversary. The Atlantic said the performance "saved the Billboard Music Awards."
Stylist Law Roach told Billboard,
"I think when those lights come up, people are really going to have that clutch my pearl,
that deep sigh moment. You will remember her performance and her voice,
but you will also remember her dress. No doubt about it."
"It was emotional. I was like, 'Hold your tears Hold your tears.'"
Stéphane Rolland Couture created the captivating gown,
according to Harper's Bazaar. It features dramatic puffed shoulders
over a long-sleeved body-hugging gown and a deep plunging neckline with silver accents..
Law Roach, who had worked with Dion prior to the event, told Billboard:
"I think I've really grown to know who Celine is as an artist, a woman,
and a fashion girl. I don't think a lot of people
got to see that before and it's so fun for me to be able to show people through our fashion
choices exactly who this woman is that we all grew up listening to our entire lives."
In 2018, Celine Dion took a break from Vegas to tour,
with costuming that played more boldly with fashion. Law Roach said to Vanity Fair:
"Céline has no fear. And when you have that type of energy,
you have this attitude that we can do whatever we want and we don't care who
likes it or dislikes it. Fashion is supposed to be polarizing. It has to be overwhelming."
Even though Roach has been credited with the Canadian singers' revamped style,
even he was taken aback by how fashion-savvy she already was when they began working together.
In addition to her many iconic tour outfits during this era, Dion showed up on "The
Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" wearing a dazzling Schiaparelli Haute couture dress.
"I don't know if you know this, but we're in the middle of a Celine-aissance."
"You should have let me know. I would have dressed appropriately."
The beige look included a gathered-sleeve top in double organza, which she paired
with a nude pleated wool skirt and black pumps. The gathered sleeves
that tumbled off her shoulders gave a dramatic, sexy look.
Celine Dion continued to impress during 2019's Fashion Week, making her mark on
the French capital. She attended all the top shows in stunning outfits, which took bold and
playful risks. When she attended the Valentino show, she wore an elegant, modern, feathered
turtleneck dress by Valentino which she combined with silver heels and a shimmering metallic purse.
It's obvious how much Dion loves fashion. You can witness her joy as she's often caught
clapping and cheering in the subdued fashion crowd. At Giambattista Valli's show in 2017,
an Instagram video showed her jumping up and down in excitement. At Valentino creative head,
Pierpaolo Piccioli's show, Dion went viral again in another video,
wiping away tears as models floated by in colorful organza while surrounded by flowers and opulence.
Dion is often moved to tears of joy, but these seemed to be tinged more with melancholy. For
Dion, another element of the moment could have been the fact that the show played Roberta Flack's
"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," which is the song that she and her late husband had
their first wedding dance to in '94. The date coincided around the anniversary of his death.
Celine Dion dropped jaws at the 2019 Met Gala in an Oscar de la Renta bodysuit,
decked out with sequins and draped in glorious glittering, beaded fringe,
topped off with a towering feathered headpiece. Dion's outfit was constructed from 18 panels,
was hand-beaded by 52 master embroiderers, took 3,000 hours to create, and weighed over 22 pounds.
While strutting it on the red carpet, Dion played into the nostalgia with showgirl poses.
"I mean, who doesn't want to look…"
"Look at that beadwork. Look at that wingspan."
2019 was only her second Met Gala. She first attended in 2017, wearing a black and white
Versace gown and a modern structured headpiece. Dion radiated a vibrant,
bubbly energy and wasn't shy to let people know how thrilled she was to be attending.
Videos and photos of her went viral, and critics proclaimed 2017 as "the year of Celine Dion."
Celine Dion continued her fashion parade during 2019's Paris Fashion Week, stepping out in a
satin, bridal-inspired Alexandre Vauthier gown with billowing floor-length sleeves.
She combined the dress with gold strappy heels and layered bling on her fingers.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Dion said:
"I just love his work so much, it's so classy, so chic and just so sexy at the same time."
Dion is apparently obsessed with buying designer pieces. She already has such a large fashion
collection — 10,000 pairs of shoes, to be exact — that she needs a warehouse! She told Vanity Fair,
"I treated myself to a playground: two stories of archives for all my clothes, shoes, belts."
In a segment of "Carpool Karaoke," James Corden surprised Dion with a plan to give away a few
pairs of her shoes to passersby on the Strip, joking that she would still have 9,975 pairs left.
"Did that feel good? Did that feel good? Are you okay?" "I need alcohol."
2019's Fashion Week produced some of Dion's best looks. She wore the executive couture
look by Ronald Van Der Kemp to his fashion show. The shimmering, sharp,
metallic-gray suit, with pointed sculptural padded shoulders, made her look like the
boss she is. The look was more subdued than her others but just as luxurious,
especially with the gold accents of her jewelry and high stilettos.
Stylist Sydney Lopez summed up Dion's fashion sense in an interview with People, saying:
"I don't think Céline is limited to any type of
look […] she is able to capture so many styles and own them."
In 2019, Dion was dubbed "the couture queen" as well as "the designer darling," per People.
But as we know, she wasn't born with a silk spoon in her mouth. She told Vanity Fair:
"I have 13 siblings, and I was the last. Clothing.
My mom didn't have money to buy it, so she made the clothes."
It's incredibly inspiring to see how Celine Dion forged her own path to
fame and fashion from such humble beginnings. Celine-aissance indeed!