Preparing for fashion’s biggest night is no small feat. On the day of, our favorite stars work tirelessly behind the scenes to create magic on the red carpet. However, the real work begins months before, when artists and designers meet to curate their shared vision. This year, the theme called upon attendees to celebrate Black identity, menswear, and personal style, which is exactly what Chappell Roan and designer Paul Tazewell channeled when they chose to partner with eBay
As an award-winning costume designer, Tazewell knew that the design for Roan’s debut had to speak to the theme, all while embodying who the singer is. They worked together alongside Roan’s longtime stylist Genesis Webb to create a look that honored all things disco drag—bold, colorful, expressive, and unapologetically “Chappell Roan.”
The task was simple in theory and extensive in execution: create an entirely bespoke look with upcycled pieces found on the platform. Tazewell shares, “When the theme was presented through the gaze of Black culture and Black men, it spoke directly to me and everything I prioritize. It’s a dream come true.” This passion and excitement resulted in him sourcing 830 pieces from eBay, to create a patchwork suit with a larger-than-life look that took approximately 1,100 hours with a team of 18 dedicated tailors, 8 beaders and embroiderers, and 7 rhinestone artists to develop. “It all started with acknowledging the importance of this theme, focusing on the style of Black culture and tailoring,” Tazewell shares on his inspiration. “We then had to find the intersection of Chappell Roan, everything she is drawn to visually, and pay homage to the style of drag queens, which has influenced her many performance looks.”
Ultimately, the duo chose to hero the Queen of San Francisco, whom Tazewell felt fit the theme of contemporary dandyism: audacious and dramatic, flamboyant and free.
“We had a lot of different influences and uses for this. We were leaning into queer 1980s, 1970s, disco drag music,” Roan gushes. “This is what Paul taught me: to channel that love of larger-than-life fashion, larger-than-life fearlessness.” Fitting then that the duo would create something truly boundless. “eBay gives access,” Roan explains. “Things that you didn’t think were possible and that you could only dream of can exist; there are versions of that there.”
It’s a platform that Roan and Webb have relied on throughout their careers—they know the platform and navigating the pages of rare pieces is something of a second nature for them. “I come from a background of finding things on eBay, and so does [Roan], so this process felt really natural for us,” Webb shared. The stylist pulled every accessory for Roan’s final look from the site, relieved to use a platform she relies on consistently to create impactful looks. “Honestly, in most things that we do, I use eBay for any accessories or things that are not available and not easy to find, as well as things that give real character,” Webb reveals. “It’s a full-circle moment for us even to be going to fashion’s biggest night with eBay because we’ve been using it for so long to build this world in a really authentic way.”
From creating $50 looks using eBay at the beginning of their careers to now, for Webb and Roan, it’s not just about finding rare looks that no one else will be wearing; it’s also about accessibility. “I know that it is difficult to afford some vintage pieces that are well-made and designer, and that is why it’s so important to lean into reusing, re-wearing,” says Roan, “Be conscious of buying pieces you actually love and are not just doing it for the trend. Maybe you won’t find that stuff in your hometown, but you can find it on eBay. When you open that door, you find a part of yourself that you’re like, ‘Oh my God, I didn’t realize that I liked campy 1980s clown-core jackets.'”
Clown-core aside, one thing is clear about Roan’s final red carpet look: It was authentic, seamlessly blending the genius of Tazewell while paying homage to the duo’s shared icons, all thanks to eBay. “Fashion is used as armor for me to protect,” Roan shares. “I think when I am in glam, in fashion, it is very much a persona of Chappell, and today is the epitome of fashion, full drag and camp. This is the top of the mountain. We’ve been working to realize everyone’s talents, dreams, and personalities fully. So it is armor, but in a protective way, but also a freeing way.” In her custom-made hot pink, patchworked suit, tailored to perfection and bedazzled at every inch, it’s clear that Roan honored her fashion sense fabulously. Free indeed.
