Why ‘OITNB’ Star Taryn Manning’s $200 SAG Awards Gown Is Causing Major Controversy
We saw a lot of pricey, over-the-top looks at last Sundays SAG Awards ceremony — Orange Is the New Black star Jessica Pimentel, for instance, walked the carpet in a $1.2 million Malon Breton gown. *Low whistle.* Her co-star, Taryn Manning, meanwhile, was making headlines for the exact opposite reason, thanks to her super affordable frock, which rang in at just under $200. Whether or not the RL Tiffany Doggett saw that as a good thing, however, is still up for debate.
The Boomkat singer is taking to Instagram to clarify comments she made to TMZ yesterday, when she was captured on video seeming less than thrilled to have been sporting an Adrianna Papell Sleeveless High/Low Ball Gown ($199) that’s readily available to the masses.
A reporter for the site greeted the Netflix star at LAX airport, saying, “I saw your dope $200 dress! That’s so cool!” only to be met with a less than favorable response.
“Did you say my $200 dress?” she asked, with the reporter replying, “Yeah. It’s cool!”
“No it’s not,” Manning countered, adding, “It’s whack that the stylist didn’t tell me that. But now everybody else can afford it, so that’s what’s cool about it, but it still sucks for me.”
Taryn Manning Is Pissed About $200 SAG Awards Dress, 'I Want a Superstar Gown' https://t.co/4I6Kyr6eGV
— TMZ (@TMZ) January 25, 2018
When pressed about why, she answered, “Cause! I wanted to be in like, a superstar gown. So the designer got a lot of press, she should pay me a lot of money,” she quipped as she rode away on an escalator.
Now, the actress is explaining her words via social media, posting a shot of herself in the look in question along with a lengthy caption as follows. “Hey guys,” she wrote. “I first want to say I’m sorry for the comments I made while being bombarded by paparazzi about my stylist and my dress. Let’s be clear, I loved my @adrianapapell dress and I’m friends with my stylist @chaunielle_brown. I felt so beautiful and I was proud to be there to support my amazing cast of strong women and celebrate our nomination.”
She continued on to say, “But styling should be a collaboration between the artist, stylist, and designer. I was completely caught off guard when all of the press about my dress was about about the cost, which I knew nothing about, and I felt used for someone else’s gain. There was nothing out there about why I was there in the first place.” (OITNB was up for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, though it ultimately lost out to HBO’s Veep).
“I would have loved to embrace that the dress was affordable at SAG, especially since so much about fashion is unattainable, but I wasn’t given that chance,” she concluded. “Every artist dreams of wearing couture on the red carpet if given the opportunity. But I am happy to be the proof that there is more to feeling confident, beautiful, and happy on the inside than just a price tag.”
Brown and Papell have issued no comment at this time.
What do you think of Taryn’s comments? Share over @BritandCo.
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(Photo via Frederick M. Brown + Frazer Harrison/Getty)
