To Pee or Not To Pee? That Is Not the Question...

The secrets of how stars like Lady Gaga deal with long-dress logistics at awards shows

By Leslie Gornstein Feb 01, 2010 11:18 PMTags
Lady GagaJohn Shearer/Getty Images

Having seen Lady Gaga and others last night, I wonder, How do the stars go to the bathroom when they are wearing those long gowns, especially the ones with the long trains? Do they have to have someone go into the stalls with them?

—MaFleming, via the Answer B!tch inbox

Hollywood stylists are expected to do many things for their clients on awards show night, including parading around with them at all times if they have several wardrobe changes. (Rihanna had at least two on Grammy night; she likely had a minion standing by in case of a clothing crisis—Nicole Kidman-style headlights, for example.)

But what goes on in the bathroom? I mean besides bunches of A-listers getting together to discuss how many Spanx they're wearing? Well...

"I've never gone with a client into a bathroom," says Cloutier agency superstylist Vincent Boucher, who works with Teri Hatcher and who is planning to dress a star for the Oscars red carpet. "I assume at a super A-list event like that, there are attendants in the bathrooms. So stylists needing to assist, I am sure that doesn't come into play."

That isn't to say that certain stars don't require aid during a red carpet event; it was pretty clear Lady Gaga could barely make it out of her car in her lavender Sputnik arrival gown last night. And Beyoncé, in past years, has brought along a stylist to spread out the hems of her long gowns on the red carpet so that the photos look perfect.

As for the specific anatomical details of how a star might use the lavatory while wearing a skintight floor-length painted-on gown, well, you asked. Many of the stars wear shapewear such as Spanx under their gowns in lieu of underwear—and many of those shapewear options include openings in the middle for stress-free pit stops.

________

See whose train is a trainwreck in our Fashion Police Grammy gown smackdown.