It started with the #TimesUp blackout during January's Golden Globes, where a missive to wear all black to protest gender disparity resulted not only in some uniquely stunning looks — from Tracee Ellis Ross' satin turban to Clare Foy's Stella McCartney suit — but also in an unprecedented show of solidarity. For the first time, nearly everyone in Hollywood agreed that the red carpet could be a place to bring attention to real feats of activism. The icing on the cake was that it firmly established the connection between what actors wear and what they have to say. During each subsequent awards, it became clearer that the public began to expect that the clothing actresses wore would be a way to talk about the issues they care about. For fashion people, this was a moment to celebrate. We've always known that clothes should communicate something. But for that idea to become a cultural norm has done something amazing for the red carpet.