Pittsburgh’s Billy Porter makes a statement on Emmys carpet

Bret Gibson
Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019 9:09 p.m. | Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019 9:09 p.m.

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AP

Billy Porter presents the award for outstanding variety talk series at the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

AP

Billy Porter arrives at the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

AP

Billy Porter arrives at the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

AP

Billy Porter arrives at the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

Pittsburgh native Billy Porter is no stranger of making fashion statements on the red carpet.

Sunday night for the Emmys, the star of “Pose” wore a striped silver crystal suit by Michael Kors Couture topped by a sizable black hat with a huge swoop adorned with 130,000 crystals by Stephen Jones Millinery, the Associated Press reported.

Billy Porter’s #Emmys look verified ✔️… More fashion moments here: https://t.co/zE6SlmlCBw pic.twitter.com/DmXIgZv5lM

— Variety (@Variety) September 22, 2019

Michael Kors Couture told The Hollywood Reporter, “took over 170 hours to hand embroider and the pinstripes were created using 51,510 mini crystals for the jacket and 79,200 for the pants.”

Porter, who was celebrating his 5oth birthday at the Los Angeles ceremony, says his fashion aesthetic boils down to “always be playful, always have fun and always make a statement. It’s fashion as activism.”

Billy Porter ain't playing fair! #Emmys https://t.co/euVfyDWksr pic.twitter.com/TYmUptWX5u

— ESSENCE (@Essence) September 23, 2019

Porter made history Sunday night by becoming the first openly gay black man to win the lead actor in a drama category.

He already has a Grammy and Tony award for his work on Broadway’s “Kinky Boots.”

Billy Porter’s nails.

That’s it. That’s the tweet. pic.twitter.com/mkYe5zbGPB

— Joe C. (@HeyJoeC) September 23, 2019

“I have always loved fashion,” Porter told E! on the red carpet. “I don’t know that ‘fashion icon’ was in the lexicon, but if people are saying that about me — that’s fine with me.”

1. No one can shut down a red carpet like Billy Porter. pic.twitter.com/980GrTTJVI

— E! News (@enews) September 22, 2019