No, Selena Gomez's Dress Did Not Come With a Glowing Heart — Actually, It's Attached to Her Leg
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Selena Gomez has released a new Spanish song, "De Una Vez," accompanied by a music video for us to get lost in. Gomez is clearly excited about this new chapter of her career. "This is the beginning of something I've wanted to explore for so long," she tweeted. "I hope you love it as much as I do." So it makes sense she'd call in a styling team she could trust to bring this romantic story to life. Shirley Kurata and Lauren Levin teamed up for the project, selecting a spring 2021 Rodarte dress with silk flowers from the brand to match. The look was complete with Daniela Villegas Libertad opal earrings, which are a symbol for staying true to yourself and helped to paint the picture of healing — that's exactly what this song is about.
We talked to Shirley about the styling process and what it was like to work with Selena on set. She confirmed plenty of neat details, including the fact that the Rodarte dress fit like a glove and happened to be the first one Selena tried on, though there were runners-up. The jewelry was also chosen before the dress, and the story of how the glowing Milagro heart came to life is pretty neat, too. Even though this isn't the type of video where Selena graces us with multiple outfit changes, it's safe to say she makes an impression in this beautiful floral number alone, and the story behind her ensemble is definitely worth reading.
Keep reading for our interview with Shirley, then watch the video in full.
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POPSUGAR: How did you settle on this spring 2021 Rodarte dress for Selena?
Shirley Kurata: When I read the treatment for the video, the first thought for me was that Rodarte would be perfect for this, but [video directors] Los Perez coincidentally had images of Rodarte looks in their mood board. I had just styled the photo shoot for Rodarte's SS21 collection (see above) with stylist Ashley Furnival, so I was familiar with the whole collection. We also needed a dress that would feature the Milagro heart in a cohesive and beautiful way, and would reflect what Selena wanted to express in the video. The heart was designed by the production designer, Fernanda Guerrero, who worked together with Mexican craftsman Alfonso Camara, who made the piece.
"[Pink] is a color that is often tied to the heart, which was the theme of the video — the healing heart."
PS: Is there a significance to choosing the color pink for Selena's look?
SK: Los Perez had initially sent me a treatment and mood board, and they felt pink would be a color that would work best with the set decor and lighting. It is a color that is often tied to the heart, which was the theme of the video — the healing heart. With COVID and political unrest in our world, the message of healing and growth that Selena wanted to convey is indeed an important message.
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PS: How did you affix the glow-up heart to the front of the dress?
SK: There were some tricky elements to it. It was attached to a battery pack that we had to anchor around her thigh, similar to a mic pack. Since the heart was attached with long wires, we needed a dress that we could anchor the heart to and hide the wires, either by cutting a hole in the dress to pass the wires through or running it down the neckline. Since the dress was a sample, we didn't want to cut or damage the dress, so we made sure we could pass the wires down the neckline without them being visible. We also wanted to be able to attach it to the dress without tearing the fabric, so we sewed a separate fabric on top of the dress to tack the heart onto. The heart was made from a rubber mold, so only certain glues would work with it. It wasn't just something we could sew on with needle and thread. It took some experimenting with glue, tape, and hand sewing to make sure it stayed on while filming.
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"It was great to be a part of a project that involved female and Latinx voices, something that we need to see more of."
PS: Do you have any great memories from working with Selena on set?
SK: It was my first time working with Selena, who is a gem to work with. She is so lovely and easygoing. The dress fit perfectly — we didn't need to do any alterations to it! — like it was meant to be. It was also the first time I worked on a project where the directors directed the shoot remotely, and they did such an amazing job directing without being there. It did open me up to the idea that with technology, we can change the landscape of how things are created. It was great to be a part of a project that involved female and Latinx voices, something that we need to see more of.
