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Spike Lee Explains His Fashionable Tribute to Prince on 2019 Oscars Red Carpet

BlacKkKlansman director also discusses his nomination on the red carpet

By Mike Vulpo Feb 25, 2019 12:14 AMTags
Watch: Spike Lee Tells What "BlackKklansman" Oscar Noms Mean to Him

Spike Lee is paying tribute to Prince at the 2019 Oscars.

Before the first awards were handed out Sunday night inside the Dolby Theatre, the BlacKkKlansman director walked the red carpet in a look that turned heads for all the right reasons.

When appearing on Live From the Red Carpet, Spike explained how his ensemble was a tribute to the late music superstar.

"This is an Ozwald Boateng suit and Michael Jordan commissioned the greatest sneaker designer ever to makes these gold Jordan 3's," he shared with E! News' Ryan Seacrest. "One last thing. My brother Prince. The end credit for this film, Prince is singing 'Mary Don't You Weep.'"

As for the purple suit, any Prince fan understands the power of that color. Spike also wore a custom-made gold, diamond and opal necklace in the singer's trademark shape.

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2019 Oscars Red Carpet Fashion

Tonight may just be a huge night for Spike who is nominated for Best Director thanks to BlacKkKlansman. When asked about the recognition, the 61-year-old couldn't help but express his hopes that it happened earlier.

Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

"It should have happened before but…" he explained before Ryan asked if it was water under the bridge.

"Let's not go too far," Spike added while laughing. "Maybe a trickle, maybe a tear drop."

Win or lose, Spike is confident that the film will be praised for years and years to come. In fact, he couldn't help but think of another movie that didn't win a trophy but won with fans and critics alike.

"I think this film is on the right side of history, so I don't need an Oscar to validate it," he shared. "That would be nice but for example, this coming year will be the 30th anniversary of Do the Right Thing. The fact that that film did not win an Oscar has not hurt that film so I think it will be the same case with this film."

And for those who didn't notice, Spike showed off two large knuckle rings—one emblazoned with "LOVE" and the other with "HATE." They were props in Do the Right Thing

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