Red Carpet Review: Academy Awards 2013

There are only two things I will say about the hosting and show in general: there were segments that seemed to stretch out for eternity, and why can't Tina and Amy host everything, because MacFarlane was lame. Moving on.

I've been seeing and saying this for a while, but the 20s are and will be strongly referenced in fashion this year, and the Oscars certainly showed that. It's not the straight-up flapper references that you might expect, but instead Art Deco becomes the star. There was plenty of beading and column dresses to help stars look like charming versions of the Chrysler building.

Jessica Chastain and Catherine Zeta Jones were both in Deco beaded gold, but each having different success. Chastian's is subtle and lovely, and while Jones's beading was neat, it was not the best silhouette for her body.

Halle Berry's Deco dress was the most architecture-like. I love the minimal structured shoulder that has been more popular in recent years. It's strong without being 80s big or overly masculine.

Other Deco dresses included Stacy Keebler and Michelle Obama, and Nora Jones' and Nicole Kidman's dresses showed small winks to Deco.

 

Worst!
I didn't consider any dresses in my deliberations from red carpet interviewers or other stars who are always poorly dressed, bless their hearts. Aside from the usual suspects, my bottom three are Anne Hathaway, Kristen Stewart, and Renee Zellweger.

I know, Stewart should probably be one of the usual suspects, but she just looked so sloppy, from hair to dress to posture, that I couldn't not put her on the list. The fit is terrible and the dress looks like it's sliding down her body. Plus she cleared her throat into the microphone at least twice while she was presenting. Ew.

Renee Zellweger looked sloppy too. The color was wrong for her and the silhouette did nothing for her figure. She looked like she felt really uncomfortable.

My boo-iest boo goes to Anne Hathaway. I have to admit that the dress looks passable in this picture, but it was worse when she moved in it. It looked like student work to me with the odd fit, that tortured looking fabric, and eight different straps in the back, and I'm always disappointed when dresses don't have or don't facilitate bust support. However, I loved her necklace.

Dishonorable mention!
I have to mention both Jennifer Lawrence's and Amy Adams' dresses. While they both had lovely elements, they were simply too much dress. The ladies looked uncomfortable and cumbersome when they moved, and I can't even imagine trying to sit in a theatre seat for four hours with that much fabric to contend with.

 

Speaking of volume, Jennifer Aniston's dress had a better proportion of volume, and she looked lovely in that perfect red.

Best!
I wrote down a lot of dresses that were good to great, but nothing was a stand out for me. I suppose my four favorites were Jessica Chastain (pictured above), Sandra Bullock, Charlize Theron, and Naomi Watts. (Yes, Naomi Watts.)

I have been loving designer Elie Saab lately, and Bullock wore it well. Lace is rather a tricky medium, because it can quickly turn old fashioned and dowdy, but Saab has the magic touch.

I just love that Theron's dress is dramatic with exceptionally clean structure and lines. I could've done without the vee in the front, but it didn't ruin the look.

I will get flack for this, but I applaud Watts' dress. It was different from anything on the red carpet, it had those clean lines and asymmetry that I love, and it was a nice balance of classic with something unexpected. Not just anyone could've worn this dress, but Watts pulled it off in my book.

Honorable Mentions!
In no particular order, all of these ladies looked lovely. Octavia Spencer, Kerry Washington, Queen Latifa, Jamie Foxx's daughter in dark teal, and Daniel Day Lewis' wife.

 

Red Carpet Review: Oscars 2012

I would like to create a new pre-Oscars red carpet show. Picture this: a producer off camera would ask a celebrity who they are wearing; someone would type this information into a computer; the celebrity  stands and poses for a moment so two cameras could film the front and back of the dress/tuxedo; the designer information would appear on the screen simultaneously; everyone could see the fashions and no one would have to hear a "personality" ask inane questions that elicit equally inane answers. We could see so many more fashions in so little time and it would be great. (Rant complete.)

If I talked about all the fashions I wanted to, this post would get crazy long, so here's a synopsis of what I saw on the red carpet.

Trends!
There were several dresses in a buff to ever-so-slightly pink neutral color walking down the red carpet as well as several all-over sequin gowns. There were also several dresses in shades of blue and a few in shades of red.

Best!
Emma Stone looked fantastic in Giambattista Valli. Beautiful in color, fabric, and simple silhouette. Not everyone could pull off a giant puffy bow at the neckline, but Ms. Stone wore it gracefully.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I loved Gwenyth Paltrow's all white look by Tom Ford. At first I was leery of the cape, but there really was something regal and polished about it. Without the cape, the dress was simple, flattering, and stunning. It was too bad her hair looked terrible.

The fabric was the star of Penelope Cruz's Armani Prive gown; it moved so elegantly. Plus the slate color popped nicely on the red carpet. I wasn't crazy about her hair, there was something a little off, but overall she looked stunning.

Worst! 
Rooney Mara's Givenchy dress was a sad and droopy. The flanges on the bust frankly made her breasts look long, which throws the proportions of the silhouette. However, I though her styling was fantastic. Her delicate features, fair skin, red lipstick, and severe hair makes her look like a 60s French ballerina.

Jennifer Lopez's dress was just...odd. I didn't understand it. The sleeve cutouts and junior-high-student-length sleeves gave a trashy feeling to the dress.

Colin Firth's wife, Liria Giuggioli, looked matronly in her modernized crumb-catcher bodice. It had the same effect as Mara Rooney's dresses, making this beautiful Italian woman look droopy and ill proportioned on top.

Man Trend!
A lot of men were wearing a larger, almost 70s butterfly bow tie (as seen above on Colin Firth), but I don't think anyone went over-the-top with it. There were also a nice number of white, peek-a-boo pocket squares, but I think Tom Cruise might have done it best.

Worth Mentioning!
Berenice Bejo in sea foam sequins.

Ellie Kemper in bronze sequins.

Nina Garcia with a modernized stomacher.

Stay tunned for my Oscars highlights post.