The Oscars Red Carpet Fashion Recap
I’m back with my annual Oscars Red Carpet fashion picks and pans. The 88th Annual Academy Awards were full of fashion high points…and….definitely some low points. These are just my humble opinions and I realize my idea of fashion may not coincide with everyone’s . I am just taking this moment to tell you what I liked. I will be taking a few moments to poke some fun at what I didn’t like too.
Let’s start with the good stuff…
Red Carpet Picks
My pick of the night is actually shared between two different ladies because I just could not decide between the two who pulled it off the best.
Charlize Theron in custom Dior…again….and we love it….again.
Head to toe chic. I wonder whether a choker would have worked on this look. The long pendant works well but I wonder if a choker would have worked better…not sure. I love that they went minimal and didn’t over stack this gown with jewelry. Clean, simple, elegant and so very chic. Brava!!
A little look inside the Dior workroom (Instagram) on this one. It was a custom order folks. It’s pays to be a couture house’s muse.
Cate Blanchett in Armani Privé
Stunning!!! From the color to the delicate floral embellishment I adored this look. Her Tiffany jewelry brought it to another level. Everything just sings for me on this one. All the girly princess pressure points in my system sang to this Ave Maria of a gown.
Illustration from Megan Hess Instagram
Those were my two favorite looks of the evening but there were a number of looks that made me nod my head in approval to the wearer and stylist.
Alicia Virkander in custom Louis Vuitton
Glorious in whipped butter yellow!! All you bakers out there know the color I reference. When was the last time we saw yellow rock the red carpet? I’m thinking never! Michelle Williams did orange in Vera Wang beautifully one year but I’m not sure this shade of yellow has made an appearance lately. Again minimal jewelry, soft hair and softer makeup palette brings forth a win on this one. And congrats to Ms. Virkender on her Oscar win and….managing to bring Michael Fassbender as her date! Cuuuuuuute.
Ms. Virkander also rocked a LV for the after parties too…
Giuliana Rancic in George Chakra
I loved the clean elegant lines of this gown and the party that was the back. Nice. Giuliana still needs a few cheeseburgers though to fill out those arms.
Olivia Munn in Stella McCartney
Loved this bold deep orange/red on her. I also loved the bold clean lines of this design and the strong clean jewelry she ( or her stylist) paired with it. Nice!
Honerable Mention
First off “Cutest reveal of a baby bump” has to go to Emily Blunt in Prada
I was not on social media for the days leading up to the Oscars so I missed the announcement that she was expecting. I took one look at her empire waist gown and said to my daughter “Is Emily Blunt preggers?” Guess I should have read the news feed before the event. She glowed in this and I liked it.
Next up is “Person most likely to feel a draft the WHOLE evening”. This goes to Rachel McAdams in August Getty.
Why the “feel the draft” comment? This is why….
Ohhhhh my. There had to have been some industrial tapping going on when she got dressed. There was simply no room for “gap issues” in that gown. Tape all the way. Can’t imagine what it was like to undress from that one. Ouuuuuuch. She looked gorgeous in it though. I wonder how many times people stepped on the train.
“Best revenge on a cheating ex-husband” has to go to Jennifer Garner in Atelier Versace
She looked regal and elegant in this all black power house of a gown. Take that one to the nanny Ben. Seriously.
“Best way to support a friend” goes to Lady Gaga in Brandon Maxwell
The designer is a friend of hers and he is trying to make his way in this shark tank of a fashion industry. Lady Gaga showed his work to perfection on the red carpet. She also performed a powerful rendition of her best song nomination from a documentary showcasing the alarming epidemic of college campus rape. Nicely done my Lady.
“The woman who most embodied a gladiator” award goes to Kerry Washington in Atelier Versace
The leather breastplate top just didn’t do it for me. It was a strong bold look for sure…just wasn’t feeling it. I kept thinking…”she needs the helmet thing with the brush broom on top..and a sword”
Red Carpet Pans
My pans for the evening were few actually. First up has to be Sandy Powell in…well..don’t know the designer but the look sadly came across as a catastrophic ode to David Bowie. The woman is an amazing costume designer (hello!! she has multiple Oscars to prove it) but her style fell very short on the red carpet last night. Poor woman…E! Online kept calling her Tilda Swinton during their red carpet segment. I nearly made myself hoarse screaming at the TV “ It’s NOT Tilda Swinton…it’s Sandy Powel!!” Get it together E! !!
Olivia Wilde in Valentino
Ummmmm. no! I am all for architectural design in clothing but this just felt wrong to me. WAY too many pleats for my taste. Olivia Wilde is an amazingly beautiful woman. This fashion on her did not showcase that at all. Yes, she sure has the body to wear it but this one just left me…well….de pleated LOL!
It didn’t work any better on the Spring 2016 Couture runway either
Mara Rooney in Givenchy
Oh I know I will get hate mail for this one. I can hear the comments now…”But Rebecca…it’s Givenchy!!” The gown is stunning…just not on this albino skinned actress. I have to admit, part of my negative review of this look had to do with Mara Rooney and her none too happy face every time the camera landed on her. It came across as petulance. I would love to see the amazing Ms. Rooney in some kind of color not this gothic pasty white/cream. She just blended into the background here.
Lastly, and it pains me to do this….I give you Kate Winslet in Ralph Lauren
My first thought…honest to God…was, who put Kate in a hefty bag? Was that sequins, metallic sheen or just plain plastic sheeting? Have no idea. Normally she nocks it out of the park. This year, she stayed in the park and was rummaging around in the garbage cans. Sadly Kate, not the king of the world with this one. It was honestly adorable though that you walked in with Leo DiCaprio à la Titanic from years ago. Very cute.
Lastly we have Heidi Klum in Marchesa
Ok, the color is not bad but please, oh please lose the puff sleeve!! And the Pom-Pom fleurettes need to go…like right now. This dress has garden party gone amuck all over it. No disrespect to the talented ladies of Marchesa but…was Heidi looking for funding from Harvey Weinstein and was just sucking up by buying the last dress on the rack from his wife? Ouch Rebecca!
After Party
As an added item for this years tome on Oscar night fashions, I would like to add a few snaps on who ruled at the after parties. Vanity Fair had quite a few winners as well as Elton John’s big party.
Taylor Swift in Alexandre Vauthier
Rachel McAdams in Naeem Khan
Maggie Grace in Galia Lahav
And…how cute is this couple?!! Gwen Stefani in Yanina and Blake Shelton. His expression is priceless. It says “ I’m just happy to be here y’all”. I love how she is decked out sexy gorgeous and he looks like he’s going to a neighborhood association meeting.
And that’s a wrap for this years award season fashion reviews.
-Rebecca
Oscar Night Fashion Report…
…and a few Oscar night revelations. Revelation number 1: Holy cow…Lady Gaga can sing! She belted out a number of our beloved Sound of Music tunes with heart, soul and one heck of a voice. She even brought Julie Andrews to tears…not a dry in the house after that one. Revelation number 2: God love Patricia Arquette. Equal pay for equal work no matter the gender. Sing it sister!!! Now…on to the fashion report.
There were a great deal of recent couture and RTW runway looks showing up at last nights Oscars. It would appear that Zuhair Murad and Elie Saab had the biggest presence on the red carpet last night and for the most part…it was a really good night for all the designers. Here is Jennifer Lopez in Elie Saab
On the runway at Elie Saab’s 2014 Fall Couture show. Yes, cleavage can totally make or break a dress. In Ms. Lopez’s case, I believe it makes it. I thought she looked stunning.
Next up Chrissy Teigen rocked it in Zuhair Murad.
And on the recent 2015 Spring Couture runway
The couture house of Zuhair Murad scored a second well dressed starlet last night with Jenna Dewan Tatum
…and again from Murad’s 2015 Spring Couture show
Well done designers!!! Another notable house of fashion last night was Yves Saint Laurent. I liked both looks they had on the red carpet. First up was the lovely and apparently unharmed from her recent flogging( no I have not seen the movie and I must be the only woman under 50 on the planet who hasn’t)….Dakota Johnson.
Margot Robbie wore the other Saint Laurent look magnificently. This black tour de force was stunning with her blond tresses. Kudos to the stylist who picked out this necklace…apparently a vintage piece from the former collection of no less than the late Duchess of Windsor , Wallace Simpson. It was the best accessory of the evening..bar none.
Kuddos to J. Mendel who graced the body of Faith Hill. Excuse me but…does this woman EVER age?! She looked amazing.
…from J. Mendel’s 2015 Fall RTW show.
The house of Givenchy. There were two looks from this design house. First up was the stunning Rosamind Pike in a custom gown. Easily her best awards season look. I loved it on her.
Jessica Chastain also wore Givenchy. While beautiful, it was not my favorite look on her. She does well with a V neckline. This square neckline just didn’t work on her in my opinion. Loved the hair and makeup.
Anna Kendrick in a custom Thakoon. Loved this coral color on her. Also loved the hair and simple jewelry. To her stylist: “Nailed it!”
Next let’s talk about baby bump fashion for the evening. I have to say that Kiera Knightley looked way better in her Valentino then she did in the Golden Globes Chanel mistake. In this ode to spring floral she epitomizes the glow of impending motherhood. Etherial and delicate. Well done.
Next we have the fashion savvy newly bonded to Benedict Cumberbatch Sophie Hunter in Lanvin. Stunning couple and if looking good on the red carpet while pregnant were an Olympic sport, she would have the gold.
Lastly, let’s talk about the two new baby mamas that rocked their Versace’s.
Zoe Saldana. Oh my word! And this woman didn’t have just one baby, she had two!! This is what being a former ballet dancer can do for us. Holy cow! She looked stunning in this palest of pink hued Versace.
Scarlett Johansson in one of the best pops of color on the red carpet. Whoever talked her into the choker/necklace/piece of industrial hardware needs to rethink their grasp of appropriate accessories though. Overkill …total overkill.
I really didn’t have much to snark about this year at the Oscar’s so I am going to leave it there.
To Sir, With Love
This song practically screams 1965 to me and apparently many others because it is listed in the top 5 songs of 1965. Love the movie, love the song and loved playing it while I shot these.
Model: Irresistible in India Poppy Parker
Gown and earrings: Palm Beach Coral Silkstone Barbie
This outfit by Robert Best for the Silkstone Barbie line looks to be inspired by vintage 1960’s Valentino. Beautiful and so appropriate for Ms. 1965 Poppy! Those nails though…Yipes!!
source: ganzomag.com
I hope you have enjoyed this walk through the mid 1960’s with Ms. Irresistible in India Poppy Parker. This is not a style I photograph that often so it was fun to pop in some oldies but goodies and revisit the 60’s for a bit.
Inside the Fashion Doll Studio 