The 2011 Academy Awards aired this past Sunday. As most women, I largely watch the show for the fashion (and to cheer on my favorite movies and actors, of course!).
There were a few visible trends this year: sparkles and jewel tones.
Here are my top picks for Best Dress:
1) Mila Kunis in Elie Saab: I loved the girliness and romanticism of this lavender gown. It was elegant with just a hint of sexiness stemming from the lace appliques around the bust line.
2) Mandy Moore in Monique Lhullier: I love the construction of this gown. It's unclear to see from this photo, but this dress actually has a crew neck made of a nude sheer fabric, which achieves the effect of the crystals "floating" up Mandy's chest and arms. I have seen some other dresses trying to achieve this effect, but without success. Trust Monique Lhullier to have executed this dress design perfectly.
3) Hailee Steinfeld in Marchesa: This gown, made by one of my favourite designers, is just perfect for the 14 year old actress. It's young, flirty, fresh and AGE APPROPRIATE (which you don't often see in Hollywood, let's face it!) The nude shoes and rhinestone headband accent the dress perfectly.
4) Scarlett Johanson in Dolce & Gabbana: The critics seem to be torn on this dress; ranging from "hot mess" to "hot stuff". Personally, I loved this dress. The lacework is elegant and the magenta color makes this dress trendy and funky. (Had it been made in white, I don't think it would have worked.) The bedhead hair also compliments the overall look.
5) Natalie Portman in Rodarte: Here is that hot, jewel-toned magenta color again. Natalie wears this dress well and the draping at the front ensures that Natalie herself is the focus here and not her "bump". It's a safe and classic dress, which I suppose makes it ideal for a Best Actress Nominee. However, I am not too keen on the Tiffany tassel earrings and would loved to have seen some more sparkle on her.
6) Melissa Leo in Marc Bower: Another dress that the critics bashed (those lace-haters!), that I actually liked. The white lace (which actually appears to be laser cut) is layered atop of gold fabric. Looking past the lace, the design of the dress is very flattering to Melissa's figure and age. The high collar and low v-neck give this dress the va-va-voom factor without looking desperate. I don't care what anyone says - I liked this dress!
Here are my picks for Worst Dress:
1) Cate Blanchett in Givenchy: The first thought that came into my head when I saw this dress, was that Cate hired children to throw Dots at her. Aside from the colorful barnacle/candy accents, this dress just looked very matronly. The color is too muted for my taste and the shape of the top of the dress reminds me of football padding. Honestly, I don't know what Cate was thinking stepping out of the house in this mess of a dress.
2) Sunrise Coigney in ?: Mark Ruffalo's wife wore this hideous black & gold dress to the Oscars...ah ha. In my opinion, it looks like she's starring in the revival of Victor, Victoria. The gold tassel earrings look like an extension of her golden bob and, at first glance, made me think that her hairstylist made a boo-boo. Unfortunately I was not able to find the designer who made this dress...perhaps he's not wanting to publicly put his name on this one! :o)
3) Annette Benning in Naeem Khan: I did not care for this dress on Annette at all! Considering that she was a nominee this year, I thought that she would have appeared in something a little more up-beat. If Morticia Addams was into S&M and Burlesque, this could be right up her alley! I just didn't feel this look at all. The only thing I liked were Annette's emerald earrings, which isn't saying much.
4) Michelle Williams in Chanel: I thought Michelle Williams looked very cute and classic this year, but I wasn't won over by her dress of choice. This beaded Chanel gown was plain, forgettable and dull. Michelle looks utterly washed out in this dress - her hair, her skin tone and the dress itself are just too close in color to be flattering. I would have liked to have seen her in something more youthful and with a bit more color.
5) Nicole Kidman in Dior Couture: Maybe it's because I seem to set nominees to a higher standard, but I was not wow-ed by this "napkin" dress, as it's being called. I don't care if it looks like a napkin or not, my issue with this dress is the embroidery - it just looks like your generic "bridal embroidery" that you see on every bride's dress. Being the style icon that Nicole is, I expected something more cutting edge. And the shoes just scream, "Hey! I'm cashing in on the Orange-for-Spring trend!"
6) Reese Witherspoon in Giorgio Armani Prive: I couldn't decide whether Reese looked like she was knocking off Julia Roberts' gown from years past, or if she was inspired by a pint of Guinness. Either way, this dress is boring and just not interesting enough for the Red Carpet. And, now that I look at it again, looks like many a bridesmaid dress that I've seen around. Hmmm.
So there's my 2 cents worth! Hope you enjoyed reading it!
There were a few visible trends this year: sparkles and jewel tones.
Here are my top picks for Best Dress:
1) Mila Kunis in Elie Saab: I loved the girliness and romanticism of this lavender gown. It was elegant with just a hint of sexiness stemming from the lace appliques around the bust line.
4) Scarlett Johanson in Dolce & Gabbana: The critics seem to be torn on this dress; ranging from "hot mess" to "hot stuff". Personally, I loved this dress. The lacework is elegant and the magenta color makes this dress trendy and funky. (Had it been made in white, I don't think it would have worked.) The bedhead hair also compliments the overall look.
5) Natalie Portman in Rodarte: Here is that hot, jewel-toned magenta color again. Natalie wears this dress well and the draping at the front ensures that Natalie herself is the focus here and not her "bump". It's a safe and classic dress, which I suppose makes it ideal for a Best Actress Nominee. However, I am not too keen on the Tiffany tassel earrings and would loved to have seen some more sparkle on her.
6) Melissa Leo in Marc Bower: Another dress that the critics bashed (those lace-haters!), that I actually liked. The white lace (which actually appears to be laser cut) is layered atop of gold fabric. Looking past the lace, the design of the dress is very flattering to Melissa's figure and age. The high collar and low v-neck give this dress the va-va-voom factor without looking desperate. I don't care what anyone says - I liked this dress!
Here are my picks for Worst Dress:
1) Cate Blanchett in Givenchy: The first thought that came into my head when I saw this dress, was that Cate hired children to throw Dots at her. Aside from the colorful barnacle/candy accents, this dress just looked very matronly. The color is too muted for my taste and the shape of the top of the dress reminds me of football padding. Honestly, I don't know what Cate was thinking stepping out of the house in this mess of a dress.
2) Sunrise Coigney in ?: Mark Ruffalo's wife wore this hideous black & gold dress to the Oscars...ah ha. In my opinion, it looks like she's starring in the revival of Victor, Victoria. The gold tassel earrings look like an extension of her golden bob and, at first glance, made me think that her hairstylist made a boo-boo. Unfortunately I was not able to find the designer who made this dress...perhaps he's not wanting to publicly put his name on this one! :o)
3) Annette Benning in Naeem Khan: I did not care for this dress on Annette at all! Considering that she was a nominee this year, I thought that she would have appeared in something a little more up-beat. If Morticia Addams was into S&M and Burlesque, this could be right up her alley! I just didn't feel this look at all. The only thing I liked were Annette's emerald earrings, which isn't saying much.
4) Michelle Williams in Chanel: I thought Michelle Williams looked very cute and classic this year, but I wasn't won over by her dress of choice. This beaded Chanel gown was plain, forgettable and dull. Michelle looks utterly washed out in this dress - her hair, her skin tone and the dress itself are just too close in color to be flattering. I would have liked to have seen her in something more youthful and with a bit more color.
5) Nicole Kidman in Dior Couture: Maybe it's because I seem to set nominees to a higher standard, but I was not wow-ed by this "napkin" dress, as it's being called. I don't care if it looks like a napkin or not, my issue with this dress is the embroidery - it just looks like your generic "bridal embroidery" that you see on every bride's dress. Being the style icon that Nicole is, I expected something more cutting edge. And the shoes just scream, "Hey! I'm cashing in on the Orange-for-Spring trend!"
6) Reese Witherspoon in Giorgio Armani Prive: I couldn't decide whether Reese looked like she was knocking off Julia Roberts' gown from years past, or if she was inspired by a pint of Guinness. Either way, this dress is boring and just not interesting enough for the Red Carpet. And, now that I look at it again, looks like many a bridesmaid dress that I've seen around. Hmmm.
So there's my 2 cents worth! Hope you enjoyed reading it!
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