2012 Oscars: PW Style Best/Worst Dressed Picks
To shake things up a bit, we here at PW Style decided to have all our contributors weigh in on the fashions at last night’s 84th Annual Academy Awards and, well, this proved to be rather interesting experiment in fashion democracy.
Not only did all seven bloggers choose a different starlet to top their “best dressed” list, but there’s even a few disagreements in the bunch. It’s a good thing we’re not a jury on a murder trial.
BEST DRESSED
Nicole: Michelle Williams & Giuliana Rancic (tie!)
“On one hand I have a huge girl crush on Michelle and think she looks absolutely darling in this coral gown (or any dress, for that matter). On the other hand, I couldn’t stop staring at Giuliana’s dress. Seriously, it’s just perfect.”
Jennifer: Berenice Bejo
“Berenice stunned in this beaded Elie Saab gown. The delicate mint green complimented her newly-dyed red hair, which was twisted into an elegant braid. Sometimes starlets try to avoid the long sleeve gowns, but the Argentine-French actress pulled it off with perfection. J’adore!”
Michelle: Gwenyth Paltrow
“There were a lot of gorgeous gowns on the runway this year, but Gwenyth looked so chic, regal and absolutely stunning in that dress. I was even happier when they showed her during the Oscars, so you could see that the cape jacket wasn’t attached, and came off.”
Emily: Jessica Chastain
“I’m normally biased towards her because she is a ginger goddess and was in my favorite nominated film (Tree of Life), but she looked perfectly stunning. Her choice was intricate yet elegant and the gold on black complimented her features wonderfully.”
Marissa: Mila Jovovich
“Mila didn’t have that old Hollywood-inspired air about her—she WAS old Hollywood. In a sweeping white sequined one-shoulder Elie Saab gown, romantic curled updo and perfectly red lips, she dazzled on the red carpet.”
Abigail: Meryl Streep
“I thought Meryl looked amazing, graceful.”
Lauren: Rooney Mara
“The short, blunt straight-across bangs contrasted against the femininity of an all-over lace Givenchy gown was surprising, but complimented each other well. She looked polished while still maintaining her edgy side.”
WORST DRESSED
Jennifer & Marissa: Sacha Baron Cohen
“Okay, seriously dude? Not the time for shameless self promotion right now. Such a shame really, because he can look quite dapper in a tux.”
Mark: Meryl Streep
“Who told her a gold dress was a good idea with her coloring?”
Michelle: Rooney Mara
“The girl gets crap for always wearing black, but I think white was a bad color choice for her. And that fabric that was over her boobs? It made her looks horrible! The color and the dress did not show off her best assets and the hairstyle did not help either. I just thought it was all wrong.”
Abigail: Angelina Jolie
“With those slits showing off these weird pre-pubescent legs…it was hard to look at.”
Lauren: Glenn Close
“The strapless Zac Posen gown she wore didn’t seem like it was age-appropriate, and throwing a blazer on over it just made her look all the more matronly.”
**All photos courtesy of People.com
The 2012 SAG Award for Best Dresses Goes To…
Photo courtesy of eonline.com
ROSE BYRNE!!
Few gals can pull off a jumpsuit, let alone a jumpsuit covered in sequins and crystal embellishments.
But by golly did she rock this!
During a red carpet interview, the Bridesmaids star noting have passed on this Elie Saab number for the Emmys and I don’t blame her—this is more SAG-appropriate attire. In the sea of mediocre full-length gowns, Rose stood out in the best possible way, officially confirming that not all jumpsuits are created equally.
Ultimately, what makes this glamorous onesie particularly flattering is the plunging neckline, cap sleeves and the wide-legged pants. The gold clutch and trendy bob cap off her flawless look.
And while a few Web sites have actually deemed Rose one the worst dressed starlets of the night, this really only reaffirms my suspicion that there’s a lot of blind fashion bloggers out there.
2011 Oscars’ Best Dressed
Last night, the awards season came to an end with the grandaddy of all awards, the Oscars. While the show was for the most part, boring and predictable with not many shocker moments, the fashion was pretty good, albeit very ’safe.’ There were however some standout stars which we have deemed best dressed of the night. Besides Hailee Steinfeld and Helen Mirren, who were already highlighted today, 5 other ladies nailed it. Those, in no particular order, are:
1. Natalie Portman in Rodarte
2. Mila Kunis in Elie Saab
3. Michelle Williams in Chanel
4. Cate Blanchett in Givenchy
5. Florence Welch in Valentino
—Kat Blazowski
All images via FabSugar.com
Things that make me go mmm…Elie Saab Haute Couture spring/summer 2011
image via AP, image via Getty
Oh haute couture, how you tickle me pink and make me giggle like a schoolgirl. You bring about passionate dreams and far off places through layers of elegant fabrics sewn together by diligent hands and conjure up stories through taffeta and silk. Yes haute couture, you are the fashion world’s avenue into the unique, the daring and sometimes the downright absurd, but mostly, you are a chance for designers to display an attention to detail and a heightened sense drama unparalleled by any other runway show. And while many pieces that traipse down the Parisian runways this time of year may seem disconnected from a reality where they are actually worn for walks on the street or to an elegant dinner, I find the spring/summer 2011 haute couture collection from Elie Saab somehow bridges the gap between these two worlds.
image via AP
Each ensemble is unabashedly feminine. You could go so far as to say they are “sweet,” and yet, they hold all the drama one expects from a couture collection without the weight, without the feeling that they are so completely unreal. Brilliant beadwork, flourishes of flowers and flouncy hemlines all tell a story of girlish earthy beauty and it’s a welcome departure from the rigid and sometimes dark displays of haute couture shows of years past.
See more looks from Elie Saab at Telegraph.