Anne Hathaway in this stunning, amber toned
Giorgio Armani Privé couture gown gets my vote for Best Dressed. Hands down. Before I loved Anne Hathaway, I loved her style. She is unfailingly edgy in her costume choices but with all her risk taking never seems to make a misstep. The slim-lined silhouette with dramatic shoulders is strong and stunning. The color choice is subdued just enough to convey effortless attention. The embellishment of
pailettes and
Swarovski crystals elevates her above the rhinestones and sequins of the prom dresses around her. Well played, Anne.
Eva
Longoria in
Zac Posen models a silhouette that never looses. (Did I mention
Zac Posen was my first love of fashion designers?) I love the clean details of this dress from the minimal tucks at the center-front bust to the no-fanfare sleeves and the stiff drape of the train. I always
appreciate a knock-out dress that has sleeves because I think it's so much more the victory than to create a strapless gown that looks great. Sleeves present a challenge to the designer. (Most Mormon wedding gowns evidence this... I'm over the t-shirt sleeve, ladies.) Although I always love the sweetheart necklines, I will admit that the tension around her bosoms was distracting.
Jennifer Love Hewitt's ice-blue
Ramona Keveza gown was... interesting. I think as an illustration on a page where details are dramatized for effect, the design concept is beautiful. But in real life that crumb-catcher bodice was just too big and distracting. I did, however, love the
femininity of the petal skirt and I think the color choice and beaded waistband was a home run.
She may be wearing
Zuhair Murad with
Louboutin shoes and bedazzled in
Winston, but Jennifer Lopez reminded me once again that she is just Jenny from the block... the block where the smell of tacos fills the air and the televisions are tuned in to Mexican soaps. Just like I don't understand Japanese fashion, I don't get Latin fashion. The bejeweled, sheer blanket pulled over her head. Wrong. The ponytail. Wrong. The electric-white color
palette. Wrong. Right?
I have a sneaked notion that this dress would have been more striking in person. The photos make it out to look like a regular taffeta dress in cotton-candy (reminiscent of my Sweetheart's Dance dress from high school.) It's actually fabricated in silk faille, one of my favorite fabrics. I would have chosen a more salmon toned pink and given Lea Michele a sleek, fashion forward hair style. (For heaven's sakes, it's an
Oscar de la Renta. I don't want to see Prom hair.) Altogether, the dress with it's cascading detail is genius. Great dress. Poor styling.
I always pay attention to Megan Fox because she has ugly thumbs like me. No
surprise, this dress is a
Giorgio Armani Privé and one of my favorites on the red carpet. The color was again, effortlessly
striking. The soft, crepe chiffon skirt facilitated an elegant and feminine silhouette while the chic, clean lines of the bodice made for a stunning, fashion forward look. I loved everything about this dress. And the styling was totally fitting. Well done.
The verdict is still out on Michelle William's printed silk chiffon
Valentino gown. I am generally a Valentino die-hard. Always so feminine and ethereal. But I can't throw my favor easily toward a dish water colored dress worn by a fake
blonde with a pixie hair cut. Part of me wants to applaud but mostly I want to look down the runway for the next dress.
I don't know who designed this dress but Natalie
Portman should have picked someone else. Saying nothing of the oddly appliqued rose placed at the center-front bust, I'm grossed out by the color choice. I get that she's pregnant and Grecian draping is a given when you're baring a bump, but I really thought this dress was hideous and I didn't get the styling at all. Not at all.
Olivia Wilde rocked this look by
Marchesa! I think it is very difficult for any adult to pull off a full-skirt ball gown silhouette without looking childish or princess-y. But the black tulle embellished with sparkling gold crystals matured the the look and she came off looking elegant and regal.
Scarlett
Johansson's dress was reminiscent of old Hollywood to me. The nude color
palette was a risk but I think she pulled it off. I love the soft tulle
understructure and the vintage beading pattern. Of course, I also love that she was able to wear sleeves without looking matronly or dull.
Anne Hathaway in this stunning, amber toned Giorgio Armani Privé couture gown gets my vote for Best Dressed. Hands down. Before I loved Anne Hathaway, I loved her style. She is unfailingly edgy in her costume choices but with all her risk taking never seems to make a misstep. The slim-lined silhouette with dramatic shoulders is strong and stunning. The color choice is subdued just enough to convey effortless attention. The embellishment of pailettes and Swarovski crystals elevates her above the rhinestones and sequins of the prom dresses around her. Well played, Anne.
Eva Longoria in Zac Posen models a silhouette that never looses. (Did I mention Zac Posen was my first love of fashion designers?) I love the clean details of this dress from the minimal tucks at the center-front bust to the no-fanfare sleeves and the stiff drape of the train. I always appreciate a knock-out dress that has sleeves because I think it's so much more the victory than to create a strapless gown that looks great. Sleeves present a challenge to the designer. (Most Mormon wedding gowns evidence this... I'm over the t-shirt sleeve, ladies.) Although I always love the sweetheart necklines, I will admit that the tension around her bosoms was distracting.
Jennifer Love Hewitt's ice-blue Ramona Keveza gown was... interesting. I think as an illustration on a page where details are dramatized for effect, the design concept is beautiful. But in real life that crumb-catcher bodice was just too big and distracting. I did, however, love the femininity of the petal skirt and I think the color choice and beaded waistband was a home run.
She may be wearing Zuhair Murad with Louboutin shoes and bedazzled in Winston, but Jennifer Lopez reminded me once again that she is just Jenny from the block... the block where the smell of tacos fills the air and the televisions are tuned in to Mexican soaps. Just like I don't understand Japanese fashion, I don't get Latin fashion. The bejeweled, sheer blanket pulled over her head. Wrong. The ponytail. Wrong. The electric-white color palette. Wrong. Right?
I have a sneaked notion that this dress would have been more striking in person. The photos make it out to look like a regular taffeta dress in cotton-candy (reminiscent of my Sweetheart's Dance dress from high school.) It's actually fabricated in silk faille, one of my favorite fabrics. I would have chosen a more salmon toned pink and given Lea Michele a sleek, fashion forward hair style. (For heaven's sakes, it's an Oscar de la Renta. I don't want to see Prom hair.) Altogether, the dress with it's cascading detail is genius. Great dress. Poor styling.
I always pay attention to Megan Fox because she has ugly thumbs like me. No surprise, this dress is a Giorgio Armani Privé and one of my favorites on the red carpet. The color was again, effortlessly striking. The soft, crepe chiffon skirt facilitated an elegant and feminine silhouette while the chic, clean lines of the bodice made for a stunning, fashion forward look. I loved everything about this dress. And the styling was totally fitting. Well done.
The verdict is still out on Michelle William's printed silk chiffon Valentino gown. I am generally a Valentino die-hard. Always so feminine and ethereal. But I can't throw my favor easily toward a dish water colored dress worn by a fake blonde with a pixie hair cut. Part of me wants to applaud but mostly I want to look down the runway for the next dress.
I don't know who designed this dress but Natalie Portman should have picked someone else. Saying nothing of the oddly appliqued rose placed at the center-front bust, I'm grossed out by the color choice. I get that she's pregnant and Grecian draping is a given when you're baring a bump, but I really thought this dress was hideous and I didn't get the styling at all. Not at all.
Olivia Wilde rocked this look by Marchesa! I think it is very difficult for any adult to pull off a full-skirt ball gown silhouette without looking childish or princess-y. But the black tulle embellished with sparkling gold crystals matured the the look and she came off looking elegant and regal.
Scarlett Johansson's dress was reminiscent of old Hollywood to me. The nude color palette was a risk but I think she pulled it off. I love the soft tulle understructure and the vintage beading pattern. Of course, I also love that she was able to wear sleeves without looking matronly or dull. 
5 comments:
ahh...my dear FIDM graduate...I love your critiques....You are so suave with your verbage :) I do have to say I wasn't the biggest fan of Megan Fox's dress. Two reason 1)The slit, I thought, took away from the top of the dress as Heidi Klum said in a critique of a designer last season of Project Runway "Either show off the top or the bottom of the body but both is too much" and I couldn 't agree more..a less dramatic slit would have been better and 2) I don't know why but the arm tats were a bad accessory..I know they are tats but they took away from the femininty of the dress...otherwise..bravi bravi bravicimi....
well said. very well said from one fashion grad to another. i agree with most of what you said so thanks!
ps. one more note. i am so glad that christian bale won for his performance as "dicky" in "the fighter". he performed such a great portrayal. it was awesome!!!
Charlotte-
Never in my life have I had much interest in the red-carpet events, but after your review of few of these dresses, I came away impressed and found myself somewhat enthralled with how you captured what each dress said. You've got me thinking a little about what I say to others around me when I throw on my jeans and polo shirt to work each day.
Great writing and thanks for sharing your insights. Now please excuse me while I go steam some of my dress shirts.
I've always loved looking at the dresses they wear at events like this, and I loved getting a professional's opinion on them. I was thinking the other day that if I ever became famous, (very, very unlikely, but still) I'd ask you to design all my clothes, and my hairstyle, and my makeup, because otherwise I'm sure I would make a million fashion faux pas.
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