THE WORST!
Runner up:
Reese Witherspoon in Armani PriveOk, I hate to do this! I love her, as does everybody. And man o man when I saw her in the car with just the window rolled down I got so excited because I LOVED the hair! Still do. But seeing her walk on the red carpet, I just thought she looked like a little girl playing dress up; not in a good way. It reaks of Southern childrens' pageant. I thought this was like 10 steps back for her and really just brought out the bumpkin in her, which is not at all my favorite side of her.
I just don't enjoy looking at this...there is nothing at all interesting about it. And everyone keeps comparing her to the Julia Roberts vintage Armani black and white number circa her Erin Brockovitch win. That's just an insult to Julia Roberts, though...her dress was better and her whole look was vintage sophisticated where this is just American Girl pageant queen.
Ok, I could go on but I gotta get to the next monstrosity.
THE ABSOLUTE WORST:
Marisa Tomei in vintage Charles James from Lily et Cie coutureOk, as much as I was leaning toward Reese for the worst at times, I couldn't give it to her in good faith knowing there was someone else looking this atrocious. I mean, this has to be the worst. It's like 80s Bridal on the bottom and ill-fitting misshapen corset top with really high breast fabric on the top? I mean, if I wore this to an 80s party, I bet I would be the best/most hilariously dressed there and would relish in the attention.
But this is not an 80s party. And this is not hilarious. And what the hell is the color, eggplant?? I think it might be midnight blue but the red carpet shining through the tulle at the bottom makes it look vaguely purple. God, and I can't even talk about how bad the hair is.
So congratulations Marisa. I do seriously love you, but you were the most glorious hot mess of the night.
THE BEST!
TOP FIVE
5.
Michelle Williams in Chanel Haute couture and Harry Winston jewelryOk, she completely redeemed herself for seriously dropping the ball at the Globes. I guess everyone has a misstep at some point or another, that must have been hers. But I thought this was incredible. Somebody said she is like a blonde Audrey Hepburn, which I thought was pretty accurate (at least when she's not wairing Daisy farm maxi dresses).
I want something with this type of fabric, it's really beautiful. It's like a metallic, but with jewels. It's minimal, but glamorous at the same time. The way it hugs her body is really sexy and I just think she looks fantastic. Her hair and makeup are perfect too. She pulls this look off impeccably.
Congratualtions, Michelle! The hot messiness of the Golden Globes is behind you! Nailed it this time around!
4.
Mila Kunis in Elie Saab
Ok, I am officially coveting this color...and this whole style. I really want something bold, romantic and lavender for spring. Mila looks so pretty, doesn't she!!?? She almost made the top 3, I had to rearrange these a dozen times. My top three are more iconic, but I feel like this is the look that is going to have the most commercial impact this season.
Anyway back to Mila...I didn't realize she was this pale, am I the only one who thought she was tan? But the pallor of her skin actually compliments the tone! And the hair was so beautifully executed, wavy and romantic. I thought I saw her nipples a couple of different times, but it didn't even seem like she cared, right?! And it's the lengerie trend, so nipple slips almost work!
God, I want that dress. I swear H&M is gonna fill up with styles like this in about 2 weeks, which is where you'll find me.
Way to go Mila, you look gorge!
3.
Anne Hathaway introducing Sandra Bullock during ceremony in Armani Prive
Ok, this electric blue lifesaver was a burst of oxygen to a drowning audience. The only decent entertainment I got out of those two idiotic hosts was watching the different dresses and looks Anne went through. She had some beautiful ones even before the blue shockwave. But seeing this on her on stage was just some sort of magic.
This was the best blue, hands down. And it might have saved the show for crying out loud! It was one of the most memorable moments because it literally and figuratively added color to a muted show. The color and the shine of it came off brilliantly on TV. Especially against yet another pale skin tone. I think pale is making a comeback!!
Ah, the structure of this work of art is just incredible too. Is there such a thing as body blocking in dress-making? This is the type of dress where you can really see an architecture to it...built for and in conjunction with every curve of the body. I love it. LOVE IT!
2.
Cate Blanchett in GivenchyAaah, this was one of those crazy moments on the red carpet that I live for. When I first saw her from about the chest up, I was thinking "HOLD UP" go back to that...the camera cut back to someone else quickly and it took a few minutes to get back to Cate, who I was itching to take a closer look at.
The details I saw were insanely intriguing, I couldn't stop thinking about it. And then I started to get glimpses of different sections of it from different angles. The composition of it is so outlandish. I was gradually seduced by it. I spent a lot of the ceremony trying to make up my mind over whether I liked it or not. But then when she walked out to present, I just gave myself over to it and couldn't get enough of it. I think that's often the best type of art...the kind where you have to reconcile conflicting impulses before completely accepting it. And this dress really is art.
And the short hair was PERFECT! It made me think of the old Cameron Diaz bob in There's Something About Mary that made me desperate for short hair!
This is the best avante-garde number worn on the red carpet for years.
Contrary to most this year, Cate took a huge risk and it paid off big.
1.
Gwyneth Paltrow in Calvin Klein
Ok, I agonized over the #1 spot and which of my top 2 to put there...finally settled on Gwyneth for her brilliant choice in Calvin Klein. The top 2 looks couldn't be more opposite...Avante-Garde vs. Minimalism, which made it really hard to choose.
But I think the minimalism we see here in Gwyneth is just more of the moment than Cate's piece. I think we are seeing a return to minimalism and Gwyneth does it in the absolute best possible way here because she makes it exciting.
Just the material is enough to turn heads. And kind of like we saw in Michelle, it's a slinky metallic that just grasps onto her body in all the right places. The silhouette is stunning and the pure silver effect of it just knocked me out looking at it. It might not have been an outrageous risk, but outrageous risks seemed to be out this year. And if you look this good in a classic silhouette that still has wow-factor, edge and severity, why the hell not?
XOXO Gwyneth!
Happy Oscars everyone!
