Monday, January 20, 2014

Fashion Review: SAG Awards

Everyone knows the SAG awards are the also-ran of awards shows, but they can be surprisingly delightful for fashion. The dress code doesn't seem super defined, so stars seems to straddle the line between evening glamour and cocktail party, sometimes daring and sometimes disappointingly boring. Here are some of my style winners and losers of the night:

Best

Lupita's style mantra seems to be, "Remember My Name... FAME!" Seriously, if anyone doesn't know who she is now, they will by the end of awards season. She could give a master class in wearing color and styling, and her regal carriage is probably the best accessory she could have. I love how romantic and modern this Gucci gown is, and her blue eye shadow totally worked.

I love the super modern, sexy cut of Amy Adams' cobalt dress by Antonio Berardi. It felt edgy for her, but the Old Hollywood styling was a great counter-balance. That lip color, too, is divine.

I love the simplistic cut and gorgeous flowing skirt of Holly Hunter's Randi Rahm gown. She looks sexy as hell, it does all the right things for her body, and the high pony is youthful without looking like she's trying too hard. 

I liked the disco galaxy glamour of Jennifer Lawrence's Dior gown, but I am a little concerned her dresses are habitually hitting her bust in the wrong place and I thought her hair was decidedly not working for her in this instance. She looked sexy, yet approachable, though, which isn't easy to pull off.

 Let's take a moment to admire this hot pair...how could this man not be a winner when he's got a shining star like Rita Wilson on his arm? Her Tom Ford is flashy and sparkly and sexy and age appropriate and I just love her.

And for real, best performance by silky hair goes to Jared Leto and his mom, Constance. Damn!

Good, But...

I didn't really get a good look at Claire Danes' Vionnet gown. Part of me thinks I would like it, but it also looks like it's got a bit of identity confusion. Is it sparkly? Is it slinky? Is it a nightgown? 

I don't know if Elisabeth Moss has taken my YEARS worth of advice seriously and hired a new stylist, but she's looking great lately. This Michael Kors is sleek and classic, perfectly accessorized with the single gold bangle and her make-up looks fantastic. But, it feels a tad boring and I'm still really not feeling her hair color. 

I love the sportiness of Gretchen Mol's J. Mendel gown (yes, it does look a little like a cycling uniform with a bath sheet....but in a good way?). The styling feels off to me, however. Maybe a more modern hairsdo, or sleek chrome heels or a brighter lip could have helped? What do you think, friends?

I love how much fun Sandra Bullock is having with color these days...she's really pushing past her usual boundaries. I love love love this shade, but for some reason I'm not totally sold on her Lanvin gown. It might actually be under-accessorized and feel a little thrown together? Or maybe I'd like to see her hair down to really bring a bit of Jane Russell in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes glamour? It just needs something.

I really, really want to love Cate Blanchett's Givenchy. The color's nice, it's interesting. But......it feels maybe like what pregnant Kerry Washington should be wearing? It does seem awesomely comfortable, though.

Am I totally wackadoodle if I like Juliette Lewis's Vivienne Westwood gown? It's perfectly her (kooky, noncomformist), but also elegant, classically draped and I'm drawn to florals. Am I nuts?

Worst

Little known fun fact: Julia Roberts' Valentino jumpsuit was a reject by Amy Adams' character in American Hustle. Juuuuuuuust kidding. But really...there is a very very very thin line separating a good throwback and a retro disaster and the bubble gum pink, frankly bizarre front seaming in the crotch area, and awkward ruching definitely fall under the retro disaster category.

I love to celebrate actresses who are daring fashion-wise...when they pull it off. Not one thing about this Prada was a good idea on Kerry Washington. Showing that strip of midriff on a pregnant woman is strange...the boxiness, yet looseness of the top is also jarring. I don't think there's any scenario I would like that top, but paired with a black satin stumpifying skirt that hits mid-foot (what?!?), I truly hate it. It's making her look like someone who tried to piece together an outfit from the closets of a toddler and a grandmother.

Meryl Streep's Stella McCartney dress is so dowdy/frumpy/shapeless/designless/boring/awkwardly fitted that I truly can't even wrap my brain around what I'm seeing. It's like a shape eraser, rendering its wearer a black satin blob. Paired with the most office-appropriate peep toes and glasses, it's truly over casual.

Sarah Paulson is trying to make something happen here, but I'm not sure what. Her hair, make-up and shoes are screaming "The Fifth Element." Her Rochas dress is screaming "cotillion petticoat." Like...where is the real dress that goes on top of it? Bret said he made coffee using this filter; I joked that the dress made her look like a toddler flower girl.  

Patricia Arquette's rust colored gown is, I'm pretty sure, a costume for the Martha Graham dance company OR something Whoopi Goldberg's character would wear on Star Trek: Next Generation with a hat shaped like Saturn. Her severe middle part is not really suiting her face at all either.

It is my understanding that Michelle Dockery a.k.a Lady Mary has the same stylist as Lupita. Well clearly Lupita has sent this person double the amount of fruit baskets, because there is no way Michelle Dockery's stylist likes her. The fit on this J. Mendel is atrocious...her boobs look like they have literally no support and the v-neck fabric is buckling under the effort. It also just looks cheap, unremarkable and in desperate need of something to zhush it up.

Lady Mary was in good company...Poor Lady Edith's Vionnet dress looks like it was made from hotel curtains after she got a last-minute invite ("Oh, you're on that show?"). Her hair looks like she just came from a run, and her arm of bangles seems like a half-hearted effort to spruce up the curtain dress. Like her TV sister, she also is not getting any bustline favors from this gown.

Rose Leslie (also of Downton Abbey and Game of Thrones) offended my delicate sensibilities by trying so hard to get attention in this ridiculousness. I can only assume this evening gown was designed by the crackheads at Forever 21 or Urban Outfitters...it's as though her designer tried to render a fashion representation of a night in Las Vegas.

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