Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Oscar Fashion: Best Dressed.


10. Demi Moore

I still have no idea what she was doing there (when did she last release a movie?) but Demi Moore was as usual a treat for the eyes.
Dressed in a ruffled Versace that matched her sublime tan she was one of the night's best (in a night that also happened to have very few-if none at all-disasters).


9. Cameron Diaz

Diaz had never been as beautiful and classy as she was in this beaded Oscar de la Renta. At first it reminds you too much of the gown Reese Witherspoon collected her Best Actress Oscar in but Diaz was a bit more playful with the loose hair and makeup.
She's a total surfer princess.


8. Sigourney Weaver

Lanvin can do no wrong and this design in deep red makes Weaver look both sexy and regal.


7. Zoe Saldana

The following two entries have offered perhaps the most polarized opinions in terms of fashion. Both are huge gambles that might work in a runway but have to pull a little something extra to work in a red carpet but they also worked in my opinion.
First is Saldana in Givenchy. The dress was made out of three main parts which all seemed to be made by different designers.
The top was sparkly joy, the middle was deconstructed delight and the bottom was flamenco fiesta, however, the three elements have beautiful synergy and for someone like Saldana who remained so committed to her character in "Avatar" the dress, with its magical sea creature with sparkles details, seems to have been made by the best couturiers in Pandora.


6. Vera Farmiga

Marchesa gowns at red carpets have become as common as Meryl Streep appearances and the truth is that it's the house that more often pushes the boundaries in terms of what to add to dresses (remember that one Anne Hathaway wore three years ago?).
Farmiga had already donned Marchesa this year for the BAFTA's, where she looked angelical, and this berry colored creation might either take your breath away of bring you memories of 80's proms.


5. Meryl Streep

During the last few years the greatest living actress has been challenging our notions that she wasn't such a good dresser (what she wore the year she was nominated for "The Devil Wears Prada" is still unforgivable) but last year and especially this one she has been amping her fashion cred.
In a simple, but stunning white creation by Chris March she instantly recalls "Now, Voyager" (this and this) and it makes total sense that the legend would want to recall Hollywood's studio era.
Best of all though are her beautiful shoes (which she said she was dying to take off) and that gem encrusted clutch which embody timeless elegance.


4. Penélope Cruz

She might always play it safe (and sometimes even dull) to previous award shows but Pe always saves her best look for Oscar. Wrapped in burgundy Donna Karan she was two parts old school European glamor, one part quintessential American classic.


3. Jennifer Lopez

Some dresses seem to take on a life of their own once they're put on (J. Lo sure knows about this) and this Armani Privé was a perfect example.
She called it "iridescent pink" as she showed anyone who cared to see how the enormous tail moved (OK I know that sounds bad but you know I'm speaking of the dress...).
Not anyone can pull off the kind of dress that doesn't even fit in a seat and J. Lo did it with class and incredibly sensual grace.


2. Sarah Jessica Parker

If last year she was a 1950's princess, Sarah Jessica Parker is all about the wild 60's in this stunning pale canary yellow column dress with jeweled appliques.
Everything about this Chanel Couture dress is perfection. The subtle transition of the pastel to the stronger metallic tones is to die for and the jewelry goes so accordingly that you almost think it's part of the dress.
The whole look is as if SJP had been possessed by a younger version of Julie Christie (the whole thing is straight out of "Darling").
If the clothes goddess is doing a decade theme at the Oscars I'm already salivating at what she'll do for the 70's.


1. Diane Kruger

You don't have to be an expert to know instantly that Diane Kruger is wearing Chanel. If the petal inspired middle section of the dress doesn't tip you off, then the black flowers will or the creamy color that you could almost swear has a faint No. 5 or Coco Mademoiselle scent...
In a nutshell this delicate but imposing work of couture art does more to evoke the legendary house than that dull biopic with Audrey Tautou did and Kruger shows that runways and red carpets sometimes can be the same.

9 comments:

Castor said...

Oh my, we are in complete contradiction on so many! Diane Kruger looked so good in Inglourious Basterds, I was expecting more. Maybe she should have had her hair down. For SJP, I didn't like it because it didn't show her figure at all. Had it been less fabric around the middle, she might have looked better.

I'm sure you will disagree with my best looking list tomorrow so I will look forward to your comment lol :) Don't worry though, Penelope is on my Best list!

Courtney Small said...

Come on now, Winslet clearly needs to be in the top ten. Sure she made it look easy, but that is exactly why she needs to be bumped up from the split decision list. :)

Also, I would have removed SJP from the list completely and pumped Cruz to the number two spot.

Luke said...

Daring choices, my friend! It's funny how much I surprise you when I don't put Meryl in tops of every list I write, and I feel the same way when you don't give Penelope top ranking. Do I have a misperception about your undying devotion to Ms. Cruz? :)

Notas Sobre Creación Cultural e Imaginarios Sociales said...

Haha don't be such a man Castor! Why does SJP have to highlight her figure all the time?
I loved the Grecian draped feel of the whole thing. I know my picks were extremely polarizing but I'm a devout follower of haute couture working on the red carpet.

CS: something about the pants' feel of the dress got her stuck in my personal limbo, she's amazing but still a bit meh.

Luke: I know! Hahaha I was actually pretty confident I'd made safe choices and then I was watching all these fashion reviews and they were actually quite controversial! But I love a good fashion debate, makes me have hope for the "Vogue" culture to become what it once was.
You're right, Meryl missing in your lists is always quite odd for me, now regarding Pe, it's not that you have a misperception lol, it's just that like the rest of the world you caught me loving her at what might be the peak of her career.
She's not even my favorite actress (I couldn't stand her a mere five years ago), she just happens to be the one doing the work I consistently love the most and looking gorgeous in the process.

Castor said...

Ah come on Jose! The whole point of wearing a dress is to look good in front of males. Why wouldn't she highlight her figure, is she pregnant? lol. Anyways, I trust your knowledge of haute couture. If you say it's nice, then it's nice ;)

Notas Sobre Creación Cultural e Imaginarios Sociales said...

LOL I can't say you don't make a point because many men think the same way. Don't take my word on haute couture though lol, try to look beyond the nice bodies and see it as art. Or not, hahaha, not everybody is interested in fashion.

Dreher Bear (...Where The Buffalo Roam) said...

No love for Elizabeth Banks? Even though I usually don't pay attention to how people are dressed for this occasion I saw some pictures on the internet and she looked amazing.

El pillo said...

Beech, puhleeese!!!

I applaud you for puttin Ms Kruger on the top of the list and the fact that SJP shook things up and even you forgave Zoe (even though I hated then loved then hated then loved her dress) but Sandy not even on the list?
That un unconceivable! I know she acts contrived and whatever you wanna say but I think that was the pivot of her red carpet and that dress taped and photographed amazingly ... I say put that poor cheated american sweatheart at list on the top 10!!

PS Loved the mini reviews!!!

viagra online said...

Diane Kruger is so beautiful, I love how she looked for the movie "Troy", I mean her beauty can only be compared with Jennifer Connelly.