2023 Academy Awards Red Carpet
Mar. 13th, 2023 07:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
smofbabeIt's been a while since I was able to do a red carpet review so hope it's like riding a bicycle and I've remember how to do an entertaining one! (I might have gone a little overboard on length...)
Inexplicable trends this year included capes, strangely attached combinations of opera-length gloves and sleeves going down into the fingers, to-the-waist often-unflattering bodice plunges, and ginormous poufs in various locations.
It's not actively offensive but dowdy presenter Julia Louis-Dreyfus looks like she's going to a bar mitzvah instead of to the Oscars.
Sigourney Weaver in a salute to the Academy Award statue I guess... Not very flattering for her small bust and flattens out her figure. Something more flowing would have worked better. Also, it's crying out for a statement necklace.
Michelle Yeoh has a fabulous body and was the predicted front runner, not sure why she chose shredded shapeless white.
Stephanie Hsu getting double-duty out of her coral duvet but the overall look is not unflattering.
Against conventional wisdom, I think it's possible to be too thin, and this dress on Nicole Kidman only makes her look more stick-like. The dress itself is not terrible but I think the asymmetric arms and repeated design elements are trying a little too hard. Great shoes.
It wouldn't surprise me if Cate Blanchett just pulled the elements of this dress with its draped blue satin top and fitted black skirt out of the back of her closet.
Halle Bailey in a net explosion: the corset top doesn't seem to match the revealing poofy net skirt and every time she stopped she had to pull out the skirt and rearrange it. The color is great on her, though.
Looks like they took the material from the slit on Cara Delevingne's dress and just gathered it all up into a bow on one shoulder. Points for the necklace and the killer shoes.
I don't think the midriff cutouts bring anything to this gown on Lauren Ridloff and the plunge was way too deep but the fit and fabric are terrific. Where is the jewelry?
A Versace stunner on Lady Gaga: it's a bit odd to use the term "classic look" for something with a lot of sheer mesh panels but it's accurate here for the front of the dress. It's in this category because of the much more Lady Gaga back.
Is Riz Ahmed angling for a remake of Miami Vice?
Jonathan Majors channeling Abraham Lincoln.
Pedro Pascal bringing James Bond energy.
Stylish look on John Cho - love the collar accent.
Lenny Kravitz in Woodstock Revisited.
Ram Charan in a dressy military-looking kameez.
Idris Elba saved from looking like a waiter by the wide lapel and bowtie.
Samuel L. Jackson, still cool.
It's rare to see high fashion on a guy, especially a large guy, but check out the Valentino hair and period vampire look on Harvey Guillén and love the swirling coat.
I like the theory of having the collared shirt match the patterned lapels on Brian Tyree Henry but it needed to be a color rather than white, which loses all the accenting, the silver chain is hanging to no purpose, and the shirt is too short against the jacket.
Fun look overall on Harry Shum, Jr. but I have to wonder whether his hand placement was on purpose...
Worst Guy: Alton Mason apparently unaware that his shirt had buttons or that the Shaft era is long over.
Did someone tell Zoe Saldana that it was her honeymoon night rather than the Oscars? Not any better from the back, where the train appears to be erupting from her waist and it looks like her bra is showing.
Her stylists didn't do Melissa McCarthy any favors: Too-long sleeves, too-high collar, too much skirt, unflattering color.
I usually love the fashion choices of Salma Hayek but although I love the color, this one edges into Charo territory for me.
An unflattering plunge on Monica Barbaro and the combination of a too-sheer material and a velvet overskirt reminded me of the guards who used to be at the Wailing Wall and would tie solid skirts around women wearing short-shorts.
Allison Williams in a schizophrenic gown with a beautiful patterned sheer fabric, short shredded white net hem (why?), and awkwardly attached pink bouffant bustle that looked like it was slipping off her shoulders.
Nazanin Boniadi apparently thought she could make an ill-fitting cocktail dress look Oscar-worthy by throwing some black net over her shoulder.
This dress on Tia Carrere seems mostly to be about the fabric rather than the style or fit, and the wide golden-link belt is an odd choice.
Songwriter Tems incorporated a wired head pillow into her dress. Great Vogue cover, odd Oscar dress. And pity the people who had to sit behind her.
Andrea Riseborough in a too-pale unflattering Gunne Sax revival.
Michelle Williams covered to keep away the dust, and why is she in white?
Janelle Monae: Casual bustier for me means Grammys yes, Oscars no.
"Quick, we lost the gown for Florence Pugh: just grab the wrinkled sheets and pillow cases from the dryer and stick them on her - no, I don't care if she's wearing black undies and shoes, get her out there!" (Not any better from the side, although great necklace.)
Lesley Paterson apparently just left the set of a Beach Boys video and brought the disco ball with her. Great shoes, though.
Did the designer of this sad-sack pale chiffon number on Rooney Mara take revenge on her saying she didn't like having a train by sticking a knot in it? (Doesn't work in motion either.)
You could make three dresses out of this bizarre black-and-white gargantuan weirdness on Elizabeth Banks, with a train that was its own carpet.
Fan Bingbing emerging from a huge green satin chrysalis in a more standard silver gown.
I would have thought that women doing live interviews on the red carpet would be especially concerned about looking their best, but ABC's Ashley Graham was in an unflattering bralet, sheer sparkling fishnet with visible panty, mostly bare midriff, and batwings, plus a Bat-villain hairdo, and E!'s Laverne Cox was in a multi-colored miscellaneous concoction (way better from the back).
Worst of the Night: I hadn't known Jessie Buckley was cast in The Addams Family.
For once, we get an instant answer to the question "Wonder what that gown would look like in another color?": Mindy Kaling wore white on the red carpet and the same dress in black as a presenter on stage! I really wanted to just yank the silly distracting gloves/sleeves up but she wasn't the only one with this apparently trendy look and I liked the front peplum and great fit.
When I saw Ruth Carter accepting her award for Best Costume Design (the first Black woman to win two Oscars, both for the Black Panther movies), I was wondering why her dress seemed so plain, but then I saw this reveal in the press room.
They did a good job with a flattering and respectful Oscar-worthy outfit for Malala Yousafzai
Ariana DeBose looks stunning in a perfect fit and the sleeves are really interesting. I wish it was in a different color to show off the sparkle more and not sure the train was necessary, but overall a great look.
Love the design, love the fit, love the hair on Danai Gurira (but why why why would you put her in black?)
The designers of the gown on Ana de Armas decided to take the adjective "mermaid gown" seriously. I really, really wish it had been a different color although the sparkles helped the neutral grey a bit. The fit is amazing.
Nice cheerful look on Kerry Condon but she could have put a little more effort into her hair, and a necklace would have been nice. Good from the back too.
Nice look on winner Jamie Lee Curtis: it's just tan enough to escape being too pale and the sparkles and exterior boning add interest, plus a great fit.
For once, I actually approve of funky sleeves, on Bailey Bass in a great fit and enough cream color not to be too pale.
Kate Hudson in well-fitted silver sparkle with interesting shoulder straps and bodice.
Not too often you see a banging maternity dress but Rihanna decided to show off her pregnant belly in leather and sheer black mesh with slashes at the hips and a long train.
I'd have been a bigger fan if the slit on this dress on Halle Berry had been about six inches lower but I like the repeated accent and matching shoes.
Ava DuVernay looks like a very sparkly supervillain with a great cape and silver accents.
Love this classic look on Deepika Padukone, great fit, great jewerly, bringing back opera gloves. (I had a brief flashback to Rosemary Clooney in White Christmas)
Perfect fit and great jewelry on Jessica Chastain, and the black border accent saves this from being just another sparkly gown. Even more interesting and dramatic from the back. Not sure about emeralds with black and white, though.
Finally, some color, and interesting couture design on Sabrina Dhowre Elba.
Best of the Night: Love the drama and the color on (front-runner who sadly missed out) Angela Bassett (wish they hadn't given in to the shoulder pouf trend but at least it's relatively modest).
Inexplicable trends this year included capes, strangely attached combinations of opera-length gloves and sleeves going down into the fingers, to-the-waist often-unflattering bodice plunges, and ginormous poufs in various locations.
Ummm, Interesting But...
Eva Longoria said she was going for a disco ball look and she sort of succeeded. I wasn't a fan of the deep plunge because I think it took away from the impressive see-through fabric design and not a great fit, either: didn't flatter her figure and a too-long waist and length. It looks a bit better from the side.It's not actively offensive but dowdy presenter Julia Louis-Dreyfus looks like she's going to a bar mitzvah instead of to the Oscars.
Sigourney Weaver in a salute to the Academy Award statue I guess... Not very flattering for her small bust and flattens out her figure. Something more flowing would have worked better. Also, it's crying out for a statement necklace.
Michelle Yeoh has a fabulous body and was the predicted front runner, not sure why she chose shredded shapeless white.
Stephanie Hsu getting double-duty out of her coral duvet but the overall look is not unflattering.
Against conventional wisdom, I think it's possible to be too thin, and this dress on Nicole Kidman only makes her look more stick-like. The dress itself is not terrible but I think the asymmetric arms and repeated design elements are trying a little too hard. Great shoes.
It wouldn't surprise me if Cate Blanchett just pulled the elements of this dress with its draped blue satin top and fitted black skirt out of the back of her closet.
Halle Bailey in a net explosion: the corset top doesn't seem to match the revealing poofy net skirt and every time she stopped she had to pull out the skirt and rearrange it. The color is great on her, though.
Looks like they took the material from the slit on Cara Delevingne's dress and just gathered it all up into a bow on one shoulder. Points for the necklace and the killer shoes.
I don't think the midriff cutouts bring anything to this gown on Lauren Ridloff and the plunge was way too deep but the fit and fabric are terrific. Where is the jewelry?
A Versace stunner on Lady Gaga: it's a bit odd to use the term "classic look" for something with a lot of sheer mesh panels but it's accurate here for the front of the dress. It's in this category because of the much more Lady Gaga back.
The Guys
I guess Dwayne Johnson had to rush off to a wedding after the ceremony in a tux matching the wedding colors.Is Riz Ahmed angling for a remake of Miami Vice?
Jonathan Majors channeling Abraham Lincoln.
Pedro Pascal bringing James Bond energy.
Stylish look on John Cho - love the collar accent.
Lenny Kravitz in Woodstock Revisited.
Ram Charan in a dressy military-looking kameez.
Idris Elba saved from looking like a waiter by the wide lapel and bowtie.
Samuel L. Jackson, still cool.
It's rare to see high fashion on a guy, especially a large guy, but check out the Valentino hair and period vampire look on Harvey Guillén and love the swirling coat.
I like the theory of having the collared shirt match the patterned lapels on Brian Tyree Henry but it needed to be a color rather than white, which loses all the accenting, the silver chain is hanging to no purpose, and the shirt is too short against the jacket.
Fun look overall on Harry Shum, Jr. but I have to wonder whether his hand placement was on purpose...
Worst Guy: Alton Mason apparently unaware that his shirt had buttons or that the Shaft era is long over.
The Bad
Molly Sims as a tacky Poison Ivy with a cheesy feather boa.Did someone tell Zoe Saldana that it was her honeymoon night rather than the Oscars? Not any better from the back, where the train appears to be erupting from her waist and it looks like her bra is showing.
Her stylists didn't do Melissa McCarthy any favors: Too-long sleeves, too-high collar, too much skirt, unflattering color.
I usually love the fashion choices of Salma Hayek but although I love the color, this one edges into Charo territory for me.
An unflattering plunge on Monica Barbaro and the combination of a too-sheer material and a velvet overskirt reminded me of the guards who used to be at the Wailing Wall and would tie solid skirts around women wearing short-shorts.
Allison Williams in a schizophrenic gown with a beautiful patterned sheer fabric, short shredded white net hem (why?), and awkwardly attached pink bouffant bustle that looked like it was slipping off her shoulders.
Nazanin Boniadi apparently thought she could make an ill-fitting cocktail dress look Oscar-worthy by throwing some black net over her shoulder.
This dress on Tia Carrere seems mostly to be about the fabric rather than the style or fit, and the wide golden-link belt is an odd choice.
Songwriter Tems incorporated a wired head pillow into her dress. Great Vogue cover, odd Oscar dress. And pity the people who had to sit behind her.
Andrea Riseborough in a too-pale unflattering Gunne Sax revival.
Michelle Williams covered to keep away the dust, and why is she in white?
Janelle Monae: Casual bustier for me means Grammys yes, Oscars no.
"Quick, we lost the gown for Florence Pugh: just grab the wrinkled sheets and pillow cases from the dryer and stick them on her - no, I don't care if she's wearing black undies and shoes, get her out there!" (Not any better from the side, although great necklace.)
Lesley Paterson apparently just left the set of a Beach Boys video and brought the disco ball with her. Great shoes, though.
Did the designer of this sad-sack pale chiffon number on Rooney Mara take revenge on her saying she didn't like having a train by sticking a knot in it? (Doesn't work in motion either.)
You could make three dresses out of this bizarre black-and-white gargantuan weirdness on Elizabeth Banks, with a train that was its own carpet.
Fan Bingbing emerging from a huge green satin chrysalis in a more standard silver gown.
I would have thought that women doing live interviews on the red carpet would be especially concerned about looking their best, but ABC's Ashley Graham was in an unflattering bralet, sheer sparkling fishnet with visible panty, mostly bare midriff, and batwings, plus a Bat-villain hairdo, and E!'s Laverne Cox was in a multi-colored miscellaneous concoction (way better from the back).
Worst of the Night: I hadn't known Jessie Buckley was cast in The Addams Family.
The Good
I liked the color and jewelry on Sandra Oh (although it made me think of the number in The Music Man: "Ladies, one Grecian Urn...")For once, we get an instant answer to the question "Wonder what that gown would look like in another color?": Mindy Kaling wore white on the red carpet and the same dress in black as a presenter on stage! I really wanted to just yank the silly distracting gloves/sleeves up but she wasn't the only one with this apparently trendy look and I liked the front peplum and great fit.
When I saw Ruth Carter accepting her award for Best Costume Design (the first Black woman to win two Oscars, both for the Black Panther movies), I was wondering why her dress seemed so plain, but then I saw this reveal in the press room.
They did a good job with a flattering and respectful Oscar-worthy outfit for Malala Yousafzai
Ariana DeBose looks stunning in a perfect fit and the sleeves are really interesting. I wish it was in a different color to show off the sparkle more and not sure the train was necessary, but overall a great look.
Love the design, love the fit, love the hair on Danai Gurira (but why why why would you put her in black?)
The designers of the gown on Ana de Armas decided to take the adjective "mermaid gown" seriously. I really, really wish it had been a different color although the sparkles helped the neutral grey a bit. The fit is amazing.
Nice cheerful look on Kerry Condon but she could have put a little more effort into her hair, and a necklace would have been nice. Good from the back too.
Nice look on winner Jamie Lee Curtis: it's just tan enough to escape being too pale and the sparkles and exterior boning add interest, plus a great fit.
For once, I actually approve of funky sleeves, on Bailey Bass in a great fit and enough cream color not to be too pale.
Kate Hudson in well-fitted silver sparkle with interesting shoulder straps and bodice.
Not too often you see a banging maternity dress but Rihanna decided to show off her pregnant belly in leather and sheer black mesh with slashes at the hips and a long train.
I'd have been a bigger fan if the slit on this dress on Halle Berry had been about six inches lower but I like the repeated accent and matching shoes.
Ava DuVernay looks like a very sparkly supervillain with a great cape and silver accents.
Love this classic look on Deepika Padukone, great fit, great jewerly, bringing back opera gloves. (I had a brief flashback to Rosemary Clooney in White Christmas)
Perfect fit and great jewelry on Jessica Chastain, and the black border accent saves this from being just another sparkly gown. Even more interesting and dramatic from the back. Not sure about emeralds with black and white, though.
Finally, some color, and interesting couture design on Sabrina Dhowre Elba.
Best of the Night: Love the drama and the color on (front-runner who sadly missed out) Angela Bassett (wish they hadn't given in to the shoulder pouf trend but at least it's relatively modest).
no subject
Date: 2023-03-13 11:38 pm (UTC)I found myself agreeing with your comments on the bad list over and over again, and I especially your recap of the disaster that was Florence Pugh's "gown." If only she'd worn something worthy of that gorgeous, interesting necklace.
My reaction to Jamie Lee Curtis' gown is pretty much the opposite of yours. I thought the external boning was tremendously unflattering to her bustline (and the gown and/or foundation garments contributed to the effect).
Thanks so much for your fashion report. It introduced me to several outfits I hadn't seen and helped me notice additional details throughout.
no subject
Date: 2023-03-14 12:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-03-14 03:05 am (UTC)About Longoria: I found myself wondering if she’d gotten a discount because the dress was designed to fit someone else. While I really enjoyed the architecture of the dress, your comments about its fit were dead on.
no subject
Date: 2023-03-14 03:13 am (UTC)I think you need a full section just for the dresses which were train wrecks - but might have been much nicer (and nicer on the women wearing them) in another color. Nicole Kidman’s, as you note, emphasizes her thinness. When I saw it on the show, I thought she was very ill.
Loved your best in show. :-)
no subject
Date: 2023-03-14 04:57 am (UTC)