SAG Awards 2012
Posted: January 30, 2012 Filed under: Looks I Loved, red carpet style | Tags: Alexander McQueen, Ashlee Simpson, Elie Saab Couture, Emma Stone, fashion, Givenchy Couture, Jenny Packham, Marchesa, Rose Byrne, SAG Awards, Stacey Keibler, Zoe Saldana 1 Comment »I do love Hollywood award shows, mainly for the red carpet. Most of the time they are kind of disappointing but I still get kind of excited beforehand. At last night’s SAG awards there were a few dresses that I liked and one that I LOVED. Looking at my choice, I seem to have only liked black and white. No big surprise there…
Here are my best dressed:
Zoe Saldana in Givenchy Couture
This is as good as it gets! It’s probably not a choice that will be admired by those people who measure red carpet dresses by what they would wear to a ball but I find it outstanding. I’m really tired of all those drape-y dresses that offer NOTHING new. Zoe’s Givenchy is just uncompromisingly modern and despite it being white, as far away from being ‘bridal’ as possible.
Rose Byrne in Elie Saab Couture
A white sparkly jumpsuit! I mean… Rose took a risk and it totally paid off. She looks elegant and different. Very well done!
Stacey Keibler in custom Marchesa
This surprises you as much as it surprises me. Who would have thought I’d ever think anyone in Marchesa belonged on the best dressed list? And then Stacey? Not that I think she dresses horribly but I do think she tends to be somewhat unremarkable in her choices. (Although her early appearances with Clooney were pretty horrifying!) This may very well be by design in order not to upstage her awards-contender boyfriend. After all, that’s what she was hired to do, right? Anyway, she looks incredible in this dress!
Ashlee Simpson in Jenny Packham
I’m not sure what it is but I just find Ashlee in this dress very glam in a grown-up way. The beading reminds me of a cobweb so she also stays true to her usual goth-y/punk-y style at the same time.
Emma Stone in Alexander McQueen
I don’t necessarily think that short(er) dresses work for the SAGs or any of the other major awards shows but I feel that Emma has pulled it of. She’s put together and formal enough, it really doesn’t matter that her dress is not floor-length.
As always, I’m dying to hear what you think of my favourites and who were yours!
(image of Ashlee Simpson from fashionologie.com, all others from style.com)
Amy Hall SS12 lookbook
Posted: January 21, 2012 Filed under: knitwear, London, spring/summer | Tags: Amy Hall, fashion, knitwear, lookbooks, SS12 1 Comment »Some of you might remember my interview with knitwear designer Amy Hall last summer. I’m a huge fan of Amy’s work and thought she also sounded very charming when I talked to her. (We actually emailed but you get my point…) Towards the end of our little chat Amy mentioned that she was working on her first Spring/Summer collection at the time. That had me interested because it’s obviously not the easiest thing in the world to make knits work for summer. I imagine. But surprise, surprise I *love* her SS12 offerings, so I thought I should share her beautifully shot (and styled!) lookbook with you.
Amy decided on a mix of pretty jewel and citrus colours and clean lines. The collection feels very fresh and upbeat without being annoyingly cheery. It feels like something women will want to wear. Women who want pretty clothes but have no desire to be cutesy. Do I make sense? I also get a very modern and unfussy vibe which can only be a good thing.
Amy Hall SS12
For further information and to download the full lookbook go to Amy’s website www.amy-hall.co.uk.
Golden Globe Awards 2012
Posted: January 16, 2012 Filed under: red carpet style | Tags: Chanel Haute Couture, Emilio Pucci, Emma Stone, fashion, Golden Globes, Haider Ackermann, Julianne Moore, Lanvin, Nicole Kidman, Octavia Spencer, Piper Perabo, red carpet, Sofia Vergara, Tadashi Shoji, Theyskens' Theory, Tilda Swinton, Vera Wang, Versace, Viola Davis 6 Comments »Boy, this was one boring Red Carpet! I really hope that’s because everyone is saving their A-game for the Oscars. But unfortunately I have a feeling that won’t happen either. For years now (this is not even an exaggeration) we’ve been stuck in a nude dress and platform peep-toes rut and going by the choices we saw last night, this trend won’t die any time soon. There were some successful outfits, though – and one really, really bad one that actually had little to do with the dress itself.
Best dressed – Emma Stone in Lanvin
Emma Stone in Lanvin
Emma was my Best Dressed last night. She was not a nominee but was there as a cast member for The Help so it was appropriate for her not to wear the biggest princess gown she could possibly find. The colours compliment her skin tone and hair beautifully and her eagle belt adds just the right amount of edge. Perfection!
Sofia Vergara in Vera Wang
Sofia Vergara in Vera Wang
Yes, it’s another strapless mermaid gown but Sofia seems to know how to dress for her shape and I can’t argue with that. She looks nothing short of amazing. I also love the detailing which could have been overwhelming or tacky on the wrong girl but Sofia pulls it off.
Tilda Swinton in Haider Ackermann
Tilda Swinton in Haider Ackermann
On the other end of the spectrum, there is Tilda. She can do no wrong in my book. Tilda wears her clothes, not the other way around, and she has a style that’s so intrinsically hers, nobody else could ever copy her.
Octavia Spencer in Tadashi Shoji
Octavia Spencer in Tadashi Shoji
Octavia looked lovely. The dress really accentuated her shape and the colour let her face glow. This really is the blueprint of how to dress girls who don’t fit into the size 0 mould.
Viola Davis in Pucci
Viola Davis in Pucci
The hair, the make-up, the slightly unusual colour (for a red carpet gown), the silhouette – they all suited Viola to a T. I’m not entirely convinced of the accessories but somehow that doesn’t really take away from the look for me. She’s radiant.
Nicole Kidman in Versace
Nicole Kidman in Versace
Has Miss Kidman finally chilled on the Botox and the lip plumpers? It’s the best she has looked in a while. I really love how all the colours in this look harmonise, down to how her hair matches the gold studs on her dress.
Julianne Moore in Chanel Haute Couture
Julianne Moore in Chanel Haute Couture
Now this is how you make a black dress interesting on the red carpet! Would I suggest a nominee wear this dress? No. But Julianne was a presenter, not a nominee, so a beautiful black dress is the perfect choice. Flawless make-up and the most beautiful, almost natural, waves – swept to one side – completed her look.
So, that’s the love list done. Usually I try to stay away from a Worst Dressed list but this one bugged me on so many levels, I decided to go ahead with it.
Piper Perabo in Theyskens’ Theory
Piper Perabo in Theyskens' Theory
This is frankly ridiculous! Why choose one of the coolest labels around and then behave like this? I absolutely loved this dress on the runway (and surprisingly, I still do) but Piper is doing it no justice here. I wonder how panicked the people at Theyskens’ Theory were when they saw the telecast last night. To my knowledge it’s the first time they managed to get a gown on the red carpet of a major awards show and I bet they had a different idea of how that would go down. Obviously, in real life you are allowed to take clothes from any designer and do whatever the hell you want with them but red carpet styling is more of a give-and-take situation. The PR lends the actress a dress, the actress directs PR back to the label. I will leave it up to you to decide how exactly this kind of presentation reflects back on the label (see more silly poses on gofugyourself.com) and if the label could possibly be happy with the outcome. But TT’s PR woes aside, the look is still badly styled. There’s also a black version of the gown which I feel would have been the better choice. This particular shade blends in with Piper’s skin and hair too much. Also, to work with the dress’ edginess, not against it, a less matronly hair style would have been a good idea. Silver peep toes weren’t an ideal choice of shoe either.
I feel a bit bad for going against my principle of not naming and shaming the bad looks but this one just got my goat. Moving on from my rant, I’m very curious to hear who your favourites were! Which looks did you love? Altogether this was a rather boring red carpet, most people played it safe – agree or disagree? Will the Oscars (and the SAGs and all the others) be any better?
(image of Piper Perabo via gofugyourself.com, all other images via style.com)
