Monday, February 29, 2016

Red carpet disappointments and disasters

As already stated, the red carpet was underwhelming for me last night. A few key people whose looks I was so excited for (I'm looking at you Rachel McAdams) were really disappointing!

There were some looks where there was something a tad off to me, making me not love the entire look.

Example: Olivia Wilde in Valentino Haute Couture. There are a lot of things I LOVE about this dress: the colour, the pleated skirt, the winged shoulder that falls over her back. I don't love the plunging neckline though, I think its the rectangular-ness of it, that it is such a hard horizontal line across her waist.


Daisy Ridley in Chanel Haute Couture: I think this dress needed to be an inch shorter, and that her hair is too severe looking.

Rooney Mara in Givenchy: So I actually like the dress, but I hate everything about the styling. Those 1995 Le Chateau platform shoes are horrid. And the slicked back hair with the mini bun nubbin is again too severe.



All I have is love for RM (even though she hates me by association. Yes, she knows who I am, and many moons ago her best friend in TO dated my ex-bf while we were broken up, and then he left her to get back together with me, and he also happened to be building a deck at Rachel's house b/c he's a carpenter, and he accidentally dropped a 2x4 through her skylight.) Anyway, I've been loving her fashion choices during this campaign. Let's reflect shall we?

Noam Hanoch jumpsuit at Gotham Independent Awards; Elie Saab beaded gown at Critics Choice:


My personal favourite looks from this season: in custom-made pink Prada at the Oscar Nominees Luncheon; in white Elie Saab at the Santa Barbara Film Fest.


So, I was expecting her to bring it at the Oscars...and then it was this (by August Getty Atelier):

I mean its not horrible, but not worthy of her style and beauty. The back of the dress was great: I love the train and I love the colour. But the front was a MESS. You cannot wear a dress that creases like that across the tummy to the Oscars. Bad planning. Her makeup was good (and is usually done by her sister who is a makeup artist, which I think is so cute) but I thought her hair, which is normally so great (see: above) was horrible. It looked sort of crusty and frizzy all at the same time. I wish she'd have just rocked her wavy bob. Her look at the after party I thought was an improvement, but it's still just a pretty dress:

Now onto the winning actresses, decked out in their Disney princess wear. Lainey put it pretty perfectly last night:
What I don't understand is, when you know you are going to win, why wouldn't you pick a dress that is timeless; that is always going to be beautiful (just to be clear, I'm not saying that either of the dresses below are beautiful now-I actively HATE both of them-but there is an argument to be made that perhaps they thought this was a good 2016 look). These are pictures that are shown for the rest of their careers/lives. Why pick a ruffled seam bedazzled Belle the princess dress (it is custom made Louis Vuitton), or an under the sea, mermaid costume with chastity belt (it's Gucci)? Le Sigh...


I really feel like I don't have enough time to actually express what is wrong with these dresses (and the fact that both have been on most of the "best dressed" lists I've read today is appalling) I look at these 2 dresses together, and all I see is IKEA. Here are my initial reactions from last night:

They are both so Michael's Craft store, especially whatever that Christmas dinner at your aunt's house centerpiece is around Brie Larson's waist.

And the hair, good God, the hair:
The frustrating thing is that both of them looked SO MUCH BETTER at the after party (esp Vikander). I don't even mind that Brie Larson implemented George Costanza's "drape myself in velvet" strategy:



I won't waste a lot of time on Reece, as I never expect her to wear anything good, but this is droopy-boob Barney parachute hell (Oscar de la Renta would roll over in his grave):

Onto Jared Leto...what does one follow a Dumb and Dumber powder blue Jesus look with (see last year's outfit here)? A goth bell hop pyjama suit, obviously!


Then there's this:


1. Why was Heidi Klum at the Oscars? 2. What in the name of care bear acid trip hell is she wearing? Oh right, it's Marchesa, nuff said. 

My absolute least favourite look of the night? That honour goes to Kate Winslet, in a glad garbage bag/novelty store wrapping paper special (it's Ralph Lauren; How? I don't know):

All I have to say is Why Kate? WHY???????????? I mean I really don't know how you put this on and none of your team says, we could do better. 

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Oscars 2016: Best dressed (I guess?)

I was a tad under-whelmed with the fashion last night to be honest. Other than a few looks that I liked, most were just, well, fine. There wasn't anything that made me wanna punch myself in the face with fashion porn envy-(except for maybe Elizabeth Banks' outfit at the after party, but I feel like that can't really count b/c it wasn't an "Oscar" look per se).

The after party looks were a lot better (as they tend to be) b/c there is less pressure and scrutiny on the actresses so I feel like they opt for the cooler, riskier fashion choices. I just wish they would opt for those looks for the ceremony proper, instead of saving it all up for those after parties. 

If you've been reading my blog long enough, you know that all of my favourite red carpet Oscar looks are courtesy of Cate Blanchett, who in my opinion can DO NO WRONG Re: the fashion. To be honest, had this dress (by Armani Privé) been on someone else, I wouldn't have liked it as much, but on Cate, who is so elegant and interesting in her fashion choices, I really like it. And also, it's the colour sea-foam which I love (and reminds me of All Apologies by Nirvana, so clearly, that's an added bonus). 


Next up is Charlotte Ramping in this Armani Privé dress (I guess I'm really into Armani lately?) I love this so much. I'm a sucker for a pocket on a dress (even if in this case they are on the boobs). And seriously, long sleeves are vastly under-rated. Love the earrings, and the fact that she cut her own hair before the ceremony (b/c she thought it was an inch too long). The only thing that would have made it better is if the ballet slipper shoe was truly a flat (instead of a tiny heel). 


I surprisingly liked this Marchesa dress on Chrissy Teigen. Surprising because I normally ABHOR everything Marchesa (look at what Heidi Klum wore last night for an example). I suspect that my like for this outfit has more to do with my love of Chrissy Teigen and John Legend, than the actual dress, but I'm fine with that. It's hard to do pregnancy red carpet fashion well, so kudos (and they had to sew her belly into the dress which is super cute!)

A photo posted by chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) on

Priyanka Chopra is gorgeous, and the Zuhair Murad dress she wore to the ceremony was beautiful (and I normally hate a tight mermaid dress). The only thing I'd say is that it looked a little too tight in the bust. I love her look at the Vanity Fair party (by Jenny Peckham) even more. 


So this pick might be a bit controversial (as I've already read the WWF belt comparisons online) but I really like what Sunrise Coigney (Mark Ruffalo's wife) wore last night-I can't figure out who the designer is...But, Come on! that belt is way better than whatever the hell Brie Larson tied around that blue dress last night! I actually have no clue why I like this (I know it is sort of objectively tacky) but I'm into it.


This Ralph and Russo caped jumpsuit is the most beautiful thing I've seen in FOREVER. I love this so much it hurts. Elizabeth Banks is on top her game.


My favourite overall look of the night though? Saoirse Ronan in Calvin Klein. Great hair and make up, the colour is beautiful on her, and earring game on point! She looks fantastic!


Different coloured earrings? Yes please!
Thoughts? Did I miss any?
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Friday, February 26, 2016

On the Oscars, and my 2016 picks

I've been struggling with whether or not to write anything about what is usually my fave season/day this year because of how utterly gross/eye-roll-y/idiotic the Oscars are this go around. I mean, I am under no false pretence that they aren't idiotic every year, but this year is really something...

Am I surprised by any of this though? No. I didn't expect to see any people of colour in the acting noms, or women in any of the categories other than actress, because having unofficially studied the Oscars for many years, I know how fucked up the Academy is, and how the whole awards season works. When the membership of an elitist, self-congratulating, ego-crazy group of millionaires is
94% White, 76% Men, and has an Average Age of 63 Years Old, I really expect nothing. But the fact that I expect nothing is, largely, the problem. Despite being someone who tries to always think critically about privilege and discrimination, I am still used to seeing the same old (white, male) shit on movie screens and at the Dolby theatre.

The Academy, with it's statistical makeup stated above, has never wanted to recognize film that isn't white, straight, male, or traditional Oscar bait, and when they have, it's been on their own terms and housed in their own kind of white, straight, male narratives. Because it's not just the nominations that are the problem right, its the whole system, top to bottom, and bottom to top. When will there be a Best Picture nominated movie made starring a black man or woman that isn't about slavery, or the civil rights movement? (Obviously those are important stories to tell, but they shouldn't be the only stories that feature people of colour). When you don't have (m)any films that provide meaningful opportunities to people of colour or women, it will obviously be that much harder for any of those people to be recognized for their work; the work is non-existent.

The one thing I am pleasantly surprised about this year is how the conversation surrounding #OscarsSoWhite (and I recognize that issues of diversity and inclusion shouldn't be reduced to a stupid hashtag) has continued past the first news cycle of Oscar nominations being announced. That it has sparked much conversation (although some of it horribly knee-jerky and mis-guided) about the lack of inclusion and opportunity for those who aren't 63 year old white men in LA, is something to welcome. And I really can't wait to hear Chris Rock's monologue.

Anyhow, I know that I'm not really adding anything new to this conversation (and that this here little Oscar blog ain't that special) but I would really feel as though something was amiss if I went on posting about the Oscars this year without acknowledging all the horrible things about the whole shebang. Also, I want an excuse to post this John Oliver bit:

And with that my friends, Oscar weekend is upon us, we will soon no longer be subject to the embarrassing campaign of Leo and The Revenant (though I am shamefully a Leo apologist and #fangirl4life)...and so here are my final picks:

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