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  • The Oscars 2012 – red carpet fashion round up: part 2

    Part 2 of my Oscar round up…

    I don’t think I’ve ever seen an event that Meryl Streep has attended where she hasn’t just blown me away with her grace. She outshone many actresses half her age in a golden Lanvin gown, which very appropriately complimented her 3rd best actress Oscar. Again, take note Hollywood; this is how you age with grace.


    I can’t have been the only to have been anxiously waiting the arrival of Michelle Williams on the red carpet, having at a roller coaster ride of looks this season. She divided opinions in a bright Louis Vuitton gown. I personally love this look on her. It’s still very much tailored to her style, but the added detail of the peplum skirt and vividness of the colour, that looks great with her slightly light hair shade, really helps this look stand out. 

    There were two actresses who made my jaw hit the floor. Cameron Diaz glowed in a gorgeous Gucci Premiere gown. This is such an improvement for Cameron and it’s almost like her newly cropped hair-do has given her a new lease on life. Angeline Jolie was equally as breathtaking in a black Atelier Versace dress. The colour and fit of the gown is no surprise for those who have followed Angelina’s red carpet fashion over the years, but there was something about her at this event that felt so different. She seemed happy and confident and worked the gown so well. 

    Two gorgeous glittering gowns came from Kate Mara (sister to Rooney Mara) and Oscar winner Octavia Spencer. Kate’s Jack Guisso Couture gown was beautifully bohemian, I love the soft feel of this whole look. Octavia worked an embellished Tadashi Shoji gown. 

    Two disappointing looks in a sea of gorgeous Oscar looks came from some surprising candidates. After her Rodarte gown whilst pregnant look at last year’s awards, Natalie Portman simply blended into the background in her vintage Dior gown. The look felt way too informal for an event like the Oscars, sorry Natalie! Sandra Bullock is usually so on point when it comes to her Oscar looks, but her Marchesa gown (can’t believe I’m actually putting down a Marchesa gown * sobs *) just doesn’t work here, the top half of the gown looks ill fitting and actually makes Sandra look wider. 

    Tina Fey and Glenn Close were much better looks. Glenn is another example of a woman who has aged so gracefully. I love her Zac Posen gown and the addition of the matching green jacket. Tina’s greatly improved on the red carpet and I love her peplum Carolina Herrera gown. 

    And finally we’ll end with the gorgeous Penelope Cruz. She embodied everything glamorous about the Oscars in Armani Prive, because as much as I crave the modern, minimalist and daring, there’s nothing quite like a classic Grace Kelly-esque look to get people’s attention. 
    [All photos via Zimbio]

  • The Oscars 2012 – red carpet fashion round up: part 1

    The big finale of the January/February awards seasons all comes down to the Academy Awards held in Hollywood, also known as the Oscars! I found this year’s event particularly hard to judge with so many wonderful looks and some unexpected favourites…

    Joint best dressed contenders were two glamorous new comers to this year’s awards season, Jessica Chastin and Rooney Mara. Jessica was one of the earlier arrivals this year in a beautiful bespoke Alexander McQueen gown. She kept it simple with soft curls and minimal jewellery, which was a smart choice considering the glittering embellishments on the gown. 
    Rooney Mara was one actress I was looking out for at this event. In her white Givenchy Couture gown she’s definitely on her way to steal the minimalist style crown from Tilda Swinton for me. This look divided a lot of people on Twitter but I think it fitted her personality and personal style incredibly well. I also love the contrast between the softness of the gown and the blunt black fringe, gives the whole look a very cool edge. 

    Ah Emma Stone. My pretty obvious girl crush on this woman meant she was an actress I had high expectations for her Oscar look. She didn’t disappoint in a fuschia/red Giambattista Valli gown. She looks amazing but compared to previous looks from her awards show run this year, it doesn’t quite compare. Speaking of comparisons, many likened her look to that of Nicole Kidman at the Oscars a few years ago…I don’t see it personally.

    The Bridesmaids ladies were out in force at the event and collectively the best dressed cast at the event, in my opinion. Nominated actress Melissa McCarthy really surprised me in gorgeous pale pink Marina Rinaldi   she looked absolutely stunning and definitely flew the flag for plus sized women everywhere. Rose Byrne went for a very edgy look in a glittering black Vivienne Westwood dress; I love how she shyed away from the conventional princess gown here. Slowly but surely Kristen Wiig is winning me over on the red carpet, I loved this J Mendel gown and the fit is really beautiful on Kristen. If I could fault anything, I would’ve liked her hair swept back a little more elegantly. The loose curls look a little too casual for the Oscars. Ellie Kemper really impressed me in her complete coppery Armani Prive gown with matching hair colour. Wendi McLendon-Covey chose to go all for an all out princess look and Maya Rudolph looked just as stunning in a purple Johanna Johnson gown, I kinda wish she pulled her hair up so we could see the bejewelled shoulder detailing. 

    Bringing some sexy to the awards were Mila Jovovich and (surprise, surprise) J-Lo. Mila channelled a lot of old school Hollywood glamour in an embellished Elie Saab Couture gown; as fabulous as she looked I always get a sense of de-ja vu about Mila outfits and styling at these events. I’d love to see her step out of her comfort zone once in a while. J-Lo on the hand brought a whole lot of diva in her Zuhair Murad gown. In typical J-Lo fashion it’s figure hugging and her hair is pulled back to show of said figure. I love the detail of the cut out sleeves here. 

    As I said at the beginning of this post, it was pretty hard to pick out looks I didn’t like, so when Shailene Woodley came along her look really stood out to me like a sore thumb. It’s probably a little unfair considering this is her first big awards season and she had so many others to contend with, but when you think about the run that then-newcomers Hailee Steinfeld and Jennifer Lawrence had last year? Her Valentino Couture gown was much too old for her 20 years of age and would’ve looked more at home on someone like Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate Blanchett or Tilda Swinton. Had the gown been modified, perhaps without the arms or lower neckline, it might have worked. 

    Speaking of Gwyneth Paltrow, the actress turned heads this year in a caped Tom Ford dress. Again Gwyneth is sticking to what she looks best in and I can’t contest how great she looks here, despite looking like she’s about to kick some supervillan ass. 

    Two ladies taking on some colour were Viola Davis and Berenic Bejo. These two looks have grown on me since I saw them on Sunday night. Viola took the plunge here in an emerald Vera Wang gown which looks stunning against her skin tone. I’m also pleasantly surprised she went wigless at such a high profile event, but good on her! I think she rocked it. Bernic’s look was a softer pale green Elie Saab Couture dress. Styled very simply, I was hoping to see this dress on the red carpet!

    Finishing off part 1 with the ever glowing Miss Piggy, pictured here with her date Kermit. Why might you ask? Well look at her! She looks amazing in a gorgeous silver dress. I also love her blonde bouffant, very Hollywood glamour. Divalicious! 
    [All photos via Zimbio]

  • BRIT Awards 2012 – red carpet round up

    A belated post but here it is, my round up of the best and worst of the red carpet fashion at the BRIT Awards held last Tuesday in London. It was an all round mixed affair when it came to fashion with the artists out to wow and showcase their personalities on the night.

    First and foremost my favourite from this event was Jessie J. I’ve been so impressed by her run at these events lately and her Falguni & Shane Peacock dress was no exception. There is a lot of skin on show here and I think the look is definitely gonna divide opinions, she really wowed me on the night. I don’t even mind her styling, the outrageous hair only adds to outfit and give the whole look a little personality.

    Also donning lace was the ever gorgeous Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine. She looked ethreal as ever in an incredible Alexander McQueen gown and I love her styling, from the gorgeous shoes to the really beautiful bejewelled hands. If I could fault anything about this look it’s that the pale pink of the gown almost completely washes her out. What I was really impressed by was her choice of stage outfit. She really took my breath away in  an other stunning Alexander McQueen gown that just glittered in the stage lights. And 2 McQueen looks in the space of about 1 hour?! Ah living the dream Flo!


    The BRITs wouldn’t be complete without a few faces from the X Factor, but unfortunately (and quite shockingly) I really felt the absence of glamour in the form of Cheryl Cole and had to settle for these ladies. 
    Can I just start this by saying that I loved Little Mix when they were on the show. But blame it on years of seeing the perfectly matched faces of the Spice Girls, Girls Aloud and The Saturdays; when I say I’m really irritated by the lack of cohesion in terms of style between the girls. As amazing as they look here as individuals I’m left wishing there was a threaded theme of either pattern, colour or even style between the four of them. Even the Spice Girls, who all owned and worked their personal identities, had their moments where they looked like a band. 
    Xtra Factor presenter Caroline Flack also attended the event and I feel like I’m getting deja vu. She played it safe once again in a tailored shorts and jacket combo with the ombred hair and bright lips. Next!
    My relationship with Alexandra Burke‘s style is very much like being on a  roller-coaster. On one hand she has the ability to look incredible and work her body, other times like this she really falls flat for me. The fit of her Alpana Neeraj gown makes her whole body look 10 times bigger than it is and it’s not helped by her scraped back hair do. 
    On the whole, a let down from the X Factor attendees.

    Two ladies who know how to showcase some serious personality in their red carpet fashion is Paloma Faith and Nicole Scherzinger. Paloma show up as eccentric as ever in a Dolce & Gabbanna gown, some may hate on this look but I really admire Paloma for her confidence to really stand out from the crowd. Nicole moved in the opposite direction in a slinky pale yellow gown that pretty much screamed classic Versace in my face. It’s a simple look but works well on her. 

    Two very vampish looks next with relative newcomer Lana Del Ray and Pixie Lott. Lana kept it simple in a Vivienne Westwood gown as she glided along the red carpet, she should be one to watch this year so keep an eye out. Pixie Lott’s look was a complete departure from her usual style in a glamorous floor length black gown with a hint of Hollywood glamour with her styling.  

    Two more looks here from Kylie Minogue and Fearne Cotton. Kylie looked amazing as ever, but her whole YSL look was a little dull for my liking. 
    Fearne on the other hand holds my heart with her look, mainly because this is exactly the kind of outfit I’d wear anyway. This is unfortunately the best shot I could get of it, but how adorable is her flippy skirt and collared blouse? Love it Fearne!

    Beating Pixie and Lana out of the ball park in terms of hottest look from the BRITs was Rihanna. Fresh from her impressive Grammy’s red carpet look, Rihanna worked the BRITs in a Givenchy Couture gown. Her look fell a bit flat on the red carpet but on stage she really shone. I don’t even mind the leather gloves here. 

    Finally the woman of the evening (and pretty much the year if I’m honest) was the every glowing and gorgeous Adele. Yes like Caroline Flack she stuck to her comfort zone, but the difference with Adele is that the look suits her, both in terms of age and style. Her Burberry dress was as sophisticated as ever and her performance? Well YouTube it, it’s incredible.