2012 Emmy Fashions. The Good, The Bad and The January

So, I came late to the Emmy party this year and did not get my standard hour long E! Live from the Red Carpet preview of the fashions of the evening. I was en route home from visiting my older daughter at the University of South Carolina and even though our flight went off without delay (thank you American Airlines!); the baggage took 45 minutes to make it 4 gates over (gotta love DFW). Nevertheless, I caught the broadcast during the award presented by Lucy Liu and was so taken dumb by her gown that I didn’t even know what award she was even handing out. I have since done my obligatory research on what I missed and have purposefully tried to avoid reading other Best and Worst Dressed lists so I am not influenced by people who think they know better.

It appears that the color of the evening was citron/chartreuse/lemon/antifreeze/you get the idea. NOT an easy color to wear and attempted by women with varying skin tone and hair color.

Leslie Mann in Naeem Khan probably was the most successful of all the golden girls, but I also liked Julie Bowen’s boldness in her Monique Lhuillier mermaid cut gown.

Now for my favorites:
Lucy Liu in Versace. I know, I’ve already mentioned her, but the entire look was so amazingly fierce and powerful. It fit her perfectly and did not overwhelm her tiny frame.

Ginnifer Goodwin in Monique Lhuillier. Normally I’m not a fan of the “mullet” dress, but this one was subtle enough that it worked. I love the crewel-like embroidery that gives it a vintage feel and the color works so well on her. I DO wish she would not have been so matchy-matchy with her Louboutins though.

Michelle Dockery in Louis Vuitton. NO, I don’t like her just because she’s on Downton Abbey. I thought the navy color was so unexpected and different for the Red Carpet and seriously, who doesn’t love an evening gown with pockets AND a giant bow in the back!

Nicole Kidman in Antonio Berardi. I know what you are thinking and you are right. It’s been a while since Nicole has impressed me on the Red Carpet, let alone succeeded in vacating her permanent spot on the Worst Dressed List. And I DO find it painful to look at her frozen Botox face for too long. BUT, she apparently found a new stylist because this dress has amazing detail, fits her perfectly, and definitely gets her back on the “Best” list.

Brooke Burke in Tony Ward. OK, yes, I know she has a killer body and can pretty much wear a burlap sack and look great. With white being such a hot color this year, she found a way to make it appropriate and not wedding-y. Stunning.

AAAAND for the not so fabulous. In the words of my nephew, “she tried.”

Edie Falco in Stella McCartney. Hate the Wonder Woman belt, hate the cut-in bodice, and it looks like they just ran out of navy fabric. Honestly, the whole look is too youthful for her. You can tell she has a great body, just not shown off in the right way.

Elisabeth Moss in Dolce & Gabbana. First of all, what in the world did she do to her hair?! I would have loved to have seen this dress on her with her auburn hair and see if that made it any better. Again, I’m not a fan of the mullet hemline, and the print with the ruffles and the peplum is just too overwhelming for her. Looks a bit like a can-can dancer.

Julianne Moore in Dior. *Sigh*, you noticed I didn’t include her up there with the other Golden Girls. There’s a reason. I think the number one rule for red-heads is to know what colors you can wear. I’m not sure it’s entirely the color that is so bad, it’s just that there is too much of it. The high neck and long sleeves don’t allow her beautiful skin tone to be seen. For the record, no, I don’t like her but yet see how I can come up with a compliment?

Jena Malone in J. Mendel. I do love the Grecian goddess look as much as anyone, but this cut in this color doesn’t seem to do anything for her. And she obviously has Angelina Jolie Leg Syndrome with this pose. It was a bit pandemic last night; Heidi Klum and Lara Spencer also suffered.

The last commentary is reserved for January Jones in Zac Posen. I am still on the fence on this dress. I love the avant-garde-ness of it. I can see it being the winner for the Avante Garde Challenge on Project Runway. It fits her well and looks great against her fair skin, but I do wish the makeup was not so severe. The dress has enough going for it, no need to compete for attention with the severe bun (again!) and dark eyes. A pop of color in her shoes would not have been bad, either.

What did you think? Questions? Comments? Challenges? Who did I miss? OK, off to watch Fashion Police. Until next week!

All photos courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter. Individual photo credits available in file details.

The Official 2012 Oscar Fashion Recap

This is again one of the moments when I appreciate being a woman. It may take a few extra hours of hard work, a couple wiggles into some Spanx, and mounds of makeup, but the women definitely have the upperhand when it comes to Oscar fashion. To me, every man looks alike in their penguin suit. It’s usually made by Armani, and there may be a few small differences, but it took them all of 5 minutes to get ready and walk out the door. So please, sit back in awe and appreciate all the hard work that goes into getting Oscar ready as Kalen and I give our thumbs up and thumbs down to this years Oscar red carpet looks!

First and foremost I have to say that I loved the way Octavia Spencer looked in her Tadashi Shoji gown. She has been such a great character actress over the years and for her to be nominated for an Oscar this year and pull it off looking as classy as she did, I just loved it. There was definitely a lot of white and nude on the runway. This is definitely a trend that emerged slowly last year but is coming out full force in 2012. Be careful with these neutrals though ladies, not everyone has the right skin type for it. And if all else fails, as Maya Rudolph said, Shapewear.

While I would normally have nothing but great things to say about Rooney Mara, I do have to say I didn’t like the look she wore at the Oscars. She is so different and unique looking that for her to go with such a simple, just kind of hung there, dress by Givenchy, I expected, or at least hoped for more. While Nina Garcia drooled over her look, I was unimpressed.

Sequins and beading were a definite staple, as well as the large cocktail ring, and side-swept hair. I have to say I love the “effortless” look direction that hairstyles are taking these days. If you’ve ever tried to do any of these styles at home, you know they are far from effortless. I think they fair on the side of stress free, while also looking purposeful.

We also saw many diamond chokers, including one that Michelle Williams wore that complimented her coral Louis Vuitton dress. She is such a style icon for me. Her pixie hair cut, her ivory skin, and her unique fashion choices that make her stand out from everyone else. She is an Oscar winner in my book. And just about everyone commented on her bow brooch. I’ve seen this done the right way and the wrong way. This was definitely done the right way, and once again she wowed us all. Kalen’s favorite was of course the hot pink alligator clutch. You know crazy we can get about the skins!

Now while I almost never agree with anything Cameron Diaz decides to put on her body, her Oscar dress by Gucci was a win for both me and Kalen. She definitely has the body to pull off a lot of things, but sometimes her age doesn’t quite approve. The gown fit her beautifully though, and the ruffled hem with ombre beading was a nice contrast to the sleek fitted bodice. Kalen would’ve loved to see a pop of color in her bag, but otherwise, we agree, a flawless look.

Gwenyth Paltrow in Tom Ford, always a red-headed stepchild in the fashion world. You either love her or hate her, and most people hate her. She caught a lot of flack for wearing what most people called a cape. One tweeter said ‘What is she a super hero’? I have to say ‘What are you blind?’ Where did that so-called cape tie around her neck and flow in the wind??? It was more of a long formal wrap, or shoulder cover thing (insert smart word here, because I obviously have no idea what to call it!) I thought it was elegant. It reminded me of something you might see in early 20^th century fashion, when women covered there shoulders out of respect and class. It was simple and understated. We all know Gwenyth has a reputation for being rather snobby, but I think the risks she taken in her fashion, as well as singing at the last Oscars, makes her a little more likeable. She has a style, and she stays true to it. Who knows, maybe after this cape incident you like her even less. I happen to like her a little more.

It makes us giddy inside when celebrities choose to go vintage on the red carpet, especially the Oscar red carpet. Natalie Portman has that petite Audrey Hepburn look about her and while we think she looks amazing in anything, she rocked this 1954 Christian Dior Couture gown. 1954 was the start of the Golden Age of fashion in Paris: Dior, Givenchy, Balmain, and Balenciaga were creating bold new looks and it’s so amazing to see this look fit in so well in 2012.

While we may not all agree with who the Academy chose to give Best Actress, Best Picture, or Best Costume (HA!), we can all appreciate the most important part of award season…the fashion.