Wednesday 25 February 2015

Best Dressed | 87th Annual Academy Awards

And, spoiler alert: there's a lot of them.

So you know that I'm not hugely into fashion. I like clothes well enough to want to update my wardrobe every now and then, but my general apathy means... eh. I can mend a hemline, (poorly) stitch up a tear or sew on a button, but don't ask me about cuts or fabric or streamlines (is that even a term used in fashion?) because all you'll get in reply is a blank stare and a giant question mark.

Dresses, though.

I love dresses. Whether elegantly pretty or distractingly hideous, dresses are the highlight to the awards season -- and, let's get real, one of the reasons everyone watches them. I can't really tell you why I think they're so nice, only just that I liked how they looked -- and it's not necessarily got anything to do with whether or not I like the actress, because there were many actresses I liked in dresses that I wasn't all that keen on.

And is it just me, or did there seem to be two main makeup trends at this year's Oscars? I found that older women tended to have rather glossy lips, where as the younger women tended to go really matte, as though they were wearing a liquid lipstick (okay, Margot Robbie, I'm looking at you especially) -- but maybe that's just me.

So here it is: my favourite dresses from yesterday's Oscars! Fair warning: there's a lot of them. (I love dresses, 'kay? No judging.)

America Ferrera (in Jenny Packham)

I see her name and I think, "Where's she been for the last few years?" and then I remember, "Ooh, yeah, How To Train Your Dragon!" That's the funny thing about voices: it's so hard to identify them unless you know them very well. While I'm not a huge fan of what the underdress thing (is that what it even is?) is doing for her chest, the colour itself is really, really nice and I just think she looks awesome.

Anna Faris (in Zuhair Murad)

How gorgeous is Mrs Chris Pratt? That's all I can really say about her and her dress. She looks beautiful.

Anna Kendrick (in costume from Out of the Woods)

Was this not one of the greatest parts from the entire show?! I haven't seen Out of the Woods, but I have seen pictures of the costumes and I always loved this one. The opening of this year's Oscars was one of the best that I've ever watched (okay, to be fair, I've seen two) and I've heard whispers that it's pretty much going down in history.

Anna Kendrick (in Thakoon)

And how beautiful she was on the red carpet? I remember reading something about how she was one of the first and how apparently this was unusual for her, but it isn't really if you think about it. After all, she had to have enough time to change into her dress for the opening number -- and that takes a hell of a lot of time!

Cate Blanchett (in Maison Margiela)

To be fair, though, Cate Blanchett could've arrived in a dress knitted by Maureen McCormick and she'd look amazing.

Cheryl Hines (although I don't know who she's wearing)

I don't know who Cheryl Hines is -- I'm assuming an actor, but you never know -- but that dress? It's so glitzy and glamorous and Hollywood. It wouldn't work well on me, but on her it is stunning.

Melanie Griffiths (no idea) & Dakota Johnson (in Saint Laurent)

To be clear, I'm not saying I have no idea who Melanie Griffiths is. I know who Melanie Griffiths is. I may occasionally confuse her with Meg Ryan, but I know who Melanie Griffiths is. Her dress is classic and classy, and her daughter's is immensely stylish. Whatever you think of 50 Shades of Grey, you have to admit that Dakota Johnson has style.

Emma Stone (in Elie Saab)

I originally passed over this with something of a grimace on my face, but I'm pleased to say that it grew on my the more I saw it. I love these 20s-style dresses (at least that's what I'm classifying as 20s -- and we all know I might be well off the mark) because I think they suit so many varying types of figures.

Felicity Jones (in Alexander McQueen)

I wanna jump on that bandwagon that shouts, "I LOVED FELICITY JONES BEFORE ERR'BODY ELSE." After all, in my eyes, if you're in a Jane Austen adaptation, that's it. You're perfect. Felicity Jones was awesome in The Worst Witch, but she became perfect in Northanger Abbey. As deserving as the winners were of their Oscars, I'm sorry she didn't win for The Theory of Everything.

Gwenyth Paltrow (in Ralph & Rosen)

I feel like it's hard to pull off a pink as pale as that -- but Gwenyth does it.

Jamie Chung (wearing I don't know who)

It's hard not to love Jamie Chung and it's hard not to love the dress she's wearing -- in fact, I think it's my favourite of the evening. It's elegance is insane.

Jenna Dewan-Tatum (in Zuhair Murad)

I don't know what it is that Jenna does when she's not being Mrs Channing Tatum, but I absolutely fell in love with her dress at the Oscars. I couldn't really see it while I was watching the award ceremony, but it is absolutely amazing here.

Jennifer Aniston (in Versace)

Doesn't Jennifer Aniston always look great, no matter what she wears? I don't think she disappointed yesterday -- I'm only disappointed she was nominated for an Oscar.

Jennifer Hudson (in Romona Keveza)

How gorgeous does Jennifer Hudson look?! I can't lie, I didn't recognise her until I saw this photo, but then I live under a rock, so that's not a huge surprise. Her song for the In Memorandum tribute was so incredibly lovely, she did a great job.

Jennifer Lopez (in Elie Saab)

The first thing I thought was "Woah!" This dress is big, it's foofy, it's got a plunging neckline that would make Mariah Carey proud -- it was one of the best dresses of the evening! (Plus, when she sat down, those on either side of her had an instant lap blanket.)

Jessica Chastain (in Givenchy)

I haven't ever seen Jessica Chastain in anything, but I loved her dress to pieces. There's something about the style -- I don't know if it's the cut or the pattern or the fabric -- but it's incredibly flattering to the figure. Whether you have wide hips or a Kardashian butt or a bit of a tummy, I've noticed that dresses like these smooth everything out and make it look fabulous. Yes to curves!

Keira Knightley (in Valentino)

Keira Knightley looks like a perfect woodland fairy, and that's all I have to say on the matter.

Kelly Osbourne (and I have no idea who she's wearing)

I've seen pictures of women who've gotten this kind of dress wrong and Kelly is not one of them. She can take a decent dress and make it look even better.

Kelly Preston (in Gustavo Cadile)

Mrs John Travolta looked so good that there was no way her husband was getting her name wrong. Her dress almost looks like it was made of crushed velvet, but I know that can't be right -- after all, nobody's used crushed velvet for at least twenty years, right?

Kelly Ripa (dress designer unknown to me)

I don't know who Kelly Ripa is, and I don't know who designed her dress, but it looks absolutely stunning. Like McDonald's, I'm lovin' it.

Lady Gaga (from her The Sound of Music medley)

This was, without a doubt, the best part of the entire night and I have not had a single person challenge me on this. I've always liked Lady Gaga's music, but it's so quirky that I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Let me tell you something, those people who still think that this woman has no talent: find a video of this performance, watch it, and then try to tell me she can't sing.

Laura Dern (in Alberta Ferretti)

I don't know who Laura Dern is -- so she's presumably an actress -- and I originally passed over this dress, but look at it! Take a freaking look at it! It's a glitzy medieval torture device personified in a dress! How awesome is that?

Margot Robbie (in Saint Laurent)

This isn't normally the kind of dress that I like, but it just hung so well on Margot that it stuck first and foremost in my mind. She was also the one who made me realise that a lot of the younger actresses looked like they were going for seriously matte lips -- especially as I felt that her lip colour looked almost velvety. A little snooping told me that whoever did her makeup apparently used the Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in "Raven" -- which is what I've got! Woo hoo!

Meryl Streep (in Lanvin)

I'd originally passed over Meryl's outfit as well, as I didn't find it all that striking, but this picture makes her look really good in it.

Naomi Watts (in Armani)

This isn't a dress that I could pull off myself, and that makes me love it all the more. I don't know if that black band is part of the dress -- it'd have to be, right? -- but either way I think it might have been a little tricky to get into.

Octavia Spencer (in Tadashi Shoji)

I don't think I've ever seen Octavia in anything, which makes sense because I'd kept thinking that her name was "Octavius" due to the way NPH ran "Octavia Spencer" together. I just absolutely adored her dress at the Oscars, she looked gorgeous!

Oprah Winfrey (in Vera Wang)

And Oprah! If you didn't like Oprah's dress, then I strongly urge you to reconsider your life choices. Oprah is magical, and so is Vera Wang.

Paige Butcher (wearing who knows)

I don't know who Paige Butcher is, but I loved everything that was happening when it came to her dress. The beautiful royal purple colour, the style of the dress... It's so pretty.

Patricia Arquette (in Rosetta Getty)

Someone I've never heard of said that Patricia Arquette's dress was, essentially, lame -- but I actually really like it. It's classy and it looks good on her, so what's not to like?

Rachel Harris (not a clue who)

In the stream of saying that I don't know who people are or what they're wearing, I need to add Rachel Harris to the list. This is a dress that I would personally love to wear myself -- you could be curvy or straight up-and-down and it will make you look simply awesome.

Reese Witherspoon (in Tom Ford)

How lovely is Reese Witherspoon in this dress? It is so simple and classy and elegant.

Rita Ora (in Marchesa)

Wow. Just wow. This was one of my favourite dresses of the night -- midnight blue and gold work so well together that I'm surprised that nobody wears this colour combination more often.

Rosamund Pike (in Givenchy)

I'm surprised that it's taken ten years for people to realise just how amazing Rosamund Pike is -- and I know that I'm probably biased a hundred times over (it's the Jane Austen Effect), but she truly is a capable actress. My brother was surprised that she didn't win the Oscar, especially because of how much I'd said that Gone Girl was a messed up film. I'm not surprised that she didn't win -- not because of her acting, which was perfect -- but because I feel like more was asked from the other actresses and they pulled it off.

Sienna Miller (in Oscar de la Renta)

Ahh, Sienna Miller. It sounds so lame, but that's literally all I have to say about it.

Viola Davis (in Zac Posen)

I don't know who Viola Davis is (I seem to say that about a lot of people, don't I?), but her dress caught my eye when she presented at the Oscars. And her lipstick! Someone please point me to what was used on her, because I'm loving it.

Zendaya (I couldn't find out who she was wearing)

In the category "I've never heard of this person before" goes Zendaya, who I thought looked so gorgeous on the red carpet. Apparently there was a bit of online debate about her dreadlocks, but I don't know anything more than that there was any at all -- and I'm not sure why there was any, because I think they look just fine.

Zoe Saldana (in Atelier Versace)

I'm really surprised that Guardians of the Galaxy didn't win the makeup category (or whatever it's actually called) because I thought they'd done an amazing job throughout the whole film; I think I've just got to trust that the Academy knew what they were doing when they picked the winners. Needless to say, Zoe Saldana looks so gorgeous at the Oscars that she was practically a prize herself.

And that marks the end of my very lengthy list of those ladies who looked awesome at the Oscars! Who do you think was best dressed overall? What was your favourite part of the Awards ceremony? Let me know in the comments!

Sarah xo

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