Monday, February 26, 2007

79th Academy Awards Fashion

While Oscar night is the biggest event in the movie business, it is also a fashion show of the highest ranks. To many, one of the biggest fashion surprises at Sunday night’s Academy Awards came early, with the white shoes and rust velvet tux on host Ellen DeGeneres.

While that outfit seemed like an odd choice, Meryl Streep took even more heat for her garb. Sylvia Rubin of the SF Chronicle was one of her critics.

She commented: “Last year, she looked stunning in a plunging plum gown. This year she paid homage to earth mothers everywhere in a long black silk coat and black Prada skirt, accessorized with an emerald green belt and an abundance of chunky silver and coral jewelry. She’s worn this sort of hippie-esque adornment before to the Oscars. The only possible explanation: Those necklaces must be some sort of talisman.”

Rubin continued on: “Many of the stars made other strong, but more understandable, fashion statements. They chose color. There were beautiful blues: Emily Blunt looked smashing in a shimmering metallic blue strapless number, and Jodie Foster, usually in black, went out on a limb in slate blue, and it worked. Green, a difficult color to wear well, worked beautifully on many, including Beyoncé’s celadon gown with a beaded shoulder strap.”

Realizing the number of viewers who tune in for the fashion aspect of the show, ABC welcomely tweaked their pre-show format this year. Fashion designer Randolph Duke offered helpful tips during the preshow, and Vogue’s editor-at-large Andre Leon Talley spoke during the opening moments. Both offered an inside take, which was a welcome break from the awkward and redundant red carpet interviews.

In other fashion takes, praise has deservedly been thrown upon Cate Blanchett. She wore a heavily beaded and bejeweled gunmetal gray Giorgio Armani Prive gown. She, as usual, got it just right.

This year there were many gowns with embedded jewels built into the design, such as Beyoncé’s gown, with big oval beads built into the strap and bodice.

The always-observant Rubin noted, “If there was one big fashion trend on the runway, jeweled dresses was it. In the makeup department, the lips had it; eyes were less smoky in general; makeup was dewy; and red or rosy lips were back.”

“Long, flat-ironed hair is back—ooh, not very green, now, is it, given the length of time and electricity it takes to achieve the look. Still, the long tresses were striking on Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman and Gwyneth Paltrow… even though they all looked as if they had just exited from the same salon.”

“Witherspoon looked great moving away from the vintage chic look by sporting a Nina Ricci deep blue-purple gown with an asymmetrical ombré and ruffle train.”

“Many stars opted for pale colors. Rachel Weisz’s strapless satin champagne gown was elegant. Helen Mirren’s beaded champagne Christian Lacroix gown fit her perfectly. She looked completely comfortable, and it didn’t look as if she was acting the part of the sensual older woman, either,’ Rubin continued.

Other stars such as, Kate Winslet, in celadon, and Penelope Cruz, in a pale pink strapless Versace with a feathered skirt, looked stunning in pale colors.

Another hit-and-misser is Cameron Diaz. While some liked aspects of her outfit, Rubin thought that she missed this year in a white off-the-shoulder Valentino that “looked uncomfortable, a bit unfinished and didn’t flatter her fit, surfer bod.”

The men went all dressy this year, leaving behind that all-black moment of a few years ago; many showed up in traditional tuxedos. George Clooney, as always, drew praise from the gals.