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The Good, the Bad and the Underwhelming: Red Carpet Fashion at the Oscars

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Leticia St. Remy
Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Madison Rex
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Bowdoin chapter.

 
Just in case you were in H&L all night cramming for the impending doom that is midterm season, the Oscars were last night. Don’t fret about not seeing the highlight of the award seasons (although the Grammy’s really are my favorite), because I watched it for you. As you may very well know, procrastination is kind of my forte, so I didn’t just sit in front of the TV and watch it, I threw an Oscar Party with my fellow RA’s for our residents.  Watching the Oscars in a group makes it more of an event and provides for some hilarious commentary. One area of commentary that is never lacking is in regards to red carpet fashion. The fashion at the Oscars this year was all together underwhelming. While the majority of stars were well coifed, beautifully dressed, and had glistening make up, it seemed as though everyone was playing it safe, leaving little room for personal style and personality to shine through. There were a few dominant trends on the red carpet including sequins, white, gold and red. Enough of my babbling! Without any further ado, it’s time to dissect the nominees’ outfits.
 
Can I have it? Can I have it?
Can I have it as can I have that dress? These actress topped my personal best dressed list and if given the opportunity I would gladly pester them with that question, but not as persistently as Darrel would.
 

Emma Stone– My honest to goodness girl crush.  (Almost) everything this woman touches just turns into pure gold, so it comes as no surprise that her dress would be just as amazing. While the bow on her right shoulder was bit off-putting at first, when someone pointed out how she was evoking Nicole Kidman circa 2007 I began to appreciate it. The honeysuckle Jean-Baptise Grenouille gown was the perfect shade of red for Emma’s alabaster skin: bold but not too overpowering.
 

Octavia Spencer– Who else was on the brink of tears at Octavia’s adorable acceptance? I honestly don’t think my party guests and I were alone in that. But back to the dress. The best supporting actress winner wore a light grey Tadashi Soji  dress with crystals that weren’t overpowering. Octavia definitely heeded one of the most important rules of dressing, knowing what your body shape is, what to highlight, and what to play down. The cinching at the waist emphasizes her hourglass proportions nicely.

Michelle Williams– This selection came as a bit of surprise for me because generally I find Michelle’s outfits a little too understated and bland (with the expectation of her yellow Vera Wang dress at the 2006 Oscars). Given my lowered expectations for her, I was pleasantly surprised by her coral Louis Vuitton gown. It was simple without being boring and intricate without being over the top. The soft ruffles and flowing quality of the dress channeled old Hollywood without being a direct translation of Marilyn Monroe.
 
Just Alright
There were some looks that weren’t bad, but were underwhelming.
 

Viola Davis– While I have to congratulate her for her willingness to wear a bold color, I think it could been executed in a better way than this jade green Vera Wang gown. The weird bustier that started halfway down her chest and the v-cut cleavage did not do good job of accentuating Viola’s assets. It looks uncomfortable and unflattering. What redeems the dress besides the color are the sequins and the delicate ruffles at the bottom. In addition to that her short natural hair do proved that long hair isn’t an essential to being beautiful.
 

Kirsten Wiig– In the movie ‘Bridesmaids’ Kirsten had so much heart; you can definitely see that she threw herself into the role. I wish I could say the same about her dress. The ethereal light beige J. Mendel number seemed to constrain Kirsten more than it enhanced her beauty. I feel as though this dress would have worked if it were in a warmer color that complimented Kirsten’s dark hair.
 
Boring- Pretty straight forward
 

Angelina Jolie – I was in love her elegant and backless crystal studded turquoise Versace gown that she wore to the 2011 Golden Globes, so I definitely had high expectations for her dress. And I was utterly disappointed this time around. Angie wore a velvet black gown that was pretty standard and boring in spite of its high cut slit. I’m sorry Angie, but no slit can save a dress that boring and plain. Maybe next time?

Really- you’re wearing that?
This was my reaction to some of the not-so- well-dressed ladies this evening
 

While there were some definite faux-pas throughout the night in terms of dresses being slightly aging (Shailene Woodley), ill fitting (Melissa McCartney) forgettable (Bernice Bejo) or just plain questionable (Meryl Streep), there was only one woman whose outfit truly deserves worst dressed is Anna Faris. The typically funny woman aimed for a more conservative look and missed completely. The black Diane Von Furstenberg dress looked like a life size disco ball. It didn’t complement her figure at all and was made even worse by Anna’s blunt blonde bangs. 

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