Posts with tag red-carpet

Since she's a former exotic dancer, I had expected something a bit more risque from Diablo Cody (screenwriter of Juno) at this year's Oscars. And while animal print is on the daring end of prints, there's no danger of naughty bits being exposed, and for that, I'm totally happy. In fact, I rather love her whole red carpet look -- she's funky, fashionable, and looks comfortable with her choice.

And what's even better is she has a style that regular folks can totally emulate. Do you like it? Do you want to take this look home? No problem -- here's what you do:

Penelope Cruz has no problem taking risks with fashion, and often, for her, that means playing with a variety of fabrics. This year's Oscars gown was no exception -- she had a plethora of feathers adorning her gown, and managed to make it work.

Now, I'm not about to recommend you start sporting a feather boa. In fact, I'm telling you straight up -- don't do it. However, there are lessons to be learned from P. Cruz's ensemble -- mere mortals can experiment with a variety of fabrics and adornments, especially when it's for a special occasion.

Cameron Diaz doesn't always get it right on the red carpet, and I can't say that she hit a home run this year, either. However, there were several things that she got unequivocally right, and these things you can incorporate into your very own wardrobe.

• In the pink -- Pale pink can be a beautiful hue for many, but you need to be careful that you select a shade that flatters your skin tone. Cameron looks like she just spent a weekend at the beach, so the light pink accentuates her bronze glow. If you're paler, you might want to select a pink with more color to it.
  
  

Anne Hathaway showed up at the 2008 Academy Awards in two of the night's hottest trends -- a bright red dress and a one-shoulder neckline.

You might be thinking, "Sure, she looked great, but what does that have to do with me? I don't foresee a red carpet in my future," but you're missing a big fashion point. Red carpet fashion doesn't only dictate, well, red carpet fashion -- the trends we see on at the Academy Awards have an impact on all fashion.

So how can you rock Anne's red hot style? Let me tell you!

Other than Isaac Mizrahi's infamous ScarJo boob bobble, the red carpet has been fairly tame in recent years. Where is the witty commentary, the point blank assault we knew and loved for years?

Never fear! Joan and Melissa Rivers ARE BACK, and this time, they're using the internet. AOL's StyleList.com has joined forces with the founders of red carpet commentary to give us the rundown on this year's Academy Awards.

In preparation for the Oscars this Sunday, we've picked the more gloriously horrible red carpet disasters from previous years. Click through to see the fashion carnage!

A lot of responsibility comes with being Gwyneth Paltrow. I mean, she wakes up in the morning tall, blonde, thin, and beautiful, and all she has to do is put on a pretty dress, brush her golden locks, and head out the door. Apparently, it's not that easy. Apparently, when one has all those things in her favor, she feels the need to really mess it all up in order to make her fans feel better about themselves.

At least, that's the ONLY way I can explain this goth and Tyson chicken cutlet-inspired dress from the 2002 Oscars. Yikes. And she looks like she knows it with the apologetic smile and extra slouch. She's lucky she's had so many hits -- I'm willing to let her off the hook for this one. Sort of.

Cher and Bob Mackie are a match made in kooky, crazy, red carpet fashion fashion heaven. Or hell. It's a toss-up. But that's nothing new -- she has sported a number of, well, unusual ensembles to awards shows over the years.

At the 1986 Academy Awards, Cher showed up in full glory sporting this costume (I call it a costume because how many gowns come with a crazy headdress like this? And is that a cape?).

Other than the obvious first question, which would be a startled "What the ...?" the next question has to be, "How is that skirt staying up?" But you have to hand it to her -- she looks totally composed while wearing it, a feat I'm sure most women would not be able to pull off, no matter how phenomenal her acting chops might be.

The Academy Awards generally take place in California, correct? Not the Swiss Alps? Uma Thurman apparently missed that memo at the 2004 Academy Awards when she opted to wear this Swiss Miss yodeling costume. And the kicker is, as bad as the dress is, she kind of pulls it off ... but not quite.

The thing that's such a shame here is that Uma glams up so well. She looks as much at ease in Prada as she does in yoga attire. And this ensemble (because it truly is an ensemble -- does she have lederhosen hidden under that skirt?) completely hides her long body from view. Just imagine how bad it would look if she weren't six feet tall and slim!

In 2005, Melanie Griffith was confused. She thought she was going to a Golden Girls: Thank You For Being a Friend Reunion audition (she wanted to play the part of Blanch Devereaux's feisty sister). However, it turned out she was actually on her way to the Academy Awards. Whoops!

If you're thinking the dress isn't so bad, you know, once you get past the ridiculous sequined paisley print, look closer. Melanie isn't showing skin -- that's nude colored fabric, like ice skaters have on their costumes so they don't flash naughty bits while doing a camel spin. To my knowledge, she wasn't doing any sort of ice skating moves, so she gets no points from the judges. This one is a ZERO.

Her date, however, he rates a bit higher ... HELLO, Antonio Banderas. I mean, really, even he knows it's bad -- look at his face!

You know, I almost didn't include Bjork's infamous Swan Dress from the 2001 Academy Awards on this list of worst Oscar styles ever, and I'm sure you want to know why. It's not because I think wearing swans around our necks is the new hot thing -- however, we are talking about Bjork (have you listened to her music? She's not exactly one to follow the crowd), and to be honest, I'd be totally disappointed if she showed up in a chic, sophisticated black gown.

Plus, she donated the dress to be auctioned off to benefit Oxfam, so I feel like that somewhat exonerates her from the fashion crime. That being said, it was still a swan, not a real dress. It makes me curious to know what she'll wear every time she hits the red carpet, though!

Yes, really, this is from the 2004 Academy Awards. Not 1977, when she won Best Actress for Annie Hall, which is probably the only time she would have been able to wear this outfit without laughter trailing her every move.

Now, could she have pulled off parts of the outfit? Maybe (but still doubtful). But the mix of the hat, gloves, tie, vest, pocket square, boutonniere, polka dots, and pinstripes ... well, something's gotta give. To be clear, the problem is not that she donned menswear -- women wearing menswear can be incredibly chic -- the problem is that she donned menswear that shouldn't be worn by any gender. Ever.

In case you didn't know, Celine Dion didn't start out in life looking the way she does. As her career took off, her looks improved dramatically ... which is probably why this outfit choice for the 1999 Academy Awards baffles me so. I mean, I totally understand wanting to take a risk, but clothing needs to be worn facing the front. Kris Kross figured this out by the time they hit puberty, so why didn't someone jump in and tell poor Celine?

The thing is, it's not only that the jacket looks like it's on backwards -- it looks like it's on backwards and isn't made to be worn that way. It just doesn't seem to fit properly. Wouldn't you love to see her try to lift her arms in that?

Geena Davis is a statuesque woman with a fabulous smile. And, in 1992 she had stolen America's heart with her role in Thelma and Louise. So why oh why did she force us to take our hearts back with a vengeance by wearing this ridiculous hi-lo can-can Copacabana reject?

Granted, at the time, the hi-lo hem was really pretty cool. However, the black tights with a white dress and white gloves (on a girl who probably should have opted for something with some actual color, given her skin tone)? For that, there is no excuse. And possibly no forgiveness. I'm not over it yet, anyway.

There are so many things wrong with Kim Basinger's dress from the 1990 Academy Awards, it's hard to know where to begin. Should I start with the glaring harshness of the white satin against Kim Basinger's pale complexion? No, what about the fact that half of her top is a jacket and the other half is a strapless, sweetheart neckline? Well, how about the opera length glove on her right arm that I presume is supposed to even out the top?

You know what's even worse? She designed this piece herself! With a look this bad, there's no good place to begin or end. We should just wash our hands of it and walk away. Laughing.

You're here at StyleDash, so I'm going to take a wild guess and assume you at least care about fashion. Well, it turns out you're a good person for caring. That's right. Not shallow, but good, and here's why:

The lack of red carpet events is hurting our economy.

Think about it -- Jennifer Lopez wears the infamous green Versace dress on the red carpet to the 2000 Grammys. Millions of people saw it when she wore it there, and millions more saw it after the fact. Prom dresses, wedding dresses, formalwear, and clubwear are all modeled after this design. Not only does Versace make a buck, but so does everyone else involved in all those other industries.