Tuesday, January 12, 2016

The Red Carpet Runway

I have not been incredibly excited about red carpet fashion for the past couple of years, but I decided to look at this year's Golden Globe offerings . . . and there was a lot of color, a lot of cleavage, and a few interesting designs.

This may not be the most interesting dress in the world, but I love it just the same.  Helen Mirren (in Badgley Mischka) rarely disappoints, and she looks stunning in this dress.


I am not always a fan of Versace, but this velvet dress is a masterpiece.  Too bad the person wearing it is invisible.  This shade of hair looks terrible on her - it's like Nicole Kidman all over again.  Maybe some red lipstick would have helped, but the platinum and nude lip is seriously disturbing to me . . . then again, maybe that was that point . . . this is Lady Gaga, after all.  But the dress is AMAZING!


These Zuhair Murad gowns are starting to blend together for me.  But it is probably a whole lot of fun to flounce around in one for the evening.  And I would love to see one up close, or spend some time in their atelier and learn about embellishment techniques.


When is Zac Posen going to stop using this fabric?!  It just does not look good when worn in real life without the benefit of airbrushing out all of the wrinkles.  Look at that hem . . . yuck.  But this lady looks adorable and she seems to be having a great time, so I suppose the dress is doing something right.  Poor Bernadette Peters, however, did not fare as well in a column gown made from the same stuff with a mess of wrinkles.


I cannot believe I am saying that I like something made with a mustard colored fabric, but this
Giambattista Valli dress is pretty fantastic and very old Hollywood.  Is the cape attached, do we think?


I would love to get my hands on this floral fabric, but I don't like the dress.  The fold on the bodice looks like a fitting mistake and the diagonal seam on the skirt does not work for me.  But that print has some definite possibilities.


Georgina Chapman always looks lovely, but this dress is extra special.  Love it!


This Givenchy dress once again proves that Cate Blanchett can wear anything.  And I bet it looks amazing in motion.


I think I saw two movies this year, but Brooklyn was one of them, and Saoirse Ronan is adorable.  The Saint Laurent dress is not that special; I actually have an old Vogue patterns that would make a great copy.  But she makes the dress work.


With my new appreciation for odd sculptural silhouettes, I find myself drawn to Jane Fonda's Yves Saint Laurent dress, but something is off.  I think it would look much better without the sleeves.  (And I normally love a long sleeved gown.)  Or is it the length?  The more I look at that bodice, the more I see a giant scalloped shell.  But I am still intrigued.


And, may I just say, this is probably the most adorable man in the world.  Normally I find sneakers with formal clothing irritating, but Alan Cumming can wear anything he wants in my world.


So what do you think?  Any new favorites to inspire this year's sewing plans?

[Click on image for source]

8 comments:

  1. Love all your pick, but my favorite was Jennifer Lawrence's outfit. Modern, minimal, but not boring--and the gown didn't outshine the person wearing it. For old Hollywood glamour, J-Lo was amazing, as was the dress worn by Lady GaGa. You are right, though, she kind of disappeared.

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  2. I think it is the neckline that is the issue on Jane Fonda's dress. The collar is the same height as the shoulder ruffles and gives her a very odd illusion that her shoulders are hunched up. It either needs to be closed up a bit more and higher or just take the raised collar off altogether so her neck shows more.

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  3. I didn't see anything I like as well as your Ceil Chapman and other formal wear you make. You could make any of those dresses and make them look better because you would change some of the tacky elements like necklines too low or not pleasing ruffles and make them elegant.

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  4. I always catch these parades in the crummy pop culture magazines at my gym, often years later. The nude lipstick trend continues. The one legged column needs a one arm to balance it out for me.
    It is interesting to me only that this is the other runway that designers work on. Granted, this situation isn't much different, we're not looking for practical, every day red carpet looks, but the wrinkling and hem issues surface here, as well as the Met Ball dinner photos (look, you CAN sit down in that dress!).

    I do check out what Alan Cumming is wearing. He's my runway hero.

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  5. I love Lady Gaga's effort. I think she is stunning and true to Lady Gaga form, she provides the unexpected. Red lips would have been so predictable with this dress. She never does the predictable. She was my fave.

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  6. I loved the yellow gown. I agree that it looks like old Hollywood glamour.

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  7. I love when you write about these red carpet outfits. Your opinions are so sharp and funny -- more please!

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  8. I love the necklines on the black dresses, so classy but the jane Fonda! Not for me, I like the more elegant lines. Scorcha looks great but that dress is so done. I think Alan looks great because there is so individuality and it looks like he picked it rather than being "dressed ". I would love to just try on a gown once!

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