By Jennifer Bakken
Basic fashion dos and don'ts DO apply on the night of the Oscars.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Suzy can't get enough of the Oscars so when our fashionista galpal and regular contributor, Jennifer Bakken offered to share her expert opinion on the night, we said bring it on!
So I've been doing a lot of thinking about the dresses I saw gracing the red carpet as well as the stage that night and I have some opinions, of course. Why is it in Hollywood that so often on the night of a major event like the Oscars the basic principles about what to wear and what not to somehow are not applied? I mean, we've seen some CRAZY-bad looks over the years on everyone from Cher to Gwyneth, so why is it that some stars who historically do know how to put themselves together and know what makes them look good seem to lose their sense of style on those evenings? Is it the pressure, a bad stylist, a controlling mother? (Sorry Beyoncé, but she must be stopped) All of this we may never know, but what I do know is there are some people this year that got it really right by simply following some of the basic fashion "rules to live by" and here are some of those big winners.
Basic Rule #1: Choose a dress that works with your body's shape, enhancing the good – distracting us from the bad.
Two of my favorites that got this right were Alicia Keys and Tina Fey. From the second I saw them I couldn't stop commenting on how amazing their bodies looked in the dresses they chose. Alicia chose an Armani gown that de-emphasized her fuller bottom-half as well as one that clearly had enough structure to hold everything in and up, so as to lead our eye to her greatest assets which in my mind are her bosom, her skin, and her beautiful face and hair. Tina chose a very form-fitting Zac Posen gown that showed that she does indeed have a fabulous figure under that "Liz Lemon" façade. As well as she chose a dress with a little bit of a cap-sleeve as to de-emphasize her arms, and being that she's 38 I'm quite sure are not her most favorite feature.
Basic Rule #2: Choose a dress that's age-appropriate.
Two women that I think got this very right were Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep. Anne looked absolutely stunning in the Armani gown that truly looked like it was cut specifically for her young, svelte and tall stature. This was not an understated gown, although it was a neutral champagne in color, the shine from its beading was enough to light up the entire theatre. Someone that can truly fit the bill, like this young and fit fashionista, should only wear a dress this bold and this form fitting. Meryl too chose a dress in deeper Champagne tones with her custom-made Alberta Ferretti gown. You can tell Meryl's done this a time or two and knows precisely how to make the perfect statement. This dress has several things going for it that make it perfect for anyone that's Meryl's age; sleeves, draping, and sophistication with just appropriate amount of sexiness by baring the shoulders. Way to go Meryl and Alberta!
Basic Rule #3 (and 4): Choose a dress that you'll feel comfortable and confident in, and NEVER forget a pop of color!
Angelina Jolie and Natalie Portman are winners here in the gowns that they chose and the way they expressed their own "pop" of color. Natalie looked incredible in her Rodarte gown that in my mind was the perfect shade of pink (must-have color of the season) – no bubble gum here. Both this dress and Angelina's Elie Saab number were also perfect cuts for these two women's often scarily skinny shapes. A form fitting bust line and a flowy bottom give the impression that there are women's hips underneath, while still creating slimming and elegant long line by the single color throughout. Angelina's pop of color to her usual black ensemble was one of my favorite's of the night as I think she did it perfectly by the emerald in just an earring and a ring; a third element would have been too much and that would not have been Angelina's style.
Jennifer Bakken is a San Francisco based wardrobe consultant. For more information: cabinetdenvie.com.
So I've been doing a lot of thinking about the dresses I saw gracing the red carpet as well as the stage that night and I have some opinions, of course. Why is it in Hollywood that so often on the night of a major event like the Oscars the basic principles about what to wear and what not to somehow are not applied? I mean, we've seen some CRAZY-bad looks over the years on everyone from Cher to Gwyneth, so why is it that some stars who historically do know how to put themselves together and know what makes them look good seem to lose their sense of style on those evenings? Is it the pressure, a bad stylist, a controlling mother? (Sorry Beyoncé, but she must be stopped) All of this we may never know, but what I do know is there are some people this year that got it really right by simply following some of the basic fashion "rules to live by" and here are some of those big winners.
Basic Rule #1: Choose a dress that works with your body's shape, enhancing the good – distracting us from the bad.
Two of my favorites that got this right were Alicia Keys and Tina Fey. From the second I saw them I couldn't stop commenting on how amazing their bodies looked in the dresses they chose. Alicia chose an Armani gown that de-emphasized her fuller bottom-half as well as one that clearly had enough structure to hold everything in and up, so as to lead our eye to her greatest assets which in my mind are her bosom, her skin, and her beautiful face and hair. Tina chose a very form-fitting Zac Posen gown that showed that she does indeed have a fabulous figure under that "Liz Lemon" façade. As well as she chose a dress with a little bit of a cap-sleeve as to de-emphasize her arms, and being that she's 38 I'm quite sure are not her most favorite feature.
Basic Rule #2: Choose a dress that's age-appropriate.
Two women that I think got this very right were Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep. Anne looked absolutely stunning in the Armani gown that truly looked like it was cut specifically for her young, svelte and tall stature. This was not an understated gown, although it was a neutral champagne in color, the shine from its beading was enough to light up the entire theatre. Someone that can truly fit the bill, like this young and fit fashionista, should only wear a dress this bold and this form fitting. Meryl too chose a dress in deeper Champagne tones with her custom-made Alberta Ferretti gown. You can tell Meryl's done this a time or two and knows precisely how to make the perfect statement. This dress has several things going for it that make it perfect for anyone that's Meryl's age; sleeves, draping, and sophistication with just appropriate amount of sexiness by baring the shoulders. Way to go Meryl and Alberta!
Basic Rule #3 (and 4): Choose a dress that you'll feel comfortable and confident in, and NEVER forget a pop of color!
Angelina Jolie and Natalie Portman are winners here in the gowns that they chose and the way they expressed their own "pop" of color. Natalie looked incredible in her Rodarte gown that in my mind was the perfect shade of pink (must-have color of the season) – no bubble gum here. Both this dress and Angelina's Elie Saab number were also perfect cuts for these two women's often scarily skinny shapes. A form fitting bust line and a flowy bottom give the impression that there are women's hips underneath, while still creating slimming and elegant long line by the single color throughout. Angelina's pop of color to her usual black ensemble was one of my favorite's of the night as I think she did it perfectly by the emerald in just an earring and a ring; a third element would have been too much and that would not have been Angelina's style.
Jennifer Bakken is a San Francisco based wardrobe consultant. For more information: cabinetdenvie.com.
