Welcome back! The New Year is here, winter break is over, and awards season is upon us. The glitz, the glamour, the gowns…the drunken acceptance speeches. The ballroom was full of commotion, champagne, and the air smelled vaguely of sweat and self-tanner (seriously, John Boehner would’ve felt right at home).
This year, we learned that Amy and Tina will be leaving us. As long as they’re not replaced by James Franco and Anne Hathaway, I think we’ll all survive. George Clooney won the lifetime achievement award, mostly because his recent nuptials were the first sign of the apocalypse, and HFPA wanted to appease the gods.
77-year-old Jane Fonda made us all want to buy her workout tapes and hire her plastic surgeon. Some of the “surprise” winners proved the old adage, “You win an Oscar, you buy a Golden Globe.” And Chrissy Teigen proved that the best way to handle an embarrassing situation is to make fun of yourself first.
While many of the gowns were gorgeous, a few made me do a double-take, so let’s dive into the Monday Morning Styling. Why do I feel so comfortable cheering and criticizing red carpet attire? Because if you have enough clout to make this stiletto-clad walk, there is no excuse for looking anything less than your best. To whom much is given, much is expected.
Felicity Huffman in Lorena Sarbu
Many women try to do the short dress, few succeed. Felicity Huffman looks so good in this white frock, she makes me want to start doing tricep curls right now.
Lana del Ray in vintage Travilla
Three words: Middle-Aged Little Mermaid
Jessica Chastain in Atelier Versace
Number One: This is how you do a whole look. The hair, the dress, the makeup, the jewels, it works perfectly together.
Number Two: What miraculous device is holding her bust in place? A bra? Tape? Whatever it is, I need twenty.
Kerry Washington in Mary Katrantzou
I love the rosy color on her, and the texture is really interesting. Other than that, I’m completely perplexed. The neckline is something out of a Disney Princess’s wardrobe. My mind is also boggled by the work-appropriate pumps. Disappointing.
Allison Tolman in ?
Since most of the dresses on the red carpet are designer samples, it can be tough for woman larger than size 4 to find something to wear. But Allison Tolman looks chic in this classic black gown, and I love the large box clutch.
Recovering from illness, Emily Blunt proves that she is, in fact, just “one stomach flu away from her goal weight.” The turquoise jewelry really works, and the hair is great.
More gowns, including my best and worst dressed, after the jump…
Allison Williams in Armani Prive
This dress is incredible, but the hair and makeup just ruin it. It’s so depressing. I feel like I need a pint of Ben and Jerry’s to comfort my sorrows.
I have the utmost respect for any woman who is willing to wear a cut-out gown five weeks after giving birth, but the waist on this dress just hits her in the wrong place. But slow clap for the bravado.
Also, greatest makeup that I’ve ever seen. Flawless.
Anna Kendrick in Monique Lhuillier
This is a really pretty gown. I think the pop of raspberry sequin keeps her from looking washed out in an otherwise nude gown. But every time I see it, I flash back to Reese Witherspoon circa 2006.
Reese Witherspoon in Calvin Klein
Speaking of Reese, she looks impeccable in this silver column gown. It’s a safe choice, but gorgeous.
Jennifer Aniston in Saint Laurent
I’ve seen this dress before. In 1998. At my junior prom. It was purchased at Maurice’s. I’m glad to see it found a new home after my Mom trucked it off to Goodwill.
Camilla Alves in Monique Lhuillier
I just love her. This pale pink is perfect with her skin tone. And I’m so obsessed with layered column gowns right now. Jenna Dewan-Tatum looked amazing in her layered Carolina Herrera gown as well.
Worst Dressed
My worst dressed could have been Lena Dunham in her ill-fitting Zac Posen and stained smile. It could have been Melissa McCarthy in her formal mime attire. Or it could have been Amal Clooney and those white satin gloves (such a disappointment). But no, one actress made all the others looked positively chic…
Do you think that after Keira admitted that she destroyed her Chanel wedding dress with red wine, Karl Lagerfeld decided that it was bed sheets and doilies from then on? Because there’s really no other explanation for this butterfly-printed bedsheet and lacy bedskirt concoction. How can this be the same woman?
Best Dressed
I cannot believe I’m about to do this. My best dressed is an actress who annoys me in ways that I can barely stomach. But when a woman looks good, she looks good.
Katherine Heigl has a history of dressing more matronly than her years, but not last night. This midnight-navy Zac Posen is phenomenally constructed, just revealing enough (take a lesson, J.Lo), and perfectly fitted to her body. The relaxed hairstyle and minimal makeup and jewels give the dress a surprisingly relaxed look.
So whose looks did you love and hate?
Oh Kerry Washington, no. For a woman with such a beautiful figure to wear such an ugly, confusing dress…it makes me sad.
I normally don’t like Katherine Heigl’s looks, but she looks gorgeous here.
I think Naomi Watts looked fabulous in the yellow Gucci dress. Tough to pull that color off. The snake necklace was fierce too!
I too loved Naomi Watts’ dress. The color and fit were impeccable. Definitely my best dressed.
Boo on you on picking two plus-size chicks as runners-up for worst dressed. Lena’s dress makes no sense to me, but I think she looks great in it compared to what she’s worn in the past.
Also I loved that Reese hung out with the Real Woman who wrote the book that inspired Wild. And she looked great, too.
Come on! The ladies almost being worst dressed on Belle’s has nothing to do with them being plus sized. As a plus size woman, I know there are PLENTY of options to wear other than a mime costume and a horrible ill fitting dress. Just because it was better than what they’ve worn in the past, doesn’t mean it’s best dressed material.
Also, while panning some of the plus-sized ladies Belle also applauded one non-size-4 person (Alison Tolman) for her chic look.
I for one would love for Lena to try another designer. I know she and Zac Posen are longtime friends but he is not doing her any favors.
Sure, compared to the train wrecks she’s worn in the past, this was an improvement for LD. However, it still didn’t fit her. If Posen had done something about the waist and she had different shoes, this would have been a good look. But the unfathomably yellow teeth always throw me off whatever she’s wearing.
I will say she looked really good in that simple black dress she wore on the tonight show the other day. It was a good look for her.
As for Melissa McCarthy, she needs to go to the Octavia Spencer school of plus-sized red carpet dressing and let Tadashi Shoji take a run at her. Her outfit was sewn together from pieces already in her closet, for goodness sake. She keeps trying to custom make items, and they all look terrible. Look at Patricia Arquette, not an easy body type to dress being plus-size and petite, but custom made Escada and she looked really nice (though the hair was kind of a disappointment).
Julianne Moore.
I have to agree that I think there were a few other perhaps more interesting contenders for worst-dress. I’m not sure what Lena’s going for with her ill-fitting attire so, I can agree with that. But Melissa and Amal are two gals that would not be at the top of my list. How about we throw it to Claire Danes, Robin Wright or Michelle Monaghan? Yikes!
I thought Michelle was just boring. Like, oh, you wore slinky spaghetti straps…how original. I had comments about everyone, but the post gets kind of long after awhile so I always end up cutting it down.
I agree. She’s a beautiful woman but she looked disheveled to me. The dress did nothing for her bust too. Nonetheless, I understand your choices.
you’re usually on point but I’ll have to defend the queen, the goddess, Lana. She looks great and it fits her aesthetic of psychedelic 60s glam. The V neck was not done un-tastefully, the pleats were reminiscent of the 60s/70s, and the color was bright and eclectic. (Can you tell I love/adore her and I’m definitely not opposed to a little mermaid look? hehe).
Absolutely obsessed with Emily Blunt in Mr. Kors. Simple, beautiful, amazing hair and makeup. All in all, an absolute knockout.
I was watching the red carpet show eagerly looking forward to your post today. I’m pretty much in agreement with what you said and made the EXACT comment about Jennifer Aniston’s dress! LOL
When Kiera said it took 30 people to make her gown—it was very much a WTF moment for me. Also, Amal’s gloves—people are so enamored with her it’s like she sh*ts gold but I’m sorry those white gloves looked like a costume (specifically thinking Julia Robert’s character from Pretty Woman goes to the opera!)
What did you think of Kate Hudson? From what I remember she looked pretty phenomenal.
I’m sorry, but tea length does not look good on ANYONE over the age of 10. I wouldn’t have hated Kerri Washington’s dress as much if it had gone all the way to the floor or if it had been a high-low showing her feet in the front but grazing the ground in the back. This just makes her look stumpy.
Agreed. Same with Juliana Marguiles.
Ughhh. Juliana Marguiles. Unfortunately I think my bar was set a little too high because I thought I could count on her (and Kerri Wash.) to wear the classically gorgeous gowns (Channel the inner Alicia Florrick and Olivia Pope!!). My first thought seeing Juliana was if her dress was made from the same kind of upholstery used on an old wingback chair
Haha, I said the same exact thing about Jennifer Aniston! I also just wanted to yank up Rosamund Pike’s straps. It’s too much skin up top, and they make her look like she’s hunched over. A little higher and the cut out would have hit at her waist, her tiniest part, and the boobs wouldn’t look saggy.
I swear, Keira’s expression just says to me “I lost a bet.”
Kerry Washington was SO CLOSE but she didn’t pull it off. I agree with most of your comments except Amal. I loved everything about it, and I think she wore the gloves to avoid a ring discussion. Also, I loved Lupita, and although this dress wasn’t as great as some of her past ones (her SAG dress from last year is my all time favorite), it was risky and suited her well. Emily Blunt was my favorite of the night.
Nice summary Belle!