2019 Academy Awards Fashion Review

Last night was Oscar night, when all the stars turn out in their finery - or their craziness. It's been a while since I've posted a fashion blog (or any blog at all), but last night's fashions are definitely worth blogging about.

Red carpet fashions definitely follow certain trends at each event, and last night was no exception. Unlike the Golden Globes, there was very little focus on cleavage, but instead, giant bows, loops, capes, and shoulder accents seemed to be the theme. But what really caught my eye was how limited the color scheme. Lots of red, bright pink, silver, and black covered the majority of looks.

Let's check out all the pink and red dresses first!

RED AND PINK

Angela Bassett's bubblegum pink satin gown featured a giant loop of fabric over the right shoulder that cascaded puffily around her back. I'm still not sure how she managed to sit in either the limo or the theater, but clearly she did, as evidenced by the terrible creases on the front of her dress. I liked the general silhouette, which was fitted through the bodice and over the hips, then flared gently into a short train, with a front slit. And the color was perfect for her. But the disproportionate shoulder thing (for lack of a better technical term) and the noticeably wrinkled fabric took away from the look. 

Gemma Chan also wore bubblegum pink, but her dress featured tiers of ruffles, a high ruffle around the neck, and a silhouette that looked rather like a tent. I should have hated it, but somehow it worked for me. Possibly because most of the volume was in the back, which avoided making her look lost among the yards of fabric. Not one of the best looks of the night, but not horrible, and certainly memorable. 

Hannah Beachler, despite her statuesque build and piled-high updo, was a bit overwhelmed by the giant, heavy ruffles on the left shoulder of her red-orange gown. The structure was beautifully and artistically done, reminding me of a Chihuly glass sculpture, but it was too close to her face, and completely enveloped her left arm, which I found distracting. I did love the base of the gown, with its graceful ruching at the front and a stiff-edged train that added some nice structure. A little less weight and volume in the ruffles and this gown would have been a win for me.

Helen Mirren was absolute perfection in a sheer, layered, pink chiffon gown. I loved the peeps of peach and ivory layers underneath and the way the skirt was incredibly full without looking bulky. It looked absolutely stunning when she moved, and the color had just the right intensity to set off her porcelain skin and impossibly shiny silver hair without overwhelming her. Simply stunning.

Jennifer Hudson pulled off the oversized ruffle/bow/accent trend much better than most in her bright red single-sleeved column. The ruffles on her right shoulder were large, but soft enough to not pull attention from her face, and they cascaded gracefully to her left hip where they widened and softened even more as they continued to the hem. The volume was just enough to be dramatic without being overwhelming or disproportionate, and the curved hem at the slit created a nice line that echoed the ruffles. Well done!

Kacey Musgraves' voluminous pale pink tulle gown was definitely a miss for me. I'm never a fan of reams of tulle (it looks so stiff and itchy!), but I especially disliked the way the yoke of the bodice was framed with an oversized tulle ruffle that stood up over the shoulders, and the tiers of tulle ruffles on the skirt stuck out, but the lower part of the bodice and hip area were fitted. It made for a strange, oddly-proportioned silhouette. I think that if the top had been strapless with no tulle trim, the rest of the gown would have worked for me, but as was, it was simply out of balance.

And yet, Kacey was out-pinked, out-ruffled, and out-overwhelmed by Linda Cardellini's even pinker, even rufflier, even more overwhelming, and even more ugly pink tulle gown. With its curtain-style high-low skirt with a large train and down-to-there cleavage, paired with a pale pink bow tied at the waist, it reminded me of a marabou bathrobe. The volume at the shoulders made it look like she was wearing football pads, and the overall volume of the dress simply devoured her petite frame. She's a beautiful woman but it was hard to see that in this monstrous dress. 

Marina de Tavira, on the other hand, was an excellent example of how voluminous tulle and ruffles can work well. Her simple, structured bodice had just a hint of tulle ruffles along the top to tie it in with the skirt, and the skirt itself was many, many tiny layers of tulle, rather than just a few long layers, which gave it a gently cascading silhouette without the overwhelming volume. It had a much softer and less structured look than a skirt with large ruffles, and it blended well with the fitted bodice for a unified look and a flattering silhouette that placed the focus on the wearer rather than the gown. Well done. 

I appreciate that Maya Rudolph opts for conservative dresses, often covering her arms, chest and even neck. But they often lack shape and tailoring, and this floral frock is no exception. The base dress wasn't horrible; I could have done without the 1982 Laura Ashley ruffles running down the front, but the tiny belt at least gave the dress some shape, and the bodice was nicely fitted. But the tied at the neck, collared, ruffle-edged, voluminous cape looked too much like a child playing dress-up with Grandma's drapes. There are lots of lovely, well-tailored, elegant, but still conservative looks out there, and I hope Maya finds some of them for her next red carpet appearance.

I'm not quite sure how Rachel Weisz managed to avoid melting into a puddle during the ceremony, given that she was apparently wearing a vinyl poncho over her otherwise quite pretty gown. With her dark hair and fair skin, the candy apple red was a great color for her, but the shiny, shapeless, cheap-looking top was far from great. Convert it to a soft, sheer, chiffon overlay or a cropped, tailored jacket and it would have worked. 

Sarah Paulson. Oh, Sarah. You are so lovely, and yet your stylist hates you so very much. The hugely voluminous skirt with peeps of skin at the waist might have worked with the right bodice, but a bright pink puffy sack cinched in at the neck with a diamond choker was definitely not the right bodice. And the sleeked-back hairstyle made the poor woman's head look tiny perched on top of the giant poof of fabric. Remove 75% of the volume from this dress and maybe, just maybe, it could have worked. At least the color was striking on her?

The next most popular color trend seemed to be metallics - mainly silver., with a few golds and coppers thrown in for good measure.

METALLICS

Amandla Stenberg rocked the red carpet in a stunning 1920s-inspired fringed column, accented with a lovely marcelled hairstyle. The silver fringe overlaid a pale gold underlayer which matched her skin tone, creating a sexy but not really revealing peekaboo effect as she moved. I especially loved the way the fringe was draped at the bottom of the bodice to give shape to the top, instead of just ending in a blunt line of fringe. It added a graceful elegance and contemporary feel to the gown.

Amy Adams looked lovely but decidedly understated in a snugly-fitted white-and-silver sheath with just a hint of train. I liked the way it was fitted, but it was somehow a little bland for me. It was not quite as flattering a color on her as the nude and champagne dresses she often wears, perhaps because her hair is currently less strawberry blond than usual. It wasn't a bad look, it just wasn't a memorable one.

Awkwafina marched to the beat of her own drummer in a metallic gold man-cut suit over a poofy silver 1980s-style bow blouse. I had never heard of her, and I didn't like her look when I first saw her on the red carpet. But after seeing her present, I realized how well it fits her style and her personality, and it kind of grew on me. I wish it had been just a hair better tailored, as the jacket seemed to button a bit snugly, which caused it to ride up, the pants were a hair too long, and a slightly less puffy bow would have been less distracting, but overall, the look worked for her. 

Brie Larson is always stunning on the red carpet, whether wearing something very avant garde or going very simple. She opted for the latter last night in a sleek silver high-necked halter column with a deep side slit, and just a few understated diamond accessories. Tiny touches, such as the chain-mail texture of the fabric and the way the bodice nipped in gracefully just below the high collar, gave the look just the right polish. 

Emilia Clarke's Grecian-inspired metallic silver column had just a hint of lavender in it. I loved the mix of soft and geometric in the way the skirt was gathered in gently at the waist and then lifted to the bodice in a stiff fan. There was just enough volume to creative graceful draping without looking bulky. A really lovely look. 

Emma Stone's metallic copper dress featured a scale pattern, which I loved, and hugely raised shoulders, which I was not a fan of, although given the simplicity of the dress, they were not as out of place or distracting as they could have been. The deep copper was a lovely color on her, and I liked the variegated shades and diamond mesh effect of the scale pattern, which added lovely visual interest to the very simply cut gown. It wasn't one of my favorite looks, but she pulled it off quite well. 

Jennifer Lopez is another star who ranges from outrageous to simple in her red carpet looks, and she also opted for simple but stunning last night. Her long-sleeved, high-necked silver column was covered with hundreds of tiny mirror tiles, mostly silver but with a few red patterns thrown in the add visual interest, and hugged her perfect figure beautifully. Her soft, simple hairstyle and intense smoky eye makeup and nude lips drew focus right back to her gorgeous face. Perfection. 

Michelle Yeoh would look luminous wearing a potato sack, so it is no surprise that she looked wonderful in this sheer nude organza gown with silver accents. I loved the shape of the barely-off-the-shoulder, fitted bodice with wide cleavage, and I loved that the train was separate from the skirt and wrapped around the hips just slightly, almost like a bustle. The hem just skimmed the ground and made it look like she was floating instead of walking. An impeccably tailored and gorgeous look. 

Danai Gurira's gown was a lovely variegated shade of metallic copper, as was her coordinating headband, a simply stunning color against her glowing skin. Another good use of balanced volume, with a simple strapless bodice gathered in and trimmed with black ribbons, with a full skirt cascading to the floor and piling into a hint of a train. A simple look, but with just enough details to keep it interesting and leave the focus on the wearer rather than the dress. 

Glenn Close has had a few red carpet missteps, but this caped gold lame gown was not one of them. The flat front skimmed her body, creating shape with a wrapped v-neck and angled patch pockets, with the cape attaching to the shoulder seams rather than the collar, which created lovely draping at the sides, adding soft lines and creating a more interesting silhouette. I'm sorry she didn't come home with a statuette, but at least she looked like one (and I mean that in the best possible way).


The final category, which brings us up to about 85% of all the dresses we saw last night, includes basic black, black-and-white, and white gowns. Let's look at a few of those classic, traditional color looks.

BLACK AND WHITE

Allison Janney was one of the few opting for to-the-waist cleavage, in this black velvet column. The top had a tuxedo look to it, with its satin shawl collar, and the narrow skirt had a narrow train to match. I didn't love the satin accent at the waist, mainly because it looked like she had tied a cardigan sweater around her waist. But the diamond necklace and sleek hair were the perfect accessories, so overall, I'd call this a great look. 

Billy Porter also opted for a black gown with a tuxedo top, although I didn't love his as much as Janney's. The crisp, angled top and the hugely full skirt felt like parts of two different looks. I did like the full white cuffs peeking out at the wrist and the straight-across black insert creating a bodice, so perhaps echoing one of those effects in some way might have tied it together, such as a small white ruffle at the front of the hem, or even a white band a few inches above the hem. But it was clearly a look intended to raise eyebrows, and I'm sure it was successful in that. 

Diane Warren's white suit featured wide metallic silver stripes along the sleeves and the sides of the pants, which I loved. I also loved the heavy chain pattern at the edge of her black dickey. But combined with her short jet-black hair, the black dickey framed her face with black in a way that made it look like her head was levitating. Change out the black dickey for a white one and this look would have completely worked for me. But even as it was, it was fun and different and it absolutely suited her style. 

Lady Gaga's was the look I had most eagerly awaited: would she be wearing a crazy dress or something classic? She definitely chose old Hollywood glamour in this Marilyn Monroe-esque strapless black ballgown with black opera gloves, accented with a platinum updo and an absolutely stunning resetting of the 128-carat yellow diamond that Audrey Hepburn wore in Breakfast at Tiffany's. I loved the little contemporary feature of the slightly flared hip detail, which made it feel like signature Gaga rather than just a Marilyn knockoff. A really terrific look for her. 

Melissa McCarthy's outfit was one of my favorite looks of the night. With wide-legged black trousers topped with a wide belt, what really caught my eye was the impeccably tailored white satin bodice with plunging but narrow neckline and matching floor-length cape. It was elegant enough to look dressy enough for a red carpet event, and really had a nicely tailored couture look to it, despite its simplicity. Whoever her current stylist is, she needs to hang onto him or her!

Regina King's pure white gown was a tailor's dream with its elegant curved gathering. It was almost mystical the way the fabric twisted up and seemed to levitate at the top of the slit. The train had a pretty, soft fullness at the hem, and the slight curve at the top of the bodice added another graceful line. Simple elegance.

Tessa Thompson's gown teeters on the edge of reminding me of Ariel's improvised sail-and-rope dress from The Little Mermaid. But it stays on the right side of fashion by hugging her body everywhere except for a gentle double peplum at the hip echoed by a double ruffle at the hem. The placement of the gold bands is just right for accenting the narrowest and widest parts of her body, creating flattering curves and an overall attractive silhouette. From the side, it does make her look a little flat-chested, but that's a truly minor quibble with what is otherwise a lovely look. 

But what about that last 15% that didn't fall into the red/pink, metallic, and black-and-white categories? Here are a few of those looks!

THE REST OF THE RAINBOW

Olivia Colman's deep green A-line gown was topped with a sheer, deep gray wrap with silver accents that ended in a flared train. It was a very different look that absolutely suited her. It wouldn't work on just anyone, but it was just right for her, and she looked like a million bucks.

Charlize Theron is another star who would look gorgeous wearing a potato sack, which is probably the only reason I don't hate this dress. The pale blue has a little too much gray in it to work well with her newly-brunette hair, and although the fabric has some nice body and structure to it, she looked like she needed a better bra. I did love the squared-off shoulders, the cuffed sleeves, and the flared train, but I felt like it needed some kind of additional visual interest or focal point to really make the overall look pop. 

Olivia Spencer looks absolutely spectacular in this shimmering cobalt blue gown with princess seams, full skirt, and draped shoulder details. It was simple, but the glitter of the fabric gave her plenty of sparkle, and her softly waved hair and colorful but not overdone makeup brought attention to her beaming face. 

Constance Yu wowed in a floaty daffodil yellow chiffon gown with an asymmetrical ruffle at the top of the bodice. The dress moved beautifully and Yu pulled off the color in a way few could. It was a lovely, simple, and eye-catching look.



Bottom line? My favorites of the night were Helen Mirren, Michelle Yeoh, and Regina King. My least favorites were Linda Cardellini, Rachel Weisz, and Sarah Paulson (although there were lots of other contenders!). Whose outfits did you love and hate last night?