Posts
Many years ago, I went through training to be a theatrical adjudicator, a position I held for a number of years. My difficulty early on, particularly in technical areas in which I had never directly worked, such as lighting and sound design, was that I usually recognized when the choices worked or didn't work, but I couldn't always explain why, or offer different choices to improve the design. Over the course of time, between being exposed to numerous productions and working with fellow adjudicators with expertise in multiple areas, I learned to identify the factors that create a good or a poor design.
In a similar way, over many years of following red carpet fashion as well as learning from experts, I have learned to distinguish not only good fashion from bad, but what makes one look good and another bad. Of course, both theatre and fashion involve a significant amount of personal taste and subjectivity, which is why a look may land on one critic's "Best Dressed" list yet another's "Worst Dressed" list. But if you are baffled by fashion, you may find it helpful to read some breakdowns of what makes me consider a look good or bad. So let's start with what I'm looking for, then I'll go on to show some looks from this year's Cannes Film Festival red carpet, along with my analysis of what I like and don't like about each look.
- Balance. This is probably the single most important aspect of determining whether a look works or not. Is the look visually balanced? Is there an element that, due to size or color or some other factor, pulls the viewer's eye away from the wearer's face? Is there too much visual weight in one place or another that makes the wearer look top- or bottom-heavy?
- Harmony. There needs to be harmony of style among the pieces and accessories being worn together. Are the various pieces equally formal or informal? If there are multiple fabrics, are some noticeably heavier than others, or do they move differently? Are the accessories similar in style? Are there details in each piece that unify the look?
- Tailoring. A good fit is crucially important. Are the seams smooth and even? Does the bodice stay in place as the wearer moves? Do fitted pieces skim the body instead of clinging too tightly? Are hems and sleeves an appropriate length? Are there wrinkles where the fabric should be smooth? Does the dress move with the wearer?
- Visual Interest. A bad ensemble can be too bland or too busy, but a good ensemble uses textures, seaming, colors, accent pieces, and accessories to keep the viewer's interest without being overwhelming or distracting.
Now that you know what I'm considering as I evaluate red carpet fashions, let's see how this applies to various looks on yesterday's red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival.
The Good: The color is beautiful and complements her skin tone nicely. The overall silhouette of the dress is flattering and well-proportioned, with the wide wrapped waist, the deep sweetheart neckline, and the way the fabric of the skirt swirls into the waistline creating a visual pull towards the narrowest part of her body, emphasizing the curves of her figure. Her short necklace fills in the large expanse of skin at the top of the bodice, and I love that the sapphire in her necklace is a slightly darker color than her dress, which both creates a subtle contrast and adds a touch of visual weight that brings the viewer's eye upwards.
The Bad: Although the texture of the floating sleeves is a nice contrast to the smooth fabric of the gown, their bulk, and especially the way they flare towards the wrist, creates visual weight at her waist level, pulling the viewer's eye down and away from her face.
The Bottom Line: It's not a bad look overall, but losing the sleeves would bring it up to being a great look.
Other Critics Said: "The strapless emerald gown, with its draped bodice and thigh-high slit, ticked all the red carpet boxes. But ruffled sleeves...added a playful couture twist." (Red Carpet Fashion Awards)
The Good: The shape of the skirt is a smooth bell that appears to float above the ground, avoiding the slightly angular look that sometimes comes from wearing a hoop underskirt. The colorful rustic artwork is whimsical and adds both a message and pops of color to the simple design, as well as creating a fun contrast to the formality of the ballgown silhouette. I love the addition of a lace overlay with straps over an opaque strapless bodice, which adds texture without taking away from the painted dove, and the elegant satin gloves in a pale shade of lavender create a visual tie to the swath of more vivid purple in her hair.
The Bad: The blurry yellow "reverse painted" olive branches (it looked like olive branches had been laid on the dress and spray paint applied over them) look like something had been spilled on the dress, and feels like a completely different style of art than either the children or the dove. But that's a very minor quibble.
The Bottom Line: This look is charming, lovely, and memorable.
Other Critics Said: "Made me smile." (Success Carter)
The Good: The draping of the skirt is lovely, with the angled wrapping from the waist to the top of the hip drawing in the eye to enhance her curves, and the vertical line of the fabric swath falling from the center waist to the floor lengthening her legs. The fabric at the top of the bodice is crushed horizontally, creating interesting contrasting horizontal and vertical lines which serve to lengthen her torso and legs and narrow her waist.
The Bad: The top of the bodice sits quite low, and the draped shoulder details draw the viewer's eye downwards, creating a droopy feel. In addition, her necklace is too short to fill in the large area of visible skin above the bodice, making the bodice feel even droopier. The keyhole opening is wider at the bottom than the top, which makes her waist look wider, and the opening also bows out as she moves, making the bodice look baggy and poorly fitted.
The Bottom Line: In general, this look works well, but there were a few details that could have been tweaked to improve it.
The Good: Honestly, there isn't much good about this outfit other than that it is well-tailored.
The Bad: Everything here is out of proportion. The volume of the cape overwhelms the size of the tiny skirt; the (apparently) jersey top and casual skirt are at odds with the formality of both the cape and the dressy taffeta fabric; the shoes are too big and bulky (they look like something Minnie Mouse or Daisy Duck would wear) and their silver hue conflicts with the gold belt buckle and over-large gold handbag.
The Bottom Line: Most of the pieces in this ensemble aren't terrible in their own right (except for the shoes, which are simply awful), and might work in a specific venue and styled in a different way, but the way they are here is neither cohesive nor appropriate.
The Good: The sleek, straight silhouette is nicely balanced with the graceful arched lines of the beading, and the triangular black insets create a flattering hourglass shape. The long narrow train softens the severity of the straight dress without overwhelming it. The back slit allows for comfortable movement without disrupting the horizontal curves at the front of the skirt.
The Bad: I don't love the way the bodice stands away from the front of her body, and the hem is a hair too long. It feels like it isn't properly tailored for her.
The Bottom Line: This is a beautiful and interesting look that is unusual but not too overly-exaggerated or weird; it just needs to be fitted better.
Other Critics Said: "The fabric's high shine and contrasting textures brought all the drama one expects from Cannes - without tipping off the dress-code police." (Marie Claire)
The Good: The lines of the dress are simple, with a single stiff, pointed extension at one shoulder, which added just a hint of outre to tie it nicely to the fantastical pink ruffle, which creates a lovely frame that draws focus to her face but still appears light and floaty rather than heavy or stiff. I also love the slight hint of pink in the gown that ties the two elements together.
The Bad: The pink ruffle is just a hair too close to the back of her neck, making it look like she has to jut her head forward slightly. I might also have narrowed the ruffle just a hair, so it only showed a bit over the top of her head and so she didn't have to fully extend her arms to reach the sides.
The Bottom Line: A very avant-garde look, but one that is reasonably balanced visually and not too over-the-top, with interesting details.
Other Critics Said: "A surprising yet welcomed monochromatic look...[Bodi] channeled her inner Barbie...with dramatic ruffles." (The Times of India) "Bodi certainly ensured all eyes were on her... but for the wrong reasons." (The Daily Mail)
The Good: The fabric is luxurious and elegant, and the draping of the skirt is graceful and flattering.
The Bad: It gives off a kind of bad 1960s sci-fi vibe (I'm thinking of the Star Trek episode called "Bread and Circuses"). The overall silhouette is unbalanced and gives her the proportions of a linebacker, and the openings are awkwardly and unflatteringly placed and uneven, and the modesty panels are too thick and obvious in some places. And I can't even imagine how the French fry purse ties into anything.
The Bottom Line: This whole thing is just a hot mess.
Other Critics Said: "Bel left a little too much to imagination in her cut-out gold dress, which she paired with a purse shaped like French fries." (The Daily Mail)
The Good: The silhouette of the dress, at least from the front, is quite pretty. Despite being a shift dress, which means it has no defined waist or waist seam, it is slim enough to avoid looking shapeless. The slight curve of the front panel of the wrap prevents the vertical stripes from looking too severe or geometric. The loose ruffle formed by the drape at the back is also a nice relief from and contrast to the severity of the vertical stripes.
The Bad: The voluminous inverted cone of pink tulle at the back is completely out of proportion and out of place. It looks like she's carrying a backpack hidden under her gown.
The Bottom Line: This look is a half-decent concept that is completely spoiled by one poorly thought-out detail.
Other Critics Said: "[Berry] arrived in a frumpy, black and white striped dress that hung awkwardly on her frame...The haltered, puffy gown contained a curious ruffle with pink fabric sticking out on the back and it just didn't work." (The Daily Mail)
[Note: It's worth mentioning that Berry had planned to wear a different gown, one that had a large train, so when it was announced that nudity and trains were prohibited, she had to make a last-minute substitution.]
The Good: The pale pink of the fabric flowers might have washed her out, but the deeper pink centers of the flowers add visual interest and a feeling of motion and depth to the overall color. The bulk of the flowers is well-balanced by the simple lines of the gown, and the long train also gives a feeling of proportion by extending the silhouette.
The Bad: The bodice of the dress feels a little bulky and shapeless, and could be improved by minimizing the flower size and volume at the bust and especially the waist to create a curvier silhouette. Had that change been made, I think the dress would have worked with a significantly shorter train, which would have been more in keeping with the new rules.
The Bottom Line: It is a good look, but could have been even better had it been slightly modified to adhere to the rules.
Other Critics Said: "[Klum] wore a larger-than-life pink floral gown...that broke one too many rules of the festival...She added glitz to the monochrome outfit with...jewellery." (The Times of India) "A pink ruffle explosion." (Rumor Juice) "[A] dramatic look that stood out but remained modest when compared to some looks of the previous year's red carpet." (The Week Magazine)
The Good: The slight curve of the top of the bodice and the slight curve of the full skirt both serve to soften the stark lines of the gown. The lightness of the tulle skirt combines with the starry-skies look of the silver-on-black spangles adds a floaty weightlessness to the voluminous skirt.
The Bad: The fullness of the dropped sleeves lowers the visual weight of the overall silhouette, which pulls the viewer's eye away from her face, and the fact that her hands are lost in the sleeves makes the dress look badly-fitted and uncomfortable. And as with several previous looks, the large expanse of bare skin at the top of the bodice would benefit from a large pendant, in this case perhaps a diamond starburst to carry through the "starry skies" theme.
The Bottom Line: A great concept, a decent execution, but a few details that aren't quite right.
Other Critics Said: "...[A] little too over-the-top." (The Daily Mail) "Her frothy strapless dress...and elbow-length gloves provided some old-world charm. This is the kind of swerve that makes the changing look of Cannes feel a little more welcome—that is, when it helps us see a celebrity we think we know in an entirely new style." (Marie Claire)
The Good: Nude fabric can be deadly on a lot of skin tones, but the drape of the satin here creates a depth of color that works beautifully. The soft draping of the skirt creates subtle vertical lines that make her legs look longer, as does the narrow train, and the X-shaped twist of fabric at the waist emphasizes her curves. The large, colorful, slightly fussy brooch adds a focal point near her face, elevating what could be a lovely but bland dress into a memorable one.
The Bad: Honestly, there's nothing I dislike about this look. 10/10.
Other Critics Said: "The twisted detail and fluid fabric were beautiful on their own, but it was the...brooch perched on her shoulder that ...gave the whole look a sci-fi twist that was unexpected and oddly fabulous." (Red Carpet Fashion Awards)
Juliette Binoche wore an ivory ensemble that topped wide-legged pants with a sleeveless, wrapped bodice with an attached hood and a short train.
The Good: The pants are beautifully tailored to skim the floor and create a smooth, graceful line befitting the formality of the red carpet. The crushed fabric of the bodice softens the horizontal lines of the pleating, and the soft drape of the hood is a nice feminine touch that also sets off her dark hair and frames her face.
The Bad: Her legs would have looked longer with ivory or nude shoes, but I don't hate the dark shoes she chose, given how barely visible they are.
The Bottom Line: A gorgeous, different, and comfortable look.
Other Critics Said: "Architectural poetry." (Rumor Juice)
The Good: The pure white color sets off her tanned skin, and the sleek silhouette (in combination with her slight frame) is able to stand up to the fuzziness of the eyelash fabric. Her silver sandals are fabulous.
The Bad: The boa, diamond armband, and diamond headband worn across the forehead all have a 1920s feel that doesn't work with the style of the dress. Also, the boa feels like a bit too much fuzz, and a plain white satin or taffeta wrap might have better emphasized the fabric of the dress.
The Bottom Line: The dress is fine, and the accessories are fine, but they simply don't work well together.
Other Critics Said: "[Hervey wore a] peculiar white number for the event, which had stringy white feathers all over it." (The Daily Mail)
The Good: This shade of a red is a great color on her, and she has the perfect amount of curves for the body-hugging style. The diagonal lines of the fabric and the slits set off her curves, but are nicely softened by the full draping of the train.
The Bad: Some of the slits are awkwardly placed and feel like a wardrobe malfunction about to happen. The hem also feels overly short to me, making the nice flare at the bottom of the skirt look stiff. The original runway design was a softer fabric and had a much longer hem, which gave it a more graceful feel.
The Bottom Line: Close the slits in the skirt and lengthen the hem, and this gown would be sheer perfection.
Other Critics Said: "The cut-outs with shredded detailing and that attached train made for a sultry, high-impact look that balanced sensuality with couture finesse." (Red Carpet Fashion Awards)
The Good: The volume of the ruffles is just enough to be eye-catching without making the look bottom-heavy. The white edging adds visual interest both by color contrast and adding curving lines. Her diamond necklace with black pendant is perfect to fill the space above the bodice.
The Bad: This look is just a hair on the simple side for the red carpet. It needs a hint of pizzazz with a more interesting pair of shoes or long drop earrings.
The Bottom Line: It's a great look, but it's not particularly memorable.
Other Critics Said: "[Mau's] strapless gown [featured] folded ruffles that added just the right amount of drama—no rule-breaking necessary. The sculptural detail brought a soft architectural edge, and ...the look felt effortlessly refined." (Red Carpet Fashion Awards)
The Good: The teardrop crystals on the skirt and peplum are gorgeous and perfectly spaced. The slight curve of the top of the bodice, as well as the turned-down beaded section, add visual interest to the top of the dress. The angles of the peplum and the top of the bodice are great, especially against the softly draped line of the skirt and train. And the diamond necklace is gorgeous.
The Bad: The peplum looks a little stiff and bulky against the softness of the rest of the dress, and the simple jersey fabric of the bodice looks out of place against the elegant crystal beading.
The Bottom Line: Soften the peplum and swap out the jersey bodice for velvet, and this look would have been more balanced.
Other Critics Said: "[Her] crystal-accented peplum...hovered like a glamorous asteroid belt...[her look] is definitely in orbit." (Red Carpet Fashion Awards) "[Her] strangely-shaped...frock jutted out at her waste [sic] line, while its skirt had diamonds all over it, making for a sartorial nightmare." (The Daily Mail)
The Good: The busy-ness of the sequin embroidery pattern is nicely-balanced by the expanse of coordinating solid color fabric in the panniers. The embroidered fabric creates a nice hourglass silhouette that minimizes the volume of the gown. The colors are simply stunning on her.
The Bad: The aqua tulle visible underneath the panniers looks messy, and the structural hip details protrude just a hair further than is flattering. The tiara is a bit too busy, and I wish it had been more of an echo of the tiara-shaped embroidery on the dress.
The Bottom Line: There may have been a few details that weren't quite perfect, but this is a memorable and flattering look that would not have worked for a lot of other celebrities. Well done.
Other Critics Said: "[Rautela] captured the viewer's eyes." (The Week Magazine)
The Good: Despite being fur and being hugely voluminous, the skirt has a feeling of lightness, like a floating cloud.
The Bad: She is being worn by the dress, rather than the other way around. Despite the sense of lightness, that is a LOT of dress on a very petite person. It simply overwhelms her.
Other Critics Said: "Another daring monochromatic appearance at the red carpet." (The Times of India) "[E]ye-catching and gorgeous." (The Week Magazine)
Hopefully you now have a better understanding of fashion. But the most important thing is to enjoy it, and not to worry about what anyone else thinks!
No comments:
Post a Comment