The SAG Awards have been renamed the Actor Awards beginning this year. In addition, they had a "dress code" this year - or, more accurately, a theme: "Reimagining Hollywood Glamour from the ’20s and ’30s." A few people followed it, a few hinted at it, and a lot ignored it completely. Here are some of the stars I thought did a nice job embracing the theme, along with the celebrities (and designers) from the '20s and '30s whose style they seemed to be emulating.
Jenn Ortega's distressed white slip dress with a plunging lace bodice and chiffon skirt, custom designed by Christian Cowan, reminded me of Jean Harlow's white chiffon dress, likely designed by Adrian, in this 1935 publicity photo. Clinging, floaty, and feminine, with plenty of sex appeal.
Gwyneth Paltrow's ankle-length black Givenchy gown featured a lace bodice with a plunging neckline, fitted to mid hip with an A-line skirt, which had a lot in common with the plunging bodice and tiered ruffle skirt worn by Colleen Moore in the 1923 film,
Flaming Youth.
Jessie Buckley wore a black Balenciaga column with a white shoulder wrap that reminded me of the dress in this photo of Mary Pickford, circa 1925 (center photo), combined with Jean Harlowe's white stole from the 1933 film,
Dinner at Eight (lower photo).
Emma Stone's clinging, sparkly lavender column custom designed by Louis Vuitton reminded me of the 1930s trend of clinging, sparkly columns, like this one (center photo) worn by Carole Lombard in a 1931 photo shoot, likely designed by Travis Banton, or this one (lower photo), worn by Joan Bennett in the 1935 film,
She Couldn't Take It, designed by Robert Kalloch.
Teyana Taylor's surrealist Thom Browne design, with painted-on bodice, flared metallic silver skirt, and trailing ribbons had the same risqué feel as Gloria Swanson's racy showgirl costumes in the 1922 film,
Her Gilded Cage.
Demi Moore wore a custom Schiaparelli Haute Couture ankle-length black column with tiny diamond straps and an elaborate white marabou train with black ostrich tips that could have stepped off the stage at the Ziegfeld Follies in the 1930s. The look felt inspired by both the puffy ruffles at the back of this 1939 Schiaparelli design and the many feather "tail" looks worn by burlesque dancer Sally Rand throughout the 1930s.
Michelle Williams wore a delicate pink floral print sleeveless Prada apron gown with a boat neck. The straight silhouette was vaguely 1920s, but the floral print was pure vintage, as in these vintage 1920s chiffon day dresses.
Kirsten Dunst wore a black ankle-length Khaite apron dress with a flat panel front, open-backed bodice, dropped waist with a front bow accent, and full skirt. The flat front and dropped waist had a very 1920s flapper aesthetic, similar to this 1928 photograph of actress Leila Hyams (center photo). Hyams also later favored the open-backed look, as in this undated studio photograph (lower photo).
Rose Byrne wore a slim white ankle-length sleeveless Chanel dress with a slightly flared skirt and zigzag silver sparkles across the hips. Actress and model Alden Gay wore a black-and-white dress with a similar design - not surprisingly, also by Chanel - in 1924.
Mindy Kaling wore a mostly sheer black peplum gown designed by Yara Shoemaker. The peekaboo look was similar to a sheer black gown with strategically-placed embroidery worn by Mae West in this publicity photo for her 1936 film,
Go West, Young Man.
Quinta Brunson's custom Gabriela Hearst two-sided black and white gown had hints of the two-toned gown that Joan Crawford wore as Flaemmchen in 1932's
Grand Hotel, plus the ubiquitous puffed shoulders of the 1930s, such as in this polka-dot dress worn by actress Margot Grahame in an early 1930s photo
. Brunson's hairstyle, however, is unmistakably Josephine Baker circa 1931.
Odessa A'Zion wore a Giorgio Armani Privé deep blue velvet fringed jumpsuit. Although jumpsuits for women had begun to emerge in the 1920s, they generally featured flowing fabrics and wide legs that mimicked skirts (center photo). But the plunging neckline and all-over fringe is pure flapper, as typified by Joan Crawford in this 1920s photo (lower photo).
Sarah Paulson wore a vintage Saint Laurent design with a plunging neckline and a full tulle skirt, with silver polka dots from the shoulder to the hip. It reminded me of this dress worn by Claudette Colbert in the 1938 film,
Bluebeard's Eighth Wife, which featured a long black tulle skirt with a hip-length polka dot peplum.
Jayme Lawson's Zuhair Murad ivory chiffon gown featured a halter neckline and elaborate beading all over the bodice. It was clearly inspired by early 1930s designs, such as this satin halter gown with beaded bodice worn by Carole Lombard in the 1932 film,
Sinners in the Sun.
Claire Danes wore a simple black dress with an elaborately beaded collar that dropped to the waist at the back. It reminded me of this 1929 dress by designer Jeanne Lanvin, which also featured a dropped back collar, probably silver, beaded and spangled.
Chase Infiniti wore a champagne-colored, long-sleeved, high-necked, body-hugging mermaid dress, paired with a sheer Juliet-style cap. The silhouette of the dress was very similar to the "slinky" dresses favored by Mae West in the 1930s, such as the one in this 1933 photograph (center photo), and the cap was similar to one worn by Greta Garbo (lower photo) in
The Temptress in 1926.
Chase Sui Wonders wore a black strapless column with a scalloped sweetheart neckline and pink and silver metallic embroidery, designed by Miss Sohee. Although straight fitted columns were somewhat unusual in the 1920s and 1930s, the shape of the bodice and the gorgeous embroidery are very similar to a gown that Anna Mae Wong wore in the 1931 film,
Daughter of the Dragon.
Kate Hudson wore a custom Valentino ivory gown with a bandeau top, a high waist with a wrapped sash leaving a triangular keyhole opening, and an attached cape that fell to form a train. Capelets and shrugs over sleeveless gowns were popular in the 1930s and often fastened above the neckline of the gown, creating a triangular keyhole opening. Examples include Joan Crawford (in red) in a dress with a capelet in the 1937 film,
The Bride Wore Red, and Bette Davis in a white gown with a cropped jacket in the 1933 film,
Ex-Lady.
Parker Posey wore a pale pink peignoir style Gucci dress, trimmed with marabou feathers at the hem and wrists. Often referred to as "wealthy widow robes," feather-trimmed satin or chiffon peignoirs and chiffon dresses were popular in films from the late 1920s through the 1940s, worn by actresses such as Clara Bow in
Her Wedding Night in 1930 (center photo) and Carole Lombard in a publicity photo for the 1934 film,
Bolero (lower photo), both designed by Travis Banton.
Viola Davis wore a metallic green pleated Gucci gown with a portrait collar, a short train, and long swaths of fabric trailing from the shoulders. Myrna Loy wore a metallic gown with a similarly pleated skirt and silhouette in 1938.
Sheryl Lee Ralph wore a strapless, body-hugging, black and white gown by Saiid Kobeisy, accessorized by a white boa. It reminded me of a similar gown and boa combination worn by Mae West in the 1933 film,
She Done Him Wrong (center photo). Her slicked-down hairstyle with a center spit curl is clearly inspired by Josephine Baker during the same era.
Mia Goth wore a custom Dior raspberry gown with black beading and a tulle ruffle on the side. Although I've seen many articles likening it to the flapper dresses of the 1920s, I found it most similar to this dress worn by Carole Lombard for a photo shoot in 1932, which has a similarly-shaped bodice and skirt silhouette, and a side ruffle.
Kristen Wiig wore a black Christian Cowan column with deeply open sides and a jewel neckline. Super-straight shift dresses (no waist seam) were popular in the late 1920s, such as in this photo from a 1928 fashion catalog (center photo), and Hollywood stars occasionally wore gowns with fairly revealing side openings, such as Myrna Loy in this 1925 photo (lower photo).
Yerin Ha wore a custom Balenciaga ensemble with wide-legged, high-waisted black pants topped with a cropped white top covered in feathers. Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo started the trend of women wearing pants in 1932, but many women in Hollywood soon followed suit, including Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Rita Hayworth, and Ginger Rogers (center photo, above). They likely wouldn't have paired pants with a cropped top on the red carpet, but Ha's top is very reminiscent of the top of the feathered dress worn by Ginger Rogers in
Top Hat in 1935 (lower photo).
Host Kristen Bell walked the red carpet in a sheer silver beaded gown by designer Georges Hobeika that featured a plunging neckline, angled waistline, and flared overskirt. The silhouette and some of the details reminded me of a 1926 Jeanne Lanvin design featuring a beaded plunging neckline and angled waist and a similarly flared skirt.
Michelle Monaghan wore a two-toned Prada gown with a black velvet sleeveless bodice with a boat neck, which extended to mid-thigh, then ended in a full, tiered, gold satin underskirt. It had a similar feel to the tiered Chanel dress worn by Joan Bennett in this 1930 photograph.
Jean Smart wore a custom Laura Basci design that combined a champagne-colored satin blouse with a surplice top and a slightly raised collar, with a slim black skirt. Katharine Hepburn frequently wore separates, pairing a shirt or blouse with a nicely tailored skirt, as in the 1938 film,
Holiday.
Amy Madigan wore a dark Dior suit with a long jacket and wide-legged pants over a white collared shirt with a long white scarf tucked under the jacket. It was very reminiscent of the women's pantsuit trend of the 1930s, led by Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich (lower photo, 1933).
Fran Drescher wore a black sequined column dress accessorized with a pink feather shawl, and a black top hat set at a rakish tilt, a look put together by her longtime stylist, Brenda Cooper. The look was an obvious tribute to Marlene Dietrich, who frequently wore a tuxedo and top hat to formal events in the later 1920s and throughout the 1930s. This famous photo was taken by photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt in 1929.
Lisa Ann Walter wore a kelly green taffeta mermaid gown with oversized shoulder bows and ribbons that trailed to the floor. Oversized shoulders were popular in the 1930s, likely inspired by Joan Crawford's famous white organdy gown in the 1932 film,
Letty Lynton, designed by Adrian.
Kathryn Hahn wore a long-sleeved, round-necked, black Lanvin ballgown with a full a narrow hot pink belt and two attached panniers. The exaggerated skirt and contrasting loops at the waist reminded me of this 1925 Lanvin design, worn by French actress Jane Renouardt.
Isa Briones chose a 1920s look that layered a vintage sheer black Blumarine dress with black floral appliqués over a vintage coral Roberto Cavalli slip, accessorized with a black lace sash over one shoulder. The resulting look was similar to the dress worn by blues singer Bessie Smith in this 1925 photograph, with a sheer beaded and embroidered overlay atop a solid colored slip, accessorized with a spray of flowers at the waist.
Alexandra Metz wore a chartreuse silk dress with a deep beaded v-neck and criss-cross beading at the waist. It reminded me of Louise Brooks' dress in this 1927 publicity photo, which has a similar beaded neckline and waist details.
There were certainly other notable looks on the red carpet, but these were the ones that struck me as most fitting the theme. They understood the assignment!
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