Red Carpet Review: The 2016 Tony Awards

Very often I write my red carpet fashion reviews based strictly on photographs, having either missed the awards in their entirety or at least missed the red carpet portion. However, I tuned in to the live stream red carpet coverage at 5:30 and faithfully watched (except when the feed was glitchy) all the way until the actual ceremony began at 8:00. So my critiques this time are based not only on how these gowns looked in these photographs, but how they looked as their wearers walked and moved.

I'll admit that I was somewhat disappointed by the general array of gowns. Yes, there were a few that were lovely, but there were more that were missteps. I'm going to rate them as purely thumbs up or thumbs down.

Laura Benanti: Thumbs Down

First of all, I hated the fabric of this dress. I felt like I should like the color combination, but somehow the background pinky-purple was just too vibrant. The silhouette wasn't terrible, but the starkness of the high round neckline and lack of sleeve shape or detail was overly bland. I did like the flare of the skirt, but it wasn't enough to save this look.

Judith Light: Thumbs Down

The idea of the bodice wasn't bad, and if the see-through fabric had been a bit less loose and wrinkled, it could have been very pretty. I really liked the wrapped fabric pulled into a silver detail at the waist. The wide-legged tux pants were too high-waisted to be flattering, and the overly pointed shoes made Light's legs look even more disproportionate. Points for the scarlet clutch, though.

Laurie Metcalf: Thumbs Down

The turquoise skirt was rather pretty - a lovely color, and a nice, crisp silhouette. Even paired with a white V-necked top, it might have been passable. But adding the droopy, winglike capelet gave Metcalf a hunched, matronly look. There's no reason that Metcalf couldn't pull off something much more traditional and less dowdy with her age and figure.

Jane Krakowski: Thumbs Up

Although I didn't love Krakowski's dress, given the field of other gowns, I had to give it a thumbs up. She has a slender but very straight figure, and unfortunately tends to wear dresses that don't completely flatter her figure. The broad V-neck of this gown draws the eye in nicely, but she needed a tiny little belt or solid-color inset panels to create a narrower waist. The flared skirt and tiny train did help to create a more curvy visual silhouette, however.

Lupita Nyong'o: Thumbs Up

I loved both the fabric and the cut of this gown. Nyong'o has worn similar silhouettes in the past, and they flatter her figure perfectly. The straight-across line of the shoulders was softened by the patterned fabric and the curves of the clinging gown, as well as the softly draped train. A beautiful look for her.

Lucy Liu: Thumbs Up

Yellow was a popular color at the Tonys (and unfortunately, seemed to be rather difficult to photograph, as evidenced by this and several other photos). Liu pulled it off best. Not many women are flattered by such a plunging neckline, but her slight figure, tiny waist, and small bust gave a curvy look without a sense that double-sided tape was working overtime. The softness of the chiffon skirt, especially when lifted by the breeze that was very much in evidence on the red carpet, created a lovely, graceful line.

Diane Lane: Thumbs Down

Oh, Diane. A pantsuit? A ZEBRA PRINT pantsuit? Unless you are Angela Lansbury or Bea Arthur, a lady should never wear pants to the Tony Awards. And even if you ARE Angela Lansbury or Bea Arthur, you should never wear zebra print pants.

Bebe Neuwirth: Thumbs Up (barely)

The line of this gown was exquisite, and perfect for Neuwirth's slim, petite, athletic figure. The crinkled bodice, mermaid skirt, and textured train added visual interest to the simple cut. The only thing I disliked about it was that the color was so close to her skin tone that it blended in. But overall, a lovely look.

Cate Blanchett: Not just Thumbs Down but WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!??

Wha...I'm not even sure what to say here. It was like there was a funky black leather dress, a sparkly black-and-white retro cocktail dress, and a full flared black-and-white color block gown, and someone took bits of each of them and stitched them together. It became a Frankendress Monster. I have often said in the past that Cate Blanchett can look great in anything, but she proved me wrong.

Jourdan Dunn: Thumbs Up

This gown made my seamstress heart happy. It was so perfectly constructed, with lovely arched seaming across the bodice, which was perfectly fitted to Dunn's figure. The folds of the drape fell perfectly, with just a hair of silver lining (literally!) peeping out, and a generous train spreading out behind. The fact that the difficult fabric had not a wrinkle added to its perfection. Stunning.

Claire Danes: Thumbs Up

I'm a sucker for bias-cut silk. Danes' lovely 1930s-inspired gown had just enough textured panels to prevent it from being boring, and her perfect figure lends itself beautiful to the unforgiving cling of silk, even with a broad v-neck and a narrow skirt with a flared train. The deep navy blue caught the light beautifully as she moved. It was unfortunate that her hair suffered from the wind, but in that dress, no-one was looking at her hair.

Glenn Close: Thumbs Up

Close's long, straight dress with a long slit and deep v (with modest inset) was flattering and age-appropriate. I liked the gathering at the waist and the detail of the inset bow (although pink was not the best color choice; I'd have gone with black or white), Her makeup was fresh and flattering, and I liked her fluffed-up hair. A very nice look.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead: Thumbs Up

Winstead's gown looks somewhat bland in this photograph, but what you can't see very well is that it was encrusted with thousands of colored gems that caught the light, glittering and sparkling as she moved. The lighter-colored bodice looked less see-through; instead, it had a kind of "smoky" effect that was very pretty. The colors of the gems brought the whole dress to life, and the simple neckline and A-line skirt didn't compete with the sparkle. Nicely balanced.

Allison Williams: Thumbs Down

As noted before, I'm not a fan of pants worn to red carpet events, but I might have given this outfit a pass if it were strictly a woman-cut white tuxedo. Unfortunately, the right pantleg appeared to have morphed into either a very long cape or drape, or else it was simply cut twice as wide as the left and then pressed into a razor crease. Either way, it threw off the balance of the look. And what's with the strap on that clutch bag? Is it secretly a shield? If you wear a masculine style of clothes, balance them with feminine accessories. Not a shield.

Saycon Sengbloh - Thumbs Up

Sengbloh was one of three actresses from the cast of Eclipsed who appeared together on the red carpet. Each had her own unique style, and each looked lovely. Sengbloh's striking one-shouldered emerald satin gown wrapped her curves gracefully, smoothing and emphasizing in all the right places. The wind showed an unexpected pop of vivid scarlet in the lining of the dress, as well as Sengbloh's pretty metallic sandals. Those, along with her glowing smile, were all the accents she needed.

Saoirse Ronan: Thumbs Down

Much like Bebe Neuwirth's gown, the biggest flaw in Ronan's gown was its color. Unfortunately, it didn't have enough other positives to bump it into the Thumbs Up category. I did like the flare at the knee, but the wrapped bodice with front peekaboo flatters a narrow waist, not just a muscular one (Ronan has about 0.1% body fat), and the broadly-spaced shoulder straps emphasize her broad, square shoulders rather than softening them. Lovely girl, lovely gown; bad combination.

Phillipa Soo: Thumbs Up

I found the fabric of Soo's dress to be simply lovely: pure white with silver patterns in beading running from one shoulder strap, trailing down the bodice, and then spreading out on either side of the high slit. In contrast to Ronan, above, Soo's widely-spaced straps were balanced by the off-the-shoulder sleeves (perhaps "bands" might be a better description), and by her narrower waist, creating a curvier, more well-proportioned silhouette. The wind also worked in Soo's favor, revealing her slender legs (and strappy sandals) and creating a long, barely ruffled train behind her. A simple but elegant look.

Jennifer Simard: Thumbs Up

I loved the simple lines of Simard's dress. The striking color, the graceful seaming in the bodice, the broad A-line of the skirt, and the heavy beading along the neck created just enough balanced details to be simple yet interesting. The soft updo and natural makeup added the perfect finish to this elegant and unfussy look.

2015 Oscars Red Carpet Review

This year seemed a bit subdued as Oscar fashions go: there was nothing truly outrageous, either for good or for ill. There were no particular trends that everyone seemed to be following, no single color that everyone was wearing, no makeup or hairstyling technique that appeared over and over. So how to organize my red carpet fashion thoughts for this particular occasion? I’m going to focus on the single details that make or break a particular gown or look.

Jennifer Aniston wore a long beaded column that would have been spectacular except for one tiny misstep that’s not even noticeable in this photograph: the long panels of the skirt were see-through – which would have been fine had the top of the panel not veered up past the point of her hip. A little peekaboo is a fine thing, but we really didn't need to see quite that much of Jen’s (admittedly well-toned) thigh. 

Cate Blanchett’s starkly simple black column was gloriously set off by a heavy, chunky turquoise necklace, proving that a single statement accessory can be all you need. Especially if you look like Cate Blanchett.

Jessica Chastain’s single notable detail was, unfortunately, a poor choice of neckline. An hourglass figure is a glorious thing, but it needs to be balanced or it quickly looks out of proportion. The broad neckline and wide shoulders of this gown broadened her figure and made her look top-heavy. Just pulling in the drape to the inside of the straps would have made all the difference in the world.

 

I adored Marion Cotillard’s dress – until she turned around. I’m not sure what the giant clump of fabric down her back was supposed to be, but it looked both ugly and extremely uncomfortable. At least she looked stunning as long as she was sitting on the monstrosity behind her. Naomi Watts had a similar misstep with another gown that was lovely from the front, but from the back it looked like she had gotten nervous about being too revealing and had thrown on a sequined bandeau underneath her dress at the last minute.

Seaming is a subtle but effective way to create visual interest and draw the eye, as demonstrated by both Viola Davis’s and Zoe Saldana’s gowns. The lines of the seams were slimming and interesting, drawing the eye in at the waist and creating a gentle, soft flare in the skirt. Two very different looks but made effective with similar details.

Laura Dern and Scarlett Johansson both wore gowns that were flawless, as were the figures underneath them. But the hairstyles ruined the look for me. Dern’s hair flopping in front of her face was so distracting that I could hardly pull my eyes away from it, and Johansson’s Brigitte-Nielsen-in-1985 flat top was too masculine and harsh for her feminine gown and jewel-encrusted neckpiece. Never let a bad hairstyle steal the spotlight from your gown – or yourself!

Dakota Johnson and Gwyneth Paltrow both wore gowns that were simple and lovely, with a single eye-catching shoulder detail. However, the detail which worked in concept was not well executed in either case. Johnson’s silver loop and knot was too bulky and uncomfortable-looking, and looked too much like a military shoulder cord, which didn’t fit with the delicate style of the dress; and Paltrow’s giant flower was out of proportion, distracting, and vaguely…the female version of phallic.

I could pick any one of several details of Anna Kendrick’s gown that made it work, but if I had to pick just one, I’d go with the color. It’s not commonly worn (like black or red or champagne), and it sets off her peaches and cream coloring beautifully. The color alone made her stand out in the sea of beautiful gowns. Emma Stone also went with an unusual color, but although it was eye-catching, it was not as flattering with her coloring, so was not as successful.

A single pop of bright or contrasting color (costumers refer to this as a “poison color”) can move a look from boring to spectacular. Reese Witherspoon’s contrasting black bands break up the expanse of white and define and slim her waist. Nicole Kidman’s simple column was a bland color with a straight silhouette, a plain neckline, and only a single high slit to add visual interest, until you add a bright crimson belt, then POW! You have a Look with a capital L.

Keira Knightley’s maternity gown shows how an otherwise dull look can be saved by spectacular fabric. This beautifully embroidered fabric added texture, color, sheen, and subtle geometric lines to a gown style that could have been boring, but instead was interesting and sweet and highlighted her expectant glow. Similarly, the touch of embroidery on Kerry Washington’s peplum brought interest and focus to an otherwise bland look.

Any guesses at to what fashion misstep I’m going to call Lady Gaga out on? Cleaning the oven in red gloves, anyone? Elbow-length red satin gloves would have saved the outfit; these weird flared things practically had a “Rubbermaid” label sticking out of them.

Jennifer Lopez’s “single feature” was not so much the feature itself, but the constancy of that feature: deep, cleavage-baring V-necks. I liked this gown; I even liked the deep V. But when every single gown that you wear has exactly the same feature, it’s time to try something new and different.

Lupita N’yongo’s gown’s most memorable feature was that it was made out of thousands of pearls! This gave her gown a fascinating texture, and created beautiful eye-catching lines all over. Rosamund Pike’s striking scarlet gown used contrasting textures to flatter: lace in the body of the gown with smooth satin inserts at the waist, making her already tiny waist seem even tinier. Subtle but effective.

So what are the details that can make or break a gown? A single statement accessory or details; interesting fabrics, textures, and seaming; effective use of a poison color; flattering your figure; and keeping details like hair and accessories in the same style as your gown. And if all else fails, get someone with a nice smile and good fashion sense to stay at your side and you’re sure to be a winner.