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Alison Brie's clingy, champagne-colored gown had interesting draping over the bodice, and it flowed smoothly over her body despite the clinginess of the fabric, setting off her slender figure beautifully. But the color blended too closely with her skin. In a deep jewel tone such as emerald green or burgundy, or a blush tone that was just a hint more saturated, this gown would have been a knockout.
Allison Janney rocks this cobalt blue gown with long sleeves, a high round neckline, and a slightly flared skirt. The texture of the fabric adds enough visual interest to support the simple, stark cut, but the high neckline is a little too prim for the red carpet. Change it to a shallow scoop or just add a keyhole slit and this look would go from good to great.
Allison Williams' silver and brown dress combined feminine lace with a relatively severe silhouette and color palette, which almost worked, except that her overly pale face and slicked-back hairstyle pushed the balance back to being too severe. A softer hairstyle or some soft color in her makeup would have swung the balance back to perfection.
Angelina Jolie's slight figure allowed the marabou ruff at the top of her strapless bodice to not look overwhelming. I liked the angular cut of the hem, but it stopped at an awkward just-above-the-ankle length, and it stuck out stiffly instead of draping softly. Adding a few more inches of length and softening the fabric would have allowed it to flow more naturally and given it a real sense of Old Hollywood glamour.
Brooklynn Prince looked dressed-up and elegant yet still age appropriate in this sweet red gown with flared chiffon skirt, satin bodice with sweetheart neckline, and jeweled loops at the shoulders. She looked like a princess, and she looked like she felt like a princess. You're certainly a princess in my book, kiddo.
Chrissy Metz's striped gown was a pretty cut, and I loved the black band around the skirt and the narrow black belt, and I loved that a lot of black stripes are included in the fabric to tie it all together. But all those colors were too busy. Change the rainbow to a variety of shades of a single color, say turquoise, with perhaps a stripe here and there of a "poison color" (a small amount of contrasting color used to break up a color palette) like royal purple or bright gold, and this dress would be even more flattering.
Diane Kruger rocked this gown from the waist down, but the top half looked like it belongs to a completely different outfit. The straps that hang below the elbow looked droopy, and the gray tank-top overlay was entirely too casual. Ditch the tank-top and pull the straps up to form softly draping shoulder straps over the white bandeau-style top and this becomes a terrific look.
I loved the light blue embroidered flowers on the black fabric of Elisabeth Moss's dress; I loved the vintage styling of the full short sleeves and beautifully flared skirt; I even loved the tea length. But I felt like the sheerness of the fabric revealing a white underdress accented the seaming (particularly the darts at the side of the bust) and broke up the lovely flow and shape of the dress. So either using a less sheer fabric, or perhaps using a dark underlay rather than a pale one, and this would have been one of the better vintage looks on the red carpet.
Emilia Clarke opted for a cocktail-length dress rather than a gown, which I didn't necessarily have a problem with. But when the style is so simple, relying only on the silver studding to dress it up, it tends to look inappropriately casual. Lengthen the straight skirt to floor length and add a deep slit over one thigh and you add tons of glamour that are just right for the red carpet.
Emma Roberts is lovely, and she made this simple white column look like a million bucks. But the weirdly short, straight baby-doll bangs, particularly with the dark roots showing at the temples, simply looked bizarre.
Gal Godot looked absolutely stunning in this metallic silver gown with deeply plunging neckline and full pleated skirt, and I admit that I had to look long and hard for something to change. But as I looked more closely at the belt, I realized that it seemed to have small black tassels - the kind you'd seen on a curtain tieback - all around it. Not horrible, but they just looked a bit out of place with the rest of the ensemble. Cut those off and she'll be a true (forgive me) Wonder Woman.
Jackie Hoffman is adorable, but she always looks a bit uncomfortable and unnatural in red carpet gowns. This style actually worked very well for her, except for the bubble skirt. She's tiny enough that it looked bulky and out of proportion with the rest of the gown. A slightly full skirt with a ruffled finish on the hem would have given her a cute vintage flair but worked better with her figure.
Jaimie Alexander's dress had great structure; I loved the wide v-neck of the bodice, the swirling textured lines of the fabric, and the sweeping flare into a short train. I even loved the eyelash trim along the hem. But the front was much too short for the elegance of the cut. High-low would work, but the "high" portion needs to be just above the knee rather than mid-thigh.
I loved the black, white, and red pattern of the fabric of Jessica Biel's dress. I loved the simplicity of the cut, which worked well with the busy print. The white bandeau bra under the mostly sheer bodice was sexy yet classy. But the way the soft silk suddenly ended in stiff black tulle is all wrong to me. A black silk bias-cut barely-ruffled panel would have been a much better choice. But it was still a great look.
Jessica Chastin's jade green dress with criss-cross halter bodice had a keyhole cutout and then flared into a full skirt from a sort-of empire waist. But since the keyhole continued to open below the empire seam, the fullness of the skirt made her appear very thick around the middle. So unless I'm not aware that she's actually pregnant, a more fitted waistline would have been much more flattering.
I'm no prude about revealing necklines, but Kaley Cuoco's broad v-neck seemed to be a wardrobe malfunction in the making. The bodice looked like it was straining to keep her figure contained, and it pulled the focus aware from the many other lovely features of the gown, including softly flared sleeves, a beautifully fitted waistline, and cascading stripes of sheer fabric in the skirt. Narrow that opening just a smidge and we can all see and enjoy the dress, not just the cleavage.
I don't know what the designer was thinking when s/he added that detail to Kate Bosworth's pretty white lace column. With its simple, straight silhouette, square shoulders, and demure long sleeves and sweetly ruffled neckline, perhaps it looked like it needed something. But that monstrosity was definitely NOT what it needed.
Kiernan Shipka's look nearly defied description. Was it a gown? A cocktail dress? A pantsuit? It was just a horrible hodgepodge of colors, fabrics, textures, and levels of formality. If I randomly picked 4 or 5 pieces out of my costume closet and put them all together, this is what it would look like. Just, NO.
Oh, Laura Dern. You did so well at the Golden Globes, in your elegant black spangled column with a sheer black triangular inset. But apparently you used up all your good fashion karma for the season, because this sleeveless, tuxedo-inspired romper was doing you no favors. The bodice wasn't awful, but the pegged pants would make a hockey stick look hippy. Pair the top with a straight skirt with a deep slit and you'll be back on my good fashion list.
Laurie Metcalf's classic ice blue gown, featuring a vintage draped neck, sleeveless bodice, and softly flared skirt with a full rear train, was perfectly paired with a softly waved bob, a wide diamond cuff, and a matching clutch. Gorgeous.
Although I didn't love the combination of two shades of fabric in Leslie Mann's full, draped silk gown, what really made it heinous is the enormous volume of the giant sleeves. Rip those babies off and she'll no longer look like she's being devoured by her own clothes. A sleeveless bodice would balance the fullness of the skirt and restore flattering proportions to the overall look.
Margot Robbie's ruffled black-and-white dress had a pretty silhouette, with a lace ruff at the top of the bodice and around the waist, and I loved the wide gold belt with its touch of color in the oversized jewels. But the contrasting stripes were just too busy. Perhaps less contrasting colors, such as charcoal gray and silver, would have worked. But the black and white stripes were just painful to look at.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead looked ethereal in this floaty chiffon gown with giant rosette and attached capelet. The silhouette was perfect on her, and the flow of the fabric was gorgeous. But the combination of yellow, dusty pink, and white broke up the pretty silhouette and were all too pale against her porcelain skin. In a solid ice blue or some other soft color, this gown would have been a perfect 10.
Mary J. Blige was absolutely rocking this clingy metallic print gown. It clung in the right places and flared in the right places. My only objection was that the bodice didn't quite fit properly, and it looked like it was straining to keep her figure contained. Raise the top edge just a bit and she won't look so squashed in or in danger of falling out of her dress. But still a nice look.
McKenna Grace is another young actress who was dressed appropriately for both her age and the occasion. I liked the sheer puffy sleeves and the full ruffled skirt, but the print was too matronly for such a young girl, partly because of the black background and partly because it looked like my grandma's couch. A deep pink or burgundy background and a much smaller floral print would have been lovely.
Nicole Kidman can look good wearing nearly anything, but this bubblegum pink gown is what puts the "almost" in that statement. I didn't love the broad sheer panel across the bodice paired with a prissy high ruffled collar, but I think she could have pulled that off if the dress had been black or cobalt blue or forest green. But the bright pink was almost physically painful to look at.
I actually really loved Neicy Nash's form-fitting embroidered dress. I thought both the fabric and the cut were just stunning. But the bodice, despite being impressively well-tailored to her figure (no concern with wardrobe malfunctions there), just put the focus on her cleavage instead of her overall look. It would have been fine on a less voluptuous figure, but Neicy's impressive curves were just a bit too front-and-center.
Octavia Spencer continually proves that larger figures can be consistently stunning on the red carpet. This deep purple gown featured a lace bodice with velvet trim and a pleated chiffon skirt that moved beautifully. It'was feminine without being frilly, and it was a gorgeous color. Definite win.
Olivia Munn's dress was very close to perfect - I really did love it, even just as is. But it reminded me of Coco Chanel's advice that when a lady is ready to go out, she should take one thing off before she goes. Munn needed to remove that last looped drape of gems, which created an awkward line across her bust. The descending strands of gems were perfect, and that one extra loop was too much.
Rachel Bloom's dress was quite pretty, if unremarkable. I loved the sheer panels at the shoulder and the sheerness of the hem as it descended past the underskirt, and I loved the sparkle of the fabric. But the style didn't seem to go with the sideswept wavy hairdo (although it was a lovely style on her). To me, the dress seemed to be begging for an elegant updo, perhaps a low elegant chignon or even an Audrey-Hepburn-in-My-Fair-Lady style topknot (with or without a tiara).
Rachel Brosnahan was yet another victim of a gown that disappeared into her skin tone. The intricate beading of the gown was simply stunning, and the simple cut allowed the gorgeous fabric and her slender figure to shine. But a slightly deeper shade would have looked much better.
Reese Witherspoon's dress wasn't ugly, exactly, but it was neither flattering nor appropriate, in a way that can't be fixed with a single change. Lengthening it to floor length wouldn't fix the unflattering waistline, and adding a wider belt (or eliminating it altogether) wouldn't fix the overly-casual style. The idea of a black dress with silver trim and beading is fine, but the execution needs to be scrapped and started over.
Saiorse Ronan was totally working this dress, from the shoulder pads to the gathered waist to the puddle of train. But what was up with the black lipstick and orange eyeshadow? It was much too stark and harsh, especially with her newly-blond locks. Soften up the makeup and the whole look would have come together.
Sarah Hyland is channeling a prima ballerina in this black velvet bodice and double-layered tulle skirt, especially paired with her sleek chignon. But despite the hint of lace on the bodice, it looks too much like a leotard worn at rehearsal, not during a performance. Adding a bit more bling or perhaps a split flutter sleeve and this look would have been worthy of the Superplum Fairy.
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