The 87th Academy Awards Red Carpet Review

February 23, 2015

Meh. 

That's how I felt about the Oscars ceremony of last night. The ceremony, the red carpet, the films...nothing was horrendously horrible, but it wasn't the most memorable of nights either. I suppose it reflects the films that were nominated—yes, they were good films, but none of them were flat-out stunning cinematic experiences like Oscar-nominated films have been in years past. The ceremony felt a little flat, too, to be honest. I love me some NPH but the jokes felt forced. I don't know, it was just...meh.

But never mind the drabness of the ceremony; let's talk about the dresses!

The Trends
Margot Robbie in Van Cleef & Arpels Jewels | Cate Blanchett in Tiffany & Co. Jewels 
Statement necklaces and earrings were everywhere on the red carpet. With most actresses opting for simple but gorgeous gowns, they let the bling do the work of creating a memorable red carpet look. Two of the most talked about jewels? Margot Robbie's zipper Van Cleef & Arpels necklace, and Cate Blanchett's gorgeous turquoise Tiffany necklace.

Miles Teller in Prada| Common in Prada | Eddie Redmayne in Alexander McQueen | Ansel Elgort in Prada
For the men, navy suits and tuxedos seemed more abundant than the usual black and white tux. Winner Eddie Redmayne was my pick for best-dressed male, but I also loved David Oyelowo's maroon suit.

Cream and pale pink dresses were also a huge trend amongst the women, which I was pleasantly surprised with, seeing as how it was downright pouring all afternoon here in Los Angeles. Usually actresses will opt for darker hues when rain is a possibility, but I guess when you've had your dress chosen for weeks nothing is going to keep you from wearing it.

The Stunning Looks
Sienna Miller in Oscar de la Renta | Marion Cotillard in Christian Dior Haute Couture | Jennifer Hudson in Romona Keveza | Reese Witherspoon in Tom Ford | Rosamund Pike in Givenchy Haute Couture
These were some of my favorite looks from the evening. Sienna Miller rocked an extremely fresh Oscar de la Renta gown from Peter Copping's first collection, unveiled just this week (see the runway version here), and the lace and bow detailings kept this darker dress from losing interest. Marion Cotillard wore Christian Dior Haute Couture as expected, looking glamorous in a simple dress with a fascinating back. For me, the hair, makeup, and lovely earrings make this look what it is.

Jennifer Hudson dazzled in a beautiful yellow column dress with sculptural details. I love the green earrings she added to give the look an interesting touch, but that color is all you need to make a breathtaking statement on the red carpet.

In a shocking turn of events Reese Witherspoon was the one to don Tom Ford for the evening, rather than the usual Julianne Moore (who wore custom Chanel instead). Reese was easily one of my favorite looks of the evening, looking absolutely regal in her off-the-shoulder dress.

Rosamund Pike channeled American Beauty with her rose petal Givenchy gown (I guessed the red correctly! Meanwhile, Nina Dobrev wore my pick for Rosamund to the Vanity Fair After-Party). I think this is her best look from awards season, as it is a beautiful and interesting dress that really captures her personality. Some people had issues with her matching red shoes, but they didn't really bother me.

Behati Prinsloo in Armani Privé | Emma Stone in Elie Saab | Jamie Chung in Yanina Couture | Naomi Watts in Armani Privé | Lupita Nyong'o in Calvin Klein Collection
Elsewhere on the red carpet, starlets dazzled in glittering details. From sequins and embellishments to six thousand individual pearls, these ladies know how to pack a red carpet punch.

Behati Prinsloo looked absolutely marvelous in a red and black Armani Privé gown, proving you don't have to tone your look down if you're only the plus-one. Emma Stone kept up her trend of wearing unexpected but gorgeous dresses on the red carpet with a yellow-green Elie Saab dress. She was another one of my favorite looks of the night. (BTW, Anna Faris stole the dress I had picked for Emma Stone for the red carpet)

Jamie Chung must have been inspired by Katy Perry's recent Super Bowl performance with her firework princess gown. She looks lovely and the dress is a lot of fun. While some people thought Naomi Watts' dress looked like a brick wall, I happened to love it. The halter neckline, the glittery bandeau, and the hair and makeup—it all works so wonderfully well.

And of course, the pearl princess, Lupita Nyong'o: my favorite starlet of the last year, Lupita hasn't been impressing me as much on the red carpet this awards season, but I'm happy to say that she's back on top of her game with a glorious Calvin Klein dress that featured over six thousand pearls. The dress was so ornate that she let it do all the talking, and I absolutely loved this look.

The Questionable Choices
Gwyneth Paltrow in Ralph & Russo | Lady Gaga in Alaïa | Scarlett Johansson in Versace Atelier | Keira Knightley in Valentino Haute Couture | Nicole Kidman in Louis Vuitton
These looks weren't awful, per say, they just weren't my favorite picks of the evening.

I actually think Gwyneth Paltrow looked pretty good, but the weird ruffle on the shoulder was silly and unnecessary for this dress. Either cut the long sleeve or cut the ruffle, and you have a perfect look. Lady Gaga's dress was also near perfect, and I'm so glad to see how far she's come from the days of wearing meat dresses and 12-inch heels, but I just wish the gloves would have stayed in the car. The beautiful Alaïa dress was gorgeous as it was without the distraction that the gloves provided. Like my roommate said, if Amal can't pull it off, no one can.

Scarlett Johansson is another case of just-missed-the-mark with a lovely Versace dress in emerald green and the most horrible hairdo ever. She looks like Miley Cyrus, and Scarlett is so much more beautiful than this look.

I know not a lot of people have been fans of Keira Knightley's pregnancy styles, and her Valentino dress is no exception. It's a lovely dress but it washes her out, and I really wish she had worn her hair up. As is, the look feels too casual, more suited for a woodland jaunt than the Academy Awards.

Nicole Kidman wore my least favorite dress of the evening. Nothing about it works, from the color to the shape to the stupid contrasting red belt. It doesn't flatter her skintone or do anything, really, and it's just unfortunate because Nicole Kidman is gorgeous. This dress just isn't helping.

Lindsey's Favorites

In a year where I felt no zealous passion for a particular Oscar-nominated film to take the cake, I suffered the same general indifference when it came to selecting my favorite looks of the evening. No one really stood out to me and made me gasp or go, "THAT is a red carpet dress!" No one looked horrible, either. But there were some that dazzled just a little above and beyond, and those would be my favorite looks!

Reese Witherspoon in Tom Ford | Emma Stone in Elie Saab | Margot Robbie in Saint Laurent
Who were your picks for best-dressed at the 87th Academy Awards?

1 comment

  1. Margot Robbie best dressed for her vintage Van Cleef and Arpels neckalce alone (but also for the Saint Laurent dress). Gwyneth didn't bother me that much - I think we'll look back on it like Nicole Kidman's Balenciaga red bow dress! Unfortunate Nicole didn't do as well this year...definitely worst dressed.

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I love hearing your thoughts! Thanks for reading! ♥︎Lindsey