Bests and Worsts from the Oscars 2012 (and one horrific Grammy look)

Whew! It’s been awhile since I posted…and in that time we had two high-profile awards shows with some incredible–and incredibly awful–fashions.  I’ve got to say that the Oscars were the far more fabulous show, while the Grammys left me wondering “what the heck was that?”  Although I believe some of the soberness was owed to the death of Whitney Houston the night before the show, which may have caused some celebs to make last-minute wardrobe changes.  Therefore, I only have one outstandingly horrid Grammy choice–one that could have easily been averted with minor tweaks.

That being said, I will proceed with a few of my favorite Oscar looks (the rest you can find at Pinterest on my Oscars Best-Worst 2012  board.) Oh, one final thought:  I read a gazillion Best-Worst Dressed articles from both the U.S. and U.K. and there was no hands-down winner that *everyone* though was either the best or the worst.  Fashion is starting to take on the vibe of surrealist literature: either you get it, or you don’t, but who decides whether you’re getting it right or not getting it at all is a subjective judgement….

My first favorite has to be Viola Davis in this incredible, gorgeous green Vera Wang.  While some reviewers thought the pleats at the bottom were too much, IMO they’re perfect, bringing movement into what would have been a rather stiff ensemble (and giving it that “undersea” look that was popular at some of the 2010 fall social events in NYC.) More important to this look is Davis’ natural hair, which complements the look perfectly and sticks it to  the Anglo beauty standard.  In fact, the same reviewer who didn’t like the dress also didn’t like Davis’ hair, saying it was “inappropriate.”  Excuse me!?!  Women should not need to make themselves over to the White Anglo-Saxon Protestant Beauty Standard in order to be beautiful.  We are who we are, and beauty is beauty, even if it ain’t whitey-style.

Next came Octavia Spencer in Tadashi Soji.   It seems that many designers have no idea what to do with a woman who has curves.  Soji has no problem with a woman who has curves *and* isn’t in her late 20′s.  The dress highlights her waist and draws the eye both up to her face and down to the beautiful draping. The simple sleeve makes it elegant, not matronly (unlike Melissa McCarthey’s disaster, which looked better suited to a  middle-aged mother of the bride.)

The last of my faves that I’ll blog about (you can see the others on Pinterest) is this Alexander McQueen gorgeousness on Jessica Chastain.  I’m a sucker for embroidery, and I love the way the bodice embroidery resembles a golden butterfly hovering over a fields that traipse along the bottom of the gown.  Chastain’s soft hair and make-up are the perfect complement to a dress that is an absolute work of art….

And now for my top three worsts–and there were some bad ones….

It pains me to say this because I *love* Melissa McCarthey, and I know a good friend of hers designed this dress for her, but, my god, as someone else said, the designer should be taken out and beat with this dress.  Neither the color–mother of the bride mauve–nor the cut does a darned thing for Melissa.  She needed something that gave her lift, possibly with a short or cap sleeve, and not that fluttery butterfly stuff that’s there.  yuck!  The gathers/ruching/pleats or whatever they are on the bustline are just awful.  If this is the worst thing that happened to Melissa McCarthey this year, then she should pack this dress off to a charity and move on…

What can one say about Kristen Wiig, other than that she might want to consider firing her stylist.  Every time I’ve seen the woman at an awards show, she’s wearing gowns with colors that range from Old Nun’s Pantyhose Nude to Support Hose Beige.  WTF?  Wiig’s an attractive woman, so what’s with the beige?  A nice teal, perhaps.  But please! no more with the beige.

It’s tough picking the last of the worst, because there were a lot of worsts.  Could have been Leah Thompson’s silvery mother of the groom ensemble, to Angelina Jolie’s “legware” (oh, god, I could go on and on about that mess) but I just have to take a stab (literally) at Glenn Close in Zac Pozen.  Ok, we got too much going on here.  We got some fancy stuff going on with the corset-style bodice (anyone other than me getting tired of seeing that style, esp on women who might not ever need to wear a corset?)  to what looks like a painfully tight mermaid skirt.  Not just tight but a tad too long.  Oh, and where do I start with that jacket?  Really? A tuxedo style jacket?  Really??  I’d rather have seen that jacket with a pair of really cool trousers, a drapey low-cut cream or oyster colored shell underneath, and some cool shoes.  It’s just way too much for a fussy mermaid style dress.  yeesh!

Ok, so that clears up the Oscars.  And, as I said, I only have one ensemble from the Grammys to take a swipe at, and I’m only doing that because I really expected more from…..

FERGIE!  Just because it’s Jean Paul Gauthier doesn’t mean it can’t be a hot mess.  and this dress is a serious hot mess.   It’s not just that the word “orange” doesn’t rhyme with anything, but also that orange is a horrific color to match with anything.  Any color other than black would have made it look like a beach cover-up (and quite frankly, shortened up, it would make a super beach cover-up) but then again black under orange makes us think Trick or Treat.  And the only person who got tricked here is Fergie.  I love the woman–she’s a strong performer who truly loves what she’s doing, and it shows in her work.  But wow!  this is just one of the all time awfuls.  How could have it been improved?  A nude or medium pink slip, perhaps?  I’ m not sure even that could have helped it.

Tags: Alexander McQueen, best and worst dressed oscars, Celebrities, celebs over 40, curvy, fashion, Fergie, glenn close, Grammys, jessica chastain, kristen wiig, melissa mccarthey, octavia spencer, Oscars, Oscars 2012, viola davis