The 2012 Academy Awards Red Carpet did not disappoint. There were numerous fabulous gowns to see and admire. Among the many, I have selected the white sequin gown worn by Milla Jovovich and designed by Elle Saab as the Most Glamorous. This was a perfect gown for the occasion , with beautiful swirls of sequins and bias patterns on a one-shoulder, long-trained gown. Its one-shoulder was padded and Mila left no doubt of her glamorous intentions by wearing bright red lipstick. Va-va-voom they used to say.
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The 1920s jazz age styles of The Artist have already started fashion trends - using fringe, low-waisted dresses with deco sequins and bead work designs. This is Mark Bridges first Oscar win. He is pictured below at the opening of the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising 20th Annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design Exhibit open now through April 28 at FIDM in Los Angeles.
Matt Sayles AP
Congratulations to all the contenders and winners, for all the criticisms heard, it was a good year for movies. And stay tuned for the next post of the Silver Screen Modiste, where I'll be showing some of the silver screen's real fabulous flappers.
My runner-up as the Most Glamorous Gown goes to the amazing gold-embroidered black strapless gown worn by Jessica Chastain - designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. The gown was a cross between old Hollywood glamour and Renaissance handwork. It looked like a museum piece but was cut to perfection for the modern lithe figure.
There were two other creations that I can not leave unmentioned. I'll call them Most Glamorous Honorable Mentions. The first is the gorgeous midnight-blue one-shoulder sequined gown worn by Rose Byrne and designed by Vivienne Westwood. It was backless and Rose looked absolutely stunning wearing it. Bravo.
And Gwyneth Paltrow looked like a siren in a white column gown with matching cape by Tom Ford. This was a fantastic ensemble and it was high time that a star came wearing a wrap on a cold evening. Bravo for Tom Ford for designing this outfit - Adrian would have approved.
The 84th Academy Awards was a wonderful show, with great visual appeal from its Art-Deco set designs reflecting the influence of The Artist, the Best Picture winner that itself was influenced by old Hollywood movies and theaters. And of course The Artist won for Best Costume Design by Mark Bridges as predicted by The Silver Screen Modiste. This was Mark Bridges' first Academy Award, and he also won this year's BAFTA costume design award. As fabulous as the costumes were in The Artist, there was tough competition from the other nominees. The Costume Designers Guild gave its Excellence in Period Film award to W.E. and Arianne Phillips.
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Actors Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo in The Artist.
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The 1920s jazz age styles of The Artist have already started fashion trends - using fringe, low-waisted dresses with deco sequins and bead work designs. This is Mark Bridges first Oscar win. He is pictured below at the opening of the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising 20th Annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design Exhibit open now through April 28 at FIDM in Los Angeles.
Matt Sayles AP
Congratulations to all the contenders and winners, for all the criticisms heard, it was a good year for movies. And stay tuned for the next post of the Silver Screen Modiste, where I'll be showing some of the silver screen's real fabulous flappers.
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13 comments:
Christian, I must be developing taste because I agree with you 100%. I rank Mil and Jessica one-two, as well. However, since Mila made her appearance so early, it was all a bit of a disappointment after that.
I am glad that fashion will be once again influenced by the 1920s styles, thanks to "The Artist." When I was a kid in the early 1960s, fashion was influenced by the 1920s due to TV shows set in that period: "Margie," and "The Roaring Twenties" (the latter with Dorothy Provine). We wore chemise/sack dresses with long bead necklaces tied in a knot, which we swung around like the flappers on TV!
Great choices FlickChic! Yes, arriving early set the bar pretty high by Milla. Last year this was also the case with Jennifer Lawrence! Thanks for the comments.
Thanks for your comment shelleyflannery. Yes, there's something about both the styles and the jazz age era that make the look so much fun. Stay tuned!
Great choices, Christian. I didn't see much of the red carpet, so have some catching up to do, but love your top picks. I did see Rose Byrne later as a presenter and thought she was stunning, one of the most lovely ladies to grace the stage.
I do think Milla Jovovich's dress was highly under-rated. It reminds me of something Hedy Lamarr would've worn. I'm curious--what did you think of Penelope Cruz's gown? It seems to be garnering mixed reviews, though I rather thought it was stunning.
I agree with you LucieWickfield. I thought Penelope Cruz' Armani Prive gown was beautiful. The color was fabulous and it was a classic-looking gown that she looked great wearing.There were some other great ones too but I limited my selections.
Thanks Lady Eve, Yes, I agree that Rose Byrne was smashing - very photogenic and what a great gown. In the old Hollywood days they would have added a rhinestone (or diamond) clip on that gown. I think it would have benefitted by having that extra sparkle.
Dear Christian,
How funny that you selected the very gowns that Kimberly chose to focus on! Well, I guess it's no coincidence, really...the truly marvelous gowns are nearly always drawn from the desire to enhance and add allure to the "feminine form divine"...and your choices are spot-on. What a wonderful fashion show! Thanks for sharing! Well done, as always! (I have to say, though, that I wondered why the early 1930's fashions in THE ARTIST where still so very 1920's...do you have any insight into why Peppy Miller was still wearing a cloche? I thought they were outmoded by 1932 and slouch hats were de rigeur? Her dress wasn't what I expected, too, in the final scenes...Would love to hear your thoughts on that! Warmly, Kay
www.moviestarmakeover.com
Thanks for your comments Kay. Regarding the fashions in "The Artist" vis-a-vis the early 1930s, I think the designer, probably in conjunction with the director, decided to maintain the general late 1920s feel in the movie. There were very subtle changes in Pepe's wardrobe, but nothing like the very significant style changes that happened after 1929. Though unintentional, the Hollywood movies of the time were also caught-up in in big fashion shift in 1929-30, with shorter handkerchief hemlined dresses worn in movies while the long sleek gowns coming out of Paris outmoded that look. The Hollywood studios and designers learned from that experience to go for a more classic and timeless look.
Excellent choices for best gowns! I'm glad you stood up for Gwyneth. People hated the cape, but I agree with you, and the dress itself was lovely.
Thanks Classicfilmboy. I'm glad you agree. Gwyneth's outfit was outstanding and a new look for the runway. How could that not be appreciated?
The Alexander McQueen dress certainly had glamorous potential, but in many of the photos it looked too big in the bust--an imperfection that marred the look.
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