Oscars 2019: Hits and Misses
Ah, the Academy Awards. The Oscars. The night of nights, in the film industry. The night that unites us all as we become fashion and film critics in a heartbeat despite a shocking lack of expert insight in either of those areas. Like many, BYO was watching the drama unfold and has selected our favourite fab (and not-so-fab) looks - read on!
The Looks That Can Get It
This year, some Oscars attendees really did bring their A game. Allison Janney took an if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it mood to the red carpet with a timeless, elegant look, as did model Ashley Graham, who basically is the textbook definition of hourglass figure in Zac Posen.
Some looks incorporated a slight twist to distinguish themselves from the regular predictable glamour - namely, 15-year-old actress Elsie Fisher in an absolutely gorgeous three-piece suit by Thom Browne that I want to wear for the rest of my life, and 20-year-old actress and activist Amandla Stenberg, whose 1920s-style beaded dress and braided finger waves hit every mark to perfection.
Then there are those who made bold, risky choices that - thank God - actually paid off, distinguishing them from the crowd in the best way possible. Hannah Beachler chose the perfect look to make history in (as the first African American woman to win Best Production Design, for her work on Black Panther), wearing her perfect shade of orange and accessorising with a gold chain across her face. Among a sea of men in sharp but predictable tuxedos, actor and singer Billy Porter stole my heart in an incredible tux-meets-princess-gown look by Christian Siriano. Major props must go to Helen Mirren for tearing up the carpet in a pink tulle dress by Schiaparelli that broke free from the formulaic actress-over-50-dressed-in-black sort of look.
Oh, and special mention also to Chadwick Boseman, Spike Lee and Jason Momoa for bucking the boring black tux trend - although I’m still mad at literally every other man for being so basic.
The Looks That Were SO Damn Close
Oh, these looks pain me, because they were so close to being just right - and yet they somehow missed the mark. Melissa McCarthy killed it in terms of the style of her ensemble, but was let down by an unflattering colour; Tessa Thompson’s gown had one too many peplum frills; and Kasey Musgraves pink dream of a dress was entirely ruined by a dumb silver bow on the waistline. Awkwafina’s intentions were good, but ultimately ruined by a poor fit and a neck-smothering ruff; whilst Amy Adams’ gown was simply let down by the fact that we’ve seen her in much more exciting ensembles.
The Looks That Can Get Out
As usual, this assemblage of Hollywood’s finest wasn’t free from disappointments - and not just when it came to awards snubs. Mahershala Ali, you gorgeous man, why on earth did you think a beanie, and that beanie in particular, was a good call for the red carpet? Sarah Paulson’s stylist betrayed her when it came to her too-slick hair and too-puffy, unflattering, poorly-tailored gown by Brandon Maxwell. Zooey Deschanel makes me feel ill in a dress that no designer seems to want to claim as their own, and Linda Cardellini took the pink/ruffled trend just way too far. And oh, ladies of The Favourite … if only you could live up to your movie title when it comes to your Oscars looks. While I could tolerate Emma Stone’s dress, costars Rachel Weisz and Olivia Colman really disappointed. As a trio, they stunned at the Golden Globes, but for the Academy, it was all just a bit much, and yet simultaneously not enough.
