The Star Online: Lifestyle: Arts & Fashion
The Star Online: Lifestyle: Arts & Fashion |
| Posted: 21 Feb 2013 02:13 AM PST WHO is the celebrity to spot this Oscar season? Here's what our local fashion mavens say. Claudia Low, editor of Tongue In Chic "Emma Stone brings youth and fun to the red carpet. She has a quirky style that's very hard to come by these days, and it shows in her choice of dresses. She always wears classic gowns with a modern spin – like a bold colour pop or a geometric element. It's all in the details with her, and that's why she's my girl to watch this year." Wirda Adnan, editor-in-chief for WW magazine "You know, I really don't get why they joke about Angeline Jolie's leg at the Oscars last year; I think she looks fabulous. The fact that she has the ability to wear any dress – even a not-so-expensive one – and put her own individual stamp on it makes her a style icon for regular women. I can't wait to see what she turns up in this year!" Tan Siok Hoon, editor for Female magazine "I am really looking forward to see what Jennifer Lawrence will be wearing. She is young, beautiful and gutsy, and her red carpet style is still evolving so it's pretty much a guessing game as to what she will choose to wear on the big night. That element of surprise is what makes it so exciting for me." Shaiful Mukhelas, fashion blogger "The celebrity I am most excited to see is Jennifer Lopez. Not to say that I'm a fan, but she is a real risk taker and all of the dresses she wore in the past were quite risqué, such as that gittery halterneck Marchesa piece. "Yet, as risqué as they seemed, she actually wore the gowns instead of letting them wear her, unlike other celebs. So for the Oscars, I'm praying hard that she would show up in that controversial plunging neckline palm print Versace dress – the one that she wore for the Grammys when she was with P. Diddy. Trust me, she's the only one who can pull off that dress!" Roshan Valiram, Valiram Group "I can't wait to see what Zooey Deschanel will be wearing. She is not afraid to wear funky designs and bold colours. I love that how she dresses is a reflection of her quirky personality. Fashion is supposed to be fun and it should always represent one's individuality." Melvin Chan, creative director for August Man and Jessica "Marion Cottilard would be one of the stars whose presence and fashion statement is worth noting. I still remember that she wore a mermaid-inspired gown by Jean Paul Gaultier that got so much attention from the media. She received critical acclaim and won several awards, including Academy Award for Best Actress and was chosen as the face for Dior's campaign. Even Garance Dore, one of the biggest fashion bloggers, is going haywire for her!" – Louisa Lim Related Stories: |
| Posted: 20 Feb 2013 10:09 PM PST For awards season, who are the celebrities' go-to couturiers? OVER the past couple of months, Tinseltown stars have been hitting the awards circuit dressed in their evening best. But which of the designer brands are their favourite? Major names that continue to crop up are Chanel, Giorgio Armani, Dior, Vivienne Westwood, Tom Ford and Givenchy. Starting with the Golden Globes Awards on Jan 13, much attention has been paid to what the celebrities wore. Even the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards – which is on a smaller scale and hence less "glamorous" than the Oscars – saw the stars in sync with recent haute couture shows. Most of the focus will inevitably shift to the high-profile, telegenic (and award-nominated) actresses. Oft-nominated Anne Hathaway (of Les Miserables) looked far from miserable in Chanel haute couture at the Globes. For her appearance at the SAG, she wore a black tulle gown with black beaded underpinnings from Giambattista Valli's spring couture runway. Hathaway – together with Jennifer Lawrence (nominated for her role in Silver Linings Playbook) – are easily the top red carpet favourites for the awards season. Lawrence's go-to designer for SAG was Dior Couture; she wore a navy silk taffeta dress just shown the week before at the French brand's spring couture runway. When she ascended the stairs to accept her SAG award, a bit of skin showed through the skirt of her gown, leading to some speculation that it had ripped. But Dior said it wasn't so; the design house explained that Lawrence's gown was designed by Raf Simons "with different levels of tulle and satin." That was what viewers saw on TV when she lifted her gown to walk upstairs. Another renowned fashion house, Giorgio Armani made a strong showing at the Globes. The Italian designer dressed Jodie Foster in a navy blue beaded halter gown with tile-like paillettes on the straps, and Olivia Munn in a strapless column with turquoise herringbone beading on the bodice. Meanwhile, Naomi Watts (The Impossible) was simple yet stunning in a backless cranberry-coloured Zac Posen gown. At SAG, Nicole Kidman (The Paperboy) was glamorous in in wispy black Vivienne Westwood, while Claire Danes (Homeland) had on a custom-made Givenchy one-shoulder gown. Julianne Moore (Game Change) stuck with a flower-embellished dress from Chanel's 2011 couture range. The brand's designer Karl Lagerfeld – always a fave with Hollywood leading ladies – offers some sleek shapes from his latest couture collection inspired by midnight gardens. Even the men have been dressing up. Tom Ford is the must-have couturier for Hollywood studs. Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook) and presenter Justin Timberlake looked dapper in Ford's designs at SAG; the former's blue eyes were a striking contrast to his black and navy suit. At the recent Grammy Awards, the most in-demand designer was Roberto Cavalli, who dolled up Miranda Lambert, Carly Rae Jepsen and Carrie Underwood. Singer-actress Jennifer Lopez – despite TV station CBS' warning to celebrities not to show too much skin – stole the thunder. She pushed the dress code to the edge with a daring black gown by Anthony Vaccarello that covered most – but not all – of her. Katy Perry also didn't get the memo as she strutted her stuff in a skin-tight cleavage-baring mint green Gucci dress. However, both were listed by The Huffington Post as the worst-dressed at the Grammys. So which designers will the stars turn to for the Academy Awards on Feb 24, touted as the biggest night in showbiz? We don't blame couturiers for keeping their fingers crossed, hoping that Hathaway or Lawrence will ultimately deem their creation worthy to wear. Related Stories: |
| Best and worst dressed celebrities at the Oscars Posted: 20 Feb 2013 08:08 PM PST There was a time when the Oscars wasn't just about floor-sweeping gowns. We take a look at how — and why — it's evolved over the years. THE late fashion designer Patty Fox didn't call it "the greatest and biggest fashion show in the world" for no reason. We're talking about the annual Academy Awards – not Fashion Week – and Fox's experience as a fashion adviser to the stars has taught her that Oscar night isn't just about who wins the little, gold statuette called Oscar, it's about who hits jackpot in the style department. "I like to think of the red carpet as being all about fashion and, once you're inside the theatre, it's all about film," she said in a 2008 interview with BBC. It's no surprise that that designers scramble to be part of the Oscar action each year – the crème de la crème of Hollywood command attention and, according to Fox News, an average of one billion people watch the Oscars, meaning that more eyeballs will be on a star's gown than on the movie she was nominated for. According to Merle Ginsberg, entertainment editor of Women's Wear Daily and W magazine, Oscar fashion could increase a celebrity's bankability and even spark trends. "Last year, Nicole Kidman wore a very, very pink dress. Suddenly that became a huge colour in fashion," she said in 2003. "If Nicole Kidman wore a Chanel dress, do people buy more Chanel perfume? Yes." As such, a celebrity's half-hour walk down the red carpet may take months and months of preparation. It all begins as designers and stylists negotiate to broker a breathtaking ensemble. Subsequently, it takes a small village to pull the entire look together: to make stars like Halle Berry, Faye Dunaway and fashion model Iman look Hollywood-worthy. Celebrity stylist Phillip Bloch told Fox that he has to work with a team of assistants, tailors, make-up artists and hair stylists. "It's countless amounts of phone calls, and phone tag, phone tag, phone tag," he said. "Calling clothes in, returning them, fittings, and flying back and forth a lot." But it hasn't always been like this. ABC News stated that, at the first Academy Awards ceremony in 1928, Janet Gaynor accepted best actress in a very casual outfit. Actress Ingrid Bergman also did something that would be a huge fashion faux pas today: she wore the same dress twice. Television cameras only came to the Oscars in the 50s, bringing the red carpet to every American home, so everyone could "ooh" and "ahhh". Fox, who has authored a book on the history of Oscar style, told ABC this was a time when style-savvy stars like Vicki Dougan had a major influence on what people wore. "She is the epitome of the A-list Hollywood star," Fox said. "She set styles also. She is one of the few people that owned all of her own jewels. So consequently, her gowns were designed around the jewel. The jewel was the first thing and the gown was made as a beautiful frame." It wasn't until the 80s that designers started cashing in on the free publicity. And then, claimed Fox, the "designer race" started in the 90s after Giorgio Armani began designing high fashion for nominees. These days, a celebrity's gown may cost five figures and up. But for some, this will prove to be a costly mistake – after all, who can forget Bjork's swan dress or Celine Dion's reversed white tux jacket? Certainly not Fashion Police's Joan Rivers. In conjunction with the 85th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles this Sunday (Malaysian time 9.30am, Feb 25), we reminisce about fashion's most memorable moments on the red carpet. The triumphs Jennifer Garner, 2004 Said Valentino of the gown he designed for Garner: "Fifteen yards of taffeta – I lost count of the amount of silk chiffon! The skirt alone has two layers and that train goes on forever, darling. It took four couturiers more than 300 hours to create it." The end result couldn't be more spectacular. Cate Blanchett, 2007 Apparently, nothing looks better on alabaster skin than a liquid platinum Giorgio Armani Privé gown. Made from taffeta silk and crystal mesh, the end result skims over Blanchett's curves and makes her shine brighter than she ever has. Halle Berry, 2002 It's not easy to do classy and sexy, but Halle Berry pulls it off effortlessly with this peek-a-boo embroidered gown by Elie Saab. We can't decide if she became the first black woman ever to win a Best Actress Oscar because of her acting chops or that amazing dress. Michelle Williams, 2006 You know what they say: no guts, no glory. This is true on the red carpet too, as Williams jettisoned the customary solid, red, silver or black frock in favour of this mustard-hued, vintage-inspired gown by Vera Wang. We can't help but drool. Mila Kunis, 2011 Pretty and feminine, this gorgeous chiffon gown with tiered lace detailing and a grosgrain ribbon waist is another Elie Saab creation. The lovely lavender hue is offset by Kunis' raven updo, making it a sight to behold. Gwyneth Paltrow, 2012 Who says capes are only meant for superheroes? Paltrow stunned everyone when she turned up in a striking Tom Ford cape dress, looking every bit like a wonder woman. With a chock-full of that favourite staple – old-fashioned Hollywood glamour – this is one dress that we will never forget, for all the good reasons. The flops Uma Thurman, 2004 Shiver me timbers! How did this strange Christian Lacroix ensemble manage to find its way from a pirate ship and into this wench's wardrobe? We have no idea. In any case, Thurman did not just kill Bill, she also killed fashion. Jada Pinkett Smith, 2004 Talk about awkward. The ruffles, the print, the sheer side, the fishtail hem ... we don't know what to make of Smith's dress, but it sure looks like it was recycled from several dresses (and a curtain). Here's some advice: fire the stylist. Whoopi Goldberg, 1993 Looking at the aubergine psychedelic satin frock coat and brocade trousers combo, we can only deduce that this funny lady has decided to pay homage to Halloween, eight months too early. But we guarantee even ghouls would flee at the sight of her get-up. Helena Bonham Carter, 1987 Oh, lookie here, it's Mrs Tim Burton channelling Corpse Bride in an over-the-top tulle ensemble and a frizzy updo to match. But then again, that's an insult, as corpses have better fashion sense! Juliette Binoche, 1997 Wait a minute, aren't the French known for their style? Well, we suppose Binoche is an anomaly. Of the many outfits available, she chose this: a velvet gown, with a velvet coat and a gigantic vampire-like collar. In dark red. Well, at the very least, Count Dracula would be proud. Cher, 1986 Wearing a showgirl-worthy beaded black two-piece with a towering two-foot headpiece made of rooster feathers will certainly get you attention, but for all the wrong reasons. Perhaps Cher hasn't moved past the days of The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour. Unfortunately, the series expired in the 70s, along with her sense of style. > The 85th Annual Academy Awards will be shown live on Astro's Fox Movies Premium at 9.30am on Feb 25. Related Stories: |
| You are subscribed to email updates from The Star Online: Lifestyle: Arts & Fashion To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan