The OAK

Monday, March 3, 2014

#Oscars2014: What They SHOULD Have Worn: Amy Adams, Sandra Bullock, and Jennifer Lawrence

I was so underwhelmed by last night's Oscar fashion and I couldn't help but be disappointed by the choices the women selected. So, I took it upon myself to become their woulda-coulda-shoulda stylist and I prescribed three dresses that each nominee SHOULD have worn.

Amy Adams

What she wore: Blue Gucci Gown
Why it didn't work: I shouldn't say that this gown didn't work-- it totally did. It just was so BLAH and so unexciting.
What she should have worn: Amy's porcelain skin and fiery hair would have set off the gold in these dresses so perfectly. Being that she was nominated for best actress and she was the only woman in her category who had never won, Amy should have dressed like she was golden. I thought that while she looked beautiful, she just fell fla, and these gowns would have taken her to the caliber of her nomination.

Zuhair Murad

Badgley Mischka

Badgley Mischka

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Sandra Bullock

What she wore: Blue Alexander McQueen
Why it didn't work: Like Amy, this gown totally worked as well, and while it made my best dressed list, it was not a true Sandra moment. I feel like we have all seen this too many times before.
What she should have worn: Every single one of the dresses below exhibit way way way more drama than what Sandy wore last night and could made for a truly glamorous and modern but classy look. She could have killed that Pamela Rolland gown and been the best dressed of the night.

Pamela Rolland

GiambatistaValli

Oscar de la Renta

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Jennifer Lawrence

What she wore: Red Dior Gown
Why it didn't work: Sigh. Once again, this was just safe. Jennifer has had such go-big-or-go-home moments int he past and this was kind of generic and forgettable.
What she should have worn: I chose one Dior dress (obviously) in the ones below, and I loved the tea length look (tripping issues and all that jazz). But if she were to ever stray, I would have chosen the other two gowns for her as well. J-Law thrives on being dramatic, and she could really have taken the night to new heights (and widths) with any of the gowns below.

Elie Saab

Christian Dior

Oscar de la Renta

Sunday, March 2, 2014

#Oscars2014: Best Dressed and Worst Dressed

Here it is. The OAK's best and worst dressed list of the Academy Awards. This is the Super Bowl of red carpet fashion and this is the list that will not hold back. I will have you know that this was the hardest best/worst dressed list I have ever made, mostly because everyone felt kind of "safe". I wasn't particularly wowed by the fashion this year and there were very few standouts to me. Many women certainly looked pretty, but just pretty; there was a very small list of people who got it absolutely hideously wrong-- I think everyone was just fine and there were just a bunch of "meh" looks.

You may not agree with all my choices, but trust me-- I'm a professional (False: I am not actually a professional. I don't get paid for this whatsoever). As per usual, there is no particular order to the list below other than best goes first and worst goes at the bottom...where it belongs.

-----BEST DRESSED----

Cate Blanchett

Be still my fashionista heart. The most beautiful piece of clothing to walk down the red carpet this evening was this gown. This is not just a dress, not just a hair style, this is not just make up and not just jewels-- this is a moment. It's classic and perfect in every single way.

Lupita Nyong'o

She's been one of my favorites all season and tonight she was the princess of the ball.She took pastel blue, which has basically not been in style since Baby-G watches were around, and she rocked it. I would have liked to see more jewelry on that neckline, but this still resonates as a classic gown in Oscar history.

Charlize Theron

This was one of the sexiest gowns and one of the sexiest women on the red carpet. Now, since I have blonde hair like Charlize, that basically puts us in the same category of woman. We're basically the same person. Then again, I'm sitting in my childhood bedroom in my parents' house writing this post, so I guess we see who really won in life.

Sandra Bullock

The best in Old Hollywood glamour on the carpet. It's pretty safe in my opinion but of all the safe dresses, this was simply stunning.

Honorable best dressed mentions go to:

Julia Roberts, Jennifer Garner, Jennifer Lawrence and Naomi Watts

-----WORST DRESSED----

Olga Kurylenko

What the hell is this other than the worst dress on the red carpet? Worst dressed ever made, perhaps? This is the perfect example of someone who should not have been allowed out in public without looking in a mirror first. Who is going to shoulder the responsibility for this dress? (Saw what I did there with that shoulder pun?) Since it's already ripped does someone wanna finish the job?

Liza Minelli

Let's be honest-- what did we all really expect from her anyway. I don't even know how to comment on this. She looks like she's in a ski jumper uniform in the Olympics representing some nondescript country in Europe.

Amy Adams

I will get slammed for this by most of America but I hated this look so much. She's worn this dress a thousand times, and it's just so BLAH. I don't care that it's classic-- it's safe and it was a bomb to me. Plus she has boob umbrellas; I mean, I know it was raining in LA today, but breasts should not need their own umbrellas.

Viola Davis

The award for best older woman wearing a bridesmaid dress on the red carpet goes to this woman. This woman could have stepped it up big time, so I'll just sit here and scratch my head wondering why this happened.

#Oscars2014: The Academy Awards Color Palette

There was almost NO color on the red carpet tonight when compared to years past. Still, what color there was tended to be safe to me. Nothing in the colored category really stood out to me as breathtaking, but I still loved quite a few, like Sandra Bullock and Jennifer Lawrence. But let's be honest-- June Squibb is the best looking woman on this red carpet. She is so perfect. In fact, of all the colors that was most noticeably present, emerald green was the lady of the evening, and June totally stole it.

Idina Menzel

Viola Davis

June Squibb

Louise Roe

Elsa Pataky

Sandra Bullock

Amy Adams

Jennifer Lawrence

Bette Midler

Olga Kurylenko

Ireland Baldwin

Kelly Ripa

Kerry Washington

Liza Minelli

#Oscars2014: The Dark Side of the Academy Awards

Apparently everyone who wore a dark gown decided to show up in the last five minutes of the red carpet segment. Way to throw me off, ladies. But let me tell you, I am SO glad that going dark was not a heavy trend this year because the few women that did it, did it right! Emma Watson, Charlize Theron, Julia Roberts, and Anne Hathaway--WOAH. And don't get me started on the pregnant Olivia Wilde. Like for reals.

Emma Watson

Julia Roberts

Anna Kendrick

Anne Hathaway

Charlize Theron

Chrissy Tiegen

Glenn Close

Margot Robbie

Olivia Wilde

Meryl Streep

Alfre Woodard

#Oscars2014: Dreamy Lights and Metallic Brights

I expected SO much more from the Oscar fashion tonight, but I suppose I will have to deal with what I've got. Apparently everyone got the memo that light metallic dresses with embellishments was the way to go because basically everyone showed up in that. I will obviously reserve my best and worst dressed for later this evening, but allow me to direct you to the following collection of ladies who stunned in these airy light hues and metallic numbers. Most of these women really do shine, and you can't help but fall in love with the glow of the red carpet.

Cate Blanchett