Monday, March 3, 2014

2014 Oscar Fashion

My best dressed goes to Lupita Nyong'o. She wore a beautiful baby blue Prada gown with subtle sparkles in the skirt. Her Fred Leighton gold and diamond headband and jewelry together with her makeup completed the look. Expectations were high because Nyong'o has become such a red carpet fixture this season and she more than delivered on her winning night. I still want to see what her shoes looked like, they were Prada as well.
Jennifer Garner and Charlize Theron were my next best dressed. Garner's look stood out from the other metallic and neutral colored dresses and the Oscar de la Renta was perfected with the hair and makeup. I loved the unique neckline of Theron's dress. The necklace made it perfect and the train was fabulous. I also loved Sandra Bullock in Alexander McQueen, Amy Adams in Gucci and Julia Roberts in Givenchy.
And now for the trends. First up, the old Hollywood cape look with Camilla Alves and Kate Hudson. I am a fan, I think it is a fun update on a classic style. 
Next up, Penelope Cruz in a Grecian style dress. Lupita's also falls into this category (she started the cape trend too in her red caped Ralph Lauren at the Golden Globes). Men in colorful shades of tuxedos were also trending, though photos were sparse but below are Oscar guru Dave Karger, Live's Michael Strahan, Kevin Spacey, Jason Sudeikis with Olivia Wilde and Benedict Cumberbatch on stage with Jennifer Garner to present Production Design. Some dark blues were so subtle that a dark navy did not always show on screen, like Cumberbatch's.
 
The most out of hand trend of the night was the nude sparkly dress, as my friends dubbed it. Loosely in order of my favorite to least favorite ranking.
 

 
And more fabulous looks... 
  • Look what I found...

Saturday, March 1, 2014

2014 Spirit Awards

The rain in California did not slow down the Spirit Awards. It was not clear if the silver buckets on stage were actually collecting water from the tent the ceremony was held in or if they were purely a quirky, ornamental touch. I feel for the crew that must be working into the wee hours of the night to clear the rainwater that collected outside of the Dolby Theater for tomorrow's Oscar red carpet. Which brings me to the fashions at the Film Independent Spirit Awards. The attire has become more formal at the event in the last few years. However, more fashion risks are often taken, whether it be a print, a bold color or a geometric shape. Lupita Nyong'o has become a stunning red carpet rock star in one short awards season. Not only does she consistently pull together a complete and amazing look, she also makes the bold choices of a seasoned veteran, as exhibited by the gold playsuit Stella McCartney that she wore to the Spirit Awards. The full list of Spirit Award winners is listed below the red, or rather blue, carpet photos. 
Host Patton Oswald started the show with commentary about the year's movies and by poking fun at Bruce Dern for being old. The obvious remark can be made at this type of event that it was a great year for independent film. There must be a way to communicate that this truly was one of the strongest years for movies in recent memory that is not trite. Perhaps that so many of the Spirit nominees are also nominated for Oscars is a substantial indication. All four of the acting awards went to the presumptive winners at Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony. 12 Years a Slave took home Best Feature, Best Director and Lupita Nyong'o won Best Supporting Actress on her birthday. Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto won for Dallas Buyers Club and Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine. 
BEST FEATURE 12 Years a Slave
BEST DIRECTOR Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
BEST SCREENPLAY 12 Years a Slave
BEST FIRST FEATURE Fruitvale Station
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY Nebraska
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD This Is Martin Bonner
BEST FEMALE LEAD Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
BEST MALE LEAD Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave
BEST SUPPORTING MALE Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY 12 Years a Slave
BEST EDITING Short Term 12
BEST DOCUMENTARY 20 Feet From Stardom
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM Blue is the Warmest Color
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD Mud