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Red Carpet Recap: Academic Achievment

By |February 22nd, 2015|Celebrity Style, Red Carpet Recap, Why Did You Wear That?|

dakota johnson rosamund pike behati prinsloo Dakota Johnson in Saint Laurent, Rosamund Pike in Givenchy, Behati Prinsloo in Armani

The red carpet was red hot this year at the 87th Annual Academy Awards.  While it poured down rain in Los Angeles, causing a hot box effect with plastic tenting literally wilting A-list hairstyles and melting perfectly made up faces, nominees and future winners did not let us down in the dress department.  While there was nothing truly offensive, there were also very few that inspired any standing ovations, which would be saved for John Legend, Common, Patricia Arquette, and Graham Moore.  Saint Laurent on both Dakota Johnson and Margot Robbie were two of my early favorites.  When Rosamund Pike arrived in a perfectly fitted Givenchy frock only two months after giving birth, I shed a tear and poured out a little bit of alcohol, which my dog quickly lapped up.  A few debatable dresses were worn by Lupita Nyong’o, Nicole Kidman, and Felicity Jones.  I’m not sure why, but Khloe Kardashian was recruited by E! for her opinions on red carpet arrivals, to which she held nothing back.  I zoned out from the actual awards show after Neil Patrick Harris’s first failed joke, but I did catch Julianne Moore’s well deserved acceptance speech, Common’s freckles, Lady Gaga’s epic cover of The Sound of Music, and the absence of Joan Rivers in the Memoriam.

Citron Sirens:

nicole kidman emma stone oscarsNicole Kidman in Louis Vuitton, Jennifer Hudson in Romona Keveza, Emma Stone in Elie Saab

Blushing Beauties:

jennifer anniston jennifer lopez oscarsJennifer Anniston in Versace, Zoe Saldana in Atelier Versace, Jennifer Lopez in Elie Saab

Petal Pushers:

kiera knightley gwyneth paltrow chloe moretz oscarsKiera Knightley in Valentino, Gwyneth Paltrow in Ralph and Russo, Chloe Moretz in Miu Miu

White Hot Women:

faith hill zendaya jenna dewan oscarsFaith Hill in J. Mendel, Zendaya in Vivienne Westwood, Jenna Dewan Tatum in Zuhair Murad

julianne moore lady gaga lupita nyongo oscarsJulianne Moore in custom Chanel, Lupita Nyong’o in Calvin Klein, Lady Gaga in Azzedeine Alaia

 Metallic Mavens:

laura dern naomi watts oscarsLaura Dern in Alberta Ferretti, Anna Faris in Zuhair Murad, Naomi Watts in Armani

felicity jones chrissy teigen

Felicity Jones in Alexander McQueen, Chrissy Teigen in Zuhair Murad, Kerry Washington in Miu Miu

Black Betties:

margot robbie sienna miller oscarsMargot Robbie in Saint Laurent, Sienna Miller in Oscar de la Renta, Cate Blanchett in Margiela

Black and White Babes:

reese witherspoon meryl streep arquetteReese Witherspoon in Tom Ford, Particia Arquette in Rosetta Getty, Meryl Streep in Lanvin

Navy, Baby:

rita ora jessica chastain oscarsRita Ora in Marchesa, Jessica Chastain in Givenchy

Red Carpet Recap: The 66th Annual Emmy Awards

By |August 26th, 2014|Celebrity Style, Red Carpet Recap, Why Did You Wear That?|

And the Emmy Goes To…:

best dressed emmys january jones kiernan shipkaJanuary Jones in Prabal Gurung, Kiernan Shipka in Antonio Berardi, Halle Berry in Elie Saab

It’s a wonder I was even able to complete this post as I spent the majority of last night’s 66th Annual Emmy Awards in the waiting room at CityMD where I tried to convince them that it was imperative to change the channel from NY1 to the Emmy’s so that I could complete my work.  No dice, but fortunately I’d planned ahead by recording the show before stepping out.  Don’t worry guys, after being poked and prodded and nearly regurgitating on a tongue depressor, turns out it’s just a sore throat.

Instead of sipping on champagne, I gargled with salt water and settled in to catch up on what I’d missed.  Clearly, what I’d missed was almost every single show that’s currently on television.  I’ve been so busy watching re-runs of The Golden Girls, that I wasn’t even aware that shows like Masters of Sex or Treme existed.  But let’s be serious, it’s an honor just to be nominated and sure it’s exciting to win (full list of winners here), I’m only here for the fashion.

Fairly early into the red carpet arrivals, there was a theme brewing.  If you weren’t wearing red, you were wearing white.  From Julia Louis Drefus’s simple and well tailored Carolina Herrera to Claire Danes’ intricately detailed Givenchy, there was no chance of blending into the carpet in these crimson creations.  White may very well be one of the hardest colors to wear, let alone be photographed in.  However, last night’s presenters and nominees were picture perfect in their picks, namely Laverne Cox in Marc Bouwer and Anna Chlumsky in Zac Posen.

The rest of the carpet was a veritable rainbow with Kerry Washington in an orange Prada, Samira Wiley in a curry colored Christian Siriano, Keke Palmer in cobalt Rubin Singer, and Zoey Deschanel in an Oscar de la Renta bright pop of pink.  Hayden Panetierre proved that pregnant women most certainly can wear sequins in her Lorena Sarbu and others played with color and patterns as made apparent by Louise Roe’s Monique Lhuillier and Julie Bowen’s Peter Som.

My winners included January Jones in a beautifully constructed red Prabal Gurung gown (though her hair could have used some help), budding fashion favorite, Kiernan Shipka in a steely grey Antonio Berardi, and Halle Berry whose Elie Saab was a color that was clearly made for her- seriously, it’s like Jay-Z blue. Does it have a Pantone number?  Those who didn’t fair so well?  Katherine Heigl is no stranger to the worst dressed list and last night was no different as she showed up wearing something that actually looked like something I’ve seen on The Golden Girls.  Lena Dunham, bless her, wore a cupcake confection that left her looking more silly than chic.  I applaud her new hair, however.  When Sarah Paulson arrived on the red carpet, I must admit at first I was intrigued, but I have the feeling her gown was the type that is beautiful in person, but does not translate to TV.  Somebody’s stylist needs get a Polaroid camera.

While not everyone was fashion award worthy, if this red carpet is any indication of what’s to come this award season, I’m looking forward to tuning in.  I may even start watching shows from this decade.

Orange Crush:

emmys red carpet best dressedSarah Hyland in Christian Siriano, Natalie Dormer in J. Mendel, Kerry Washington in Prada

Cloaked in Coral:

octavia spencer heidi klum mindy kaling emmysMindy Kaling in Kenzo, Heidi Klum in Zac Posen, Octavia Spencer in Tadashi Shoji

Well Red… and Red… and, well, Red:

uzo aduba giuliana rancic christina hendricks emmysUzo Aduba, Giuliana Rancic, Christina Hendricks in Marchesa

minnie driver julia louis dreyfus claire danes emmysMinnie Driver in Marchesa, Julia Louis Dreyfus in Carolina Herrera, Claire Danes in Givenchy

Shocking Pink:

66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards - ArrivalsKaley Cuoco in Monique Lhuillier, Zoey Deschanel in Oscar de la Renta, Allison Janney in Nicholas Jebran

All White, All White, All White:

kate mara anna chlumsky emmys red carpetKate Mara in J. Mendel, Anna Chlumsky in Zac Posen, Padma Laksmi in Ralph Rucci

66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards - ArrivalsKristen Wiig in Vera Wang, Laverne Cox in Marc Bouwer, Sofia Vergara in Roberto Cavalli

66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards - ArrivalsJoanne Froggatt in J. Mendel, Julianne Hough in DSquared, Michelle Monaghan in Giambattista Valli

Shine On:

66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards - ArrivalsAmy Poehler in Theia, Hayden Panetierre in Lorena Sarbu, Gwen Stefani in Versace

emmys red carpetAlexandra Daddario in Reem Acra, Taylor Schilling in Zuhair Murad, Taryn Manning

Mauve-lous:

66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards - ArrivalsLouise Roe in Monique Lhuillier, Cat Deeley in Burberry, Amanda Peet in Giambattista Valli

Citrus Sirens:

lucy liu kate walsh emmysSamira Wiley in Christian Siriano, Lucy Liu in Zac Posen, Kate Walsh in Stephane Rolland

Going Green:

laura prepon sarah silverman emmysLaura Prepon, Sarah Silverman in Marni, Allison Tolman in Romona Keveza

 Shades of Blue:

emmys red carpetMayim Bialik in Oliver Tolentino, Keke Palmer in Rubin Singer, Edie Falco in Escada

emmys red carpetNatasha Leone in custom Opening Ceremony, Julia Roberts in Elie Saab, Rose Leslie

The New Black:

66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards - ArrivalsLena Headey, Lizzy Caplan in Donna Karan Atelier, Debra Messing in Angel Sanchez

Watercolor Wonders:

taissa famiga julie bowen emmy red carpetTaissa Farmiga in Honor, Betsy Brandt in Alice + Olivia Julie Bowen in Peter Som

Pattern Play:

emmys 2014 red carpetTeyonah Parris in Christian Siriano, Michelle Dockering in Rosie Assoulin, Ariel Winter in Black Halo Eve

Two’s Better Than One:

aaron paul lauren parsekian jon hamm camila alves emmys Jon Hamm in Tom Ford and Jennifer Westfeldt in Marchesa, Camila Alves in Zuhair Murad and Matthew McConaughey in bespoke Dolce & Gabbana, Lauren Parsekian in Sarbu and Aaron Paul

Better Luck Next Year:

emmys red carpet worst dressedKatherine Heigl in vintage John Hayles, Lena Dunham in Giambattista Valli, Sarah Paulson in Armani Privé

 

Kate Walsh in Stephane Rolland

 

Friday Frocks: Mommy and Me

By |May 9th, 2014|Friday Frocks, Why Did You Wear That?|

pregnant celebsIn honor of Mother’s Day, this week’s frocks are dedicated to the beautiful babes with babies on board.  And while I’ve not been pregnant, through writing this post, I did learn how tough it is to find something to cover up the impending baby bump.  It would appear there are two basic approaches to dressing during pregnancy: loose and flowing empire waistlines or stretchy bodycon dresses.  Being pregnant doesn’t require you to dress in tents and awnings and by slipping into something slinky, you are owning that bump… as you should.

maternity-dresses1. 10 Crosby Derek Lam Printed Cotton Maxi Dress, 2. MICHAEL Michael Kors One Shoulder Jersey Maxi Dress, 3. Addison Sheer Bottom Dress, 4. Alexander Wang Patterned Stretch Knit Body Con Dress, 5. Halston Heritage Asymmetrical Gown, 6. 3.1 Phillip Lim Silk Gathered Waist Maxi Dress, 7. ABS Lace Babydoll Dress, 8. Rick Owens Cotton Jersey Midi Dress, 9. Hatch The Tulip Dress, 10. Richard Nicoll Stella Washed Silk Dress

 xx,

WhyDid

Red Carpet Recap: Are We There Yet?

By |March 3rd, 2014|Red Carpet Recap, Why Did You Wear That?|

lupito nyongo cate blanchett oscarsCharlize Theron in Dior, Kate Hudson in  Atelier Versace, Cate Blanchett in Giorgio Armani, Lupita Nyong’o in Prada

It feels as if this particular awards season stretched out a bit longer than years prior, but maybe that’s the overall theme of 2014 thus far.  Long winters, long award shows, long winded speeches.  Tonight’s award show, the 86th Annual Academy Awards, was no exception.  Seeing as the red carpet arrivals started at five thirty (Eastern time) and the actual show didn’t commence until midnight, I literally spent six and a half hours of my life staring at dresses, listening to sometimes awkward interviews with Seacrest, and holding my breath in hopes that the music didn’t come on during winners’ acceptance speeches.  I couldn’t tell if I was still exhausted from the weekend or if the cold had finally taken a toll on my cognitive thinking because I’m pretty sure that every actress on the red carpet was required to wear the same dress.  Either that or I was watching 1984 and didn’t know it, which is entirely possible.  Fortunately, for the first time in WhyDid’s history, I was unable to award an entire category to the worst dressed women of the night.  Instead it went to our charitable roast beef hat wearing friend, Pharrell, who decided that full trousers were not fully necessary for the red carpet.  I might have let it slide because he’s so darn cute if he hadn’t somehow convinced his lovely wife, Helen Lasichanh, to dress in tandem.  I guess it would be hard to say, “no,” to those dimples.

As for the rest of the red carpet, nudes, metallics, and soft whites and pastels were the overall theme with a spattering of both basic as well as embellished black.  Navy was a trend for both men and women and first time Oscar winner, Lupita Nyong’o, deemed her hue Nairobi blue.  Everyone was going nuts over her headband, which I hated because it made her look too “costumey” and would have preferred she’d accessorized her decollete with a delicate lariat, but she gets a pass for that stand out shade of blue.  Speaking of hair, cropped pixie cuts were the biggest trend and soft subtle styles as seen on Jessica Biel and Naomi Watts were the second runner up.  Jennifer Lawrence in a pixie cut and who wore red, didn’t even wait until she was inside before repeating last year’s tumble.  She either needs a better seamstress or a higher tolerance for champagne.  A notable trend for men was wearing a white jacket with their tuxes and why, why, why is Jared Leto so damn pretty?  Rarely do I covet another’s hair, but if someone can get me in touch with his stylist, I’ll be forever grateful… or at least for the next month or two.  And while I finished wrapping up the red carpet, I realized that the real style mavens held out until the afterparties.

Pretty in Pewter:

oscars red carpet Giuliana Rancic, Jessica Biel in Chanel, Jennifer Garner in Oscar de la Renta

Long (Sleeve) on Shine:

angelina jolieAngelina Jolie in Elie Saab, Sarah Paulson in Elie Saab, Julie Delpy in Jenny Peckham, Sally Hawkins in Valentino

Flesh and Gold:

oscars red carpet Kristin Chenoweth in Roberto Cavalli, Jenna Dewan Tatum in Reem Acra, Portia de Rossi in Naeem Khan

Bright Whites:

kelly-osbourne-naomi-watts-oscarsKelly Osbourne, Calista Flockhart in Andrew Gn,  Naomi Watts in Calvin Klein, Laura Dern in Alberta Ferretti

Petal Pink Princesses:

camila alves penelope cruz Penelope Cruz in Giambattista Valli, Cristin Milioti, Camila Alves in Gabriela Cadena

Lavender Ladies:

kristen bell oscarsLady Gaga in Versace,  Kerry Washington in Jason Wu, Kristen Bell in Roberto Cavalli

 Basic Black:

julia roberts oscarsGlenn Close in Zac Posen, Julia Roberts in black Givenchy, Karen O in Camilla Staerk, Olivia Wilde in black Valentino

Embellished Black:

oscars red carpetAnne Hathaway in Gucci, Emma Watson in Vera Wang, Anna Kendrick in J. Mendel, Chrissy Teigen in Monique Lhuillier

Moody Blues:

amy adams sandra bullock academy awardsAmy Adams in Gucci, Sandra Bullock in Alexander McQueen, Kevin Spacey in Burberry, Liza Minnelli in Halston

Red on Red:

jennifer-lawrence-oscars-dressJennifer Lawrence in Dior, Ireland Baldwin, Bette Middler in Reem Acra, Olga Kurylenko in Alice Elia

White Knights:

jared leto matthew mcconaugheyJared Leto in Saint Laurent, Ryan Seacrest, Matthew McConaughey in Dolce & Gabbana

No Pants, Well, Kinda Are a Problem:

pharrell williams Pharrell Williams in Lanvin

After the Party It’s the Afterparty:

vanity fair oscarsKarolina Kurkova,  Evan Rachel Wood in Elie Saab, Sofia Vergara in Roberto Cavalli, Diane Kruger in Valentino, Jane Fonda in Nicholas Oakwell 

xx,

WhyDid

Red Carpet Recap: This Red Carpet Has Me Feeling Blue

By |January 19th, 2014|Red Carpet Recap|

best dressed sag awardsJennifer Lawrence in Dior , Lupito N’yongo in Gucci, Rita Moreno in Roberto Cavalli and Herve Leger jacket, Matthew McConaughey in Dolce & Gabbana and Camila Alves in vintage Donna Karan

Award season really threw me for a loop when it decided to have this year’s Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG) on a Saturday.  One can only assume it is because the Kardsashian season premiere is on Sunday.  Anyway, the stars showed up this evening looking to have a good time and perhaps take home a cute little statue.  It would appear that some of these stars clearly read WhyDid because they really stepped up their game from last week’s Golden Globes (ahem, Jennifer Lawrence).  Others were repeat offenders and some I have never heard of but was pleasantly surprised by their presence.  Within the first ten minutes of red carpet arrivals, I predicted a theme. Even though Giuliana may have (incorrectly) deemed the night that of this year’s Pantone color “radiant orchid” the color that truly reigned supreme was blue.  From royal to navy, startlets and stars wore this color like it was the new black.  Other trends that I picked up on were matching one’s jewels to the dresses.  Once considered a bit of a fashion faux pas, it actually looked incredibly fresh and I’m thinking that statement earrings are making a major comeback.  Luxe fabrics in jewel tones were also awfully popular.  In the beauty department, sleek deep side parts and bobs were the favorites for hair while very clean, polished makeup and matching eyeshadow to dresses was almost as popular as coordinated earrings.  Both Kelly Osbourne and Jennifer Lawrence coined new terms – SWASS (Sweaty Ass) and armpit vagina.  Giuliana may not know her Pantone shades, but she does know when she sees a potential love match like that of Jared Leto and Emilia Clarke.  Imagine those blue eyed babies.

But down to what really matters… who was the best (above) and who was the worst?  Eff it.  I’m going rogue.  I’m giving best dressed to two young starlets, an 82 year old icon, and one of Hollywood’s sexiest couples.  The worst… well, I never thought I’d hate a crop top or Julia Roberts, but I guess this is why they say, “never say never.”  While many loved Cate Blanchett’s pink Givenchy, I found it to look like a vagina, my father said he didn’t want to know what I meant by that but I told him anyway: pink and drapey.  As for Julie Bowen’s Carolina Herrera, I’m just wondering why she’s wearing a toolbelt.  Oprah wore “the color purple” and Sandra Bullock and Jane Krackowski gleamed in green.  Nudes, blush and soft greys were also ever present and for once I was totally wowed by something other than Sofia Vergara’s, er, personality in Donna Karan.

Blue Angels:

sag red carpetJulia Louis Dreyfus in Monique Lhuillier, Amy Adams in Antonio Berardi, Jennifer Garner in Max Mara, Morena Baccarin in Monique Lhuillier

sag awards red carpetKelly Osbourne in Zac Posen, Ariel Winter in Badgley Mischka, Cathy Griffin in Antonio Berardi, Anna Gunn in Monique Lhuillier

sag awards red carpetAnna Chlumsky in Sophie Theallet, Claire Danes in Vionnet, Mindy Kaling in David Meister, Julianne Nicholson in Philosphy

Nudist Colony:

sag awards red carpet 2014Elizabeth Rohm in Marchesa, Emilia Clarke in Calvin Klein, Laura Carmichael in Vionnet, Isla Fisher in Oscar de la Renta

Grey Ladies:

sofia vergara sag red carpetSofia Vergara in Donna Karan, Kaley Cuoco in Vera Wang, Malin Akerman in Naeem Kahn, Hannah Simone in Marchesa

Lightweights:

sag red carpet 2014Sarah Paulson in Rochas, Natalie Dormer in Marios Schwab, Gretchen Mol in J. Mendel, Sarah Hyland in Pamela Roland

Green Beans:

sag awards red carpetSandra Bullock in Lanvin, Jane Krakowski in Roland Mouret

“Radiant Orchid”:

oprah giuliana rancic sag awardsOprah Winfrey in Badgley Mischka, Giuliana Rancic in Basil Soda

Better Luck Next Time:

worst dressed sag awardsCate Blanchett in Givenchy, Kerry Washington in Prada, Julie Bowen in Carolina Herrera, Julia Roberts in Valentino

Hey Jared, if things don’t work out with Emila, call me.  Also, I need your colorist’s number. Thanks.

xx,

WhyDid