Red Carpet Recap: Are We There Yet?

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

Charlize 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:

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

Long (Sleeve) on Shine:

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

Flesh and Gold:

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

Bright Whites:

Kelly Osbourne, Calista Flockhart in Andrew Gn, Naomi Watts in Calvin Klein, Laura Dern in Alberta Ferretti

Petal Pink Princesses:

Penelope Cruz in Giambattista Valli, Cristin Milioti, Camila Alves in Gabriela Cadena

Lavender Ladies:

Lady Gaga in Versace, Kerry Washington in Jason Wu, Kristen Bell in Roberto Cavalli

Basic Black:

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

Embellished Black:

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

Moody Blues:

Amy Adams in Gucci, Sandra Bullock in Alexander McQueen, Kevin Spacey in Burberry, Liza Minnelli in Halston

Red on Red:

Jennifer Lawrence in Dior, Ireland Baldwin, Bette Middler in Reem Acra, Olga Kurylenko in Alice Elia

White Knights:

Jared Leto in Saint Laurent, Ryan Seacrest, Matthew McConaughey in Dolce & Gabbana

No Pants, Well, Kinda Are a Problem:

Pharrell Williams in Lanvin

After the Party It’s the Afterparty:

Karolina 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: I’ve Got the Golden Ticket

By Kirsten|January 12th, 2014|Red Carpet Recap, Why Did You Wear That?|

Tina Fey in Carolina Herrera, Amy Poehler in Stella McCartney, Kaley Cuoco in Rani Zakhem, Zoe Saladana in Prabal Gurung, Allison Williams in Alexander McQueen, Zooey Deschanel Oscar de la Renta

Nope, that’s not the second coming of the polar vortex. It’s just hell freezing over because for the first time in a long time, I thought most all of Hollywood’s leading ladies looked nothing short of lovely on this evening’s red carpet in party dresses for the 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards. I wasn’t sure if it was the bubbles from the prosecco getting to my head, or if all of Hollywood had decided to take things more seriously, from their attire to their acceptance speeches. Perhaps it was the absence of teenagers and excessive twerking- in any case, I wasn’t about to complain. Seeing limo after limo from Boston corporate coach arrive depositing a well dressed, well coiffed beauty, I knew my job dissecting the night’s fashion was going to be tough.

And then Sandra Bullock showed up looking like a flamenco dancer.

Followed by Paula Patton as a butterfly struggling to shed her cocoon.

And before all of humanity starts sharpening their pencils (and knives) to write me hate mail, I was most excited to see what America’s current sweetheart, Jennifer Lawrence, would be wearing. I was less than impressed when she made her unfashionably late entrance in the predicted Dior. My dad likened her to a barrel, but I’m thinking she looked more like that awful game women are forced to play at bridal showers wherein they create wedding gowns out of toilet paper.

Her anticlimactic arrival could only be topped by that of America’s original sweetheart, Julia Roberts, who must be a method actor with a movie starring her as a Dolce & Gabbana wearing schoolmarm. Her conestoga could not be located though.

But again, it wasn’t all bad. Red in all shades from tomato to garnet was by far the color most favored though Emma Watson’s version was the equivalent of a fashion mullet. There was also a lot of embellished black and elegant metallics. And we all know Jared Leto was the real belle of the ball. Perhaps I’ve reached a new level of zen or have been in California for far too long, but I did not feel like dismantling the TV for the first time while watching an awards show.

Leaves me feeling like 2014 may be looking up. For now.

Red Hot Red Carpet:

Emma Watson in Dior, Julia Louis Dreyfus in Narciso Rodriguez, Julie Delpy in Romona Keveza, Berenice Bejo

Two Timers:

Amy Adams in Valentino, Julie Bowen in Carolina Herrera, Taylor Swift in Carolina Herrera

Black on Black on Black:

Emma Roberts in Lanvin, Jessica Chastain in Givenchy, Leslie Mann, Uma Thurman in Versace

Styled by Wiz Khalifa:

Monica Potter in Romona Keveza, Julianna Marguiles in Andrew Gn, Lizzy Caplan in Emilio Pucci, Emma Thompson in vintage Lanvin

Black and White and Red Carpet All Over:

Margot Robbie in Gucci, Zosia Mamet in Reem Acra, Laura Carmichael in Viktor & Rolf, Emilia Clarke in Proenza Schouler

Golden Goddesses:

Kate Mara in J. Mendel, Robin Wright in Reem Acra, Michelle Dockery in Oscar de la Renta, Naomi Watts in Tom Ford

Platinum Princesses:

Tatiana Maslany in Jenny Packham, Kate Beckinsdale in Zuhair Murad, Mila Kunis in Gucci, Sarah Paulson in Marchesa

Gang of Green:

Taylor Schilling in Thakoon, Helen Mirren in Jenny Packham, Reese Witherspoon in Calvin Klein

Ain’t No Drama with These Baby Mamas:

Kerry Washington in Balenciaga, Olivia Wilde in Gucci, Drew Berrymore in Monique Lhuillier

And the Real Winners Are:

Cate Blanchett in Armani, Lupito Nyong’o in Ralph Lauren, Laura Dern in Roberto Cavalli, Amy Adams in Valentino

Good Girls Gone Bad…Like Really Bad:

Julia Roberts in Dolce & Gabbana, Sandra Bullock in Prabal Gurung, Paula Patton in Stephane Rolland Couture, Jennifer Lawrence in Dior

Bring on award season… and the prosecco.

xx,

WhyDid

Why Did You Wear That: Cocktail Hour

By Kirsten|December 31st, 2013|Why Did You Wear That?|

The one garnish certain to undoubtedly make a drink that much more chic with each clink of the glass is one that you bring to the party yourself. No, you aren’t going to tote a jar of bleu cheese stuffed olives in your Prada to the next party. This garnish is right at your fingertips… well, really just your fingers. The fastest way to add extra bling is by slipping on a cocktail ring while sipping on a cocktail or two. Originally made popular during the prohibition era as a kind of flamboyant “eff you”, the cocktail ring later became popular with single ladies who wore giant jewels on their right ring fingers as a sign of independence. Being a woman looking forward to planting a kiss on no one other than her pooch this year, I like the idea of a cocktail ring in that context. But whether you’re single or attached, there’s nothing wrong with adding an extra rock for cocktail hour.

1. Bijoux Heart La Terr D’Or Gold Plated Swarovski Crystal Ring, 2. Elizabeth and James Northern Star Cabochon Ring, 3. IPPOLITA Mother of Pearl Clear Quartz and Sterling Ring, 4. Gemma Redux Mood Ring, 5. Vanessa Mooney The Purple Haze Ring, 6. Anita Ko 18 Karat Gold Diamond Ring, 7. Kelly Wearstler Myra Ring, 8. Scott Kay Recessed Cross Ring, 9. Maison Martin Margiela Double Faux Diamond Ring, 10. AERIN Erickson Beamon Gemstone Cocktail Ring, 11. Alexis Bittar Mirrored Citrine Ring, 12. Gurhan Pandora Hammered 24 Karat Gold Amethyst Ring, 13. Monserat De Lucca Drunk Sober Ring, 14. Jade Jagger Diamond Disco Ball Ring, 15. Jacquie Aiche Moonstone Diamond and 14 Karat Rose Gold Ring, 16. Lanvin Borneo Gunmetal Tone Swarovski Crystal Ring

xx,

WhyDid

Weekend Playlist: 2013, We Out.

By Kirsten|December 28th, 2013|Weekend Playlist|

2013 was a very interesting (by interesting I mean coma inducing) year when it came to music in my humble opinion. I am not, nor have I ever claimed to be a music expert, but if even I was bored, I can only imagine how audio afficianados must have felt. All genres started to blend together just as the days of the week started to blend together for me. Is it Tuesday night or Saturday morning? Who cares? A little Drake whining about his leftover Chinese food followed up with some Miley Cyrus soft porn will alleviate any confusion. Just stick out your tongue, grab a leotard, and start twerking- you’ve got 2013 music covered. It’s like Now That’s What I Call Music: 9 Billion. Listen to this playlist til 2014, then let’s bury these songs like a time capsule not to be revisited until another decade has passed.

Werk, bitch.

xx,

WhyDid

Why Did You Wear That: Trapped in the Closet, or At Least I Wish I Was…

By Kirsten|November 25th, 2013|Celebrity Style, Red Carpet Recap, Why Did You Wear That?|

Mayra Veronica, Marc Anthony, Keltie McKnight, R. Kelly

Award shows always manage to leave me scratching my head and trying to figure out just how much wine I ingested in the last two hours. It’s as if celebrities save up all their crazy for these star studded events and then unleash it on their adoring fans. Fortunately for us, it’s all caught on film to be watched time and again for days to follow. These evenings provide news sources plenty of ammunition and the platform to play things out and beat a dead horse.

Speaking of which… The only thing weirder than Lady Gaga’s arrival on a wind up horse, was her awkward performance with president R. Kelly who probably should have stayed trapped in the closet. I didn’t have too long to wonder what the real purpose of this horse was or whether Ke$ha and Gaga are actually morphing into the same person, because moments later I thought I spotted a red carpet crasher, but it was just Marc Anthony who looked as though he’d been halfway through his Sunday stack at The Griddle when he realized, “Shit, that award show is tonight.” His former better half, Jennifer Lopez, more than made up for his failworthy flannel with a high energy tribute to Celia Cruz. It wasn’t all cringeworthy though. Watching Rihanna accept the Icon Award from her mother even made me tear up and Christina Aguilera’s soft vocals during her performance with A Great Big World had me fall in love with her all over again. Just when I started to think that maybe this award show was bringing back a little bit of class to the music world, Miley showed up in a cat covered two piece leotard and I had a hard time deciding which cat to look at because the one lip synching behind her kind of stole the show.

But alas, what we (at least I) bother watching award shows for… the fashion. If you weren’t wearing white, you were wearing black- or a combo of the two. This, of course, makes me happy because my second favorite “color” behind black is white. If you weren’t wearing one of my two favorite shades, you were wearing metallics or heating things up in fiery reds and oranges. To be clear, just because I post it below doesn’t mean I like it. It just means it happened and I firmly believe in being informed. Rihanna, Nicole Richie, Ciara, and a very Kardashian-esque Naya Rivera were a few of my favorites, while most of the others left plenty of room for improvement.