Tag Archives: Lea Michele
Red Carpet Rundown: 2011 Oscar Parties, Part III
Looks like you made it through the sea of bad taste, the Muppets outbreak and the ocean of yawn through to my final red carpet rundown from the 2011 Oscar Parties. Your reward? A dozen or so more dresses to cast judgement on, of course.
Lea Michele in Roberto Cavalli – There's something slightly schizophrenic about this dress, like it was designed by a Mormon who raved it up in Studio 54 when his parents weren't watching. For me, the uber-high neckline and long sleeves just don't work with a dress that's had Taylor Swift's entire wardrobe of sequins flung at it. The pattern looks like it's desperate to become a Union Jack but hasn't quite made it, and although there is a slight 70s diva charm to it, my overriding feeling is one of 'ugh'.
Taylor Swift in Zuhair Murad – Taylor's here to reclaim her sequins. 'They're mine, all MINE! …Even the blue ones!' 'Wouldn't it be nice if someone else wore us… just once' begged Baby Sequin to Poppa Sequin. Pretty enough but even the sequins are starting to look bored of Taylor's signature look.
Selena Gomez in Dolce & Gabanna – This is also standard for Selena, namely wearing dresses that are more grown-up than she is. I think this red gown is gorgeous (particularly the double straps) but I think I'd love it even more on someone taller, older and who isn't dating Justin Bieber. How about giving it to me?
Kate Beckinsale in Julien Macdonald – If this was America's Next Top Model, Kate would be receiving first call-out for this picture. Girlfriend is working it! Putting away my inner Tyra for a minute, this is a smouldering number that takes the basic shape of Lea Michele's misfire and remembers to add some sex to the equation. Add Kate, who exudes a sense of stardom strong enough to make you forget she's never really been in any good movies, and you have a winner.
Anna Kendrick in Marchesa – They say that 'Life is like a box of chocolates', so Anna came dressed as one. Specifically, a Valentines gift box. Needless to say, what works for a Thorntons shelf doesn't necessarily translate to the red carpet.
Emma Stone in Chanel Couture – I don't think I even need to mention the hair anymore so let's head straight to the outfit. A top with a print that looks like it was made with 90s Clipart pictures of fireworks, a lace skirt that's sprouted a ponytail and all in dark colours that seem at odds with Emma's typically sunny disposition (and sitcom hair). And yet… perhaps I've been writing too long, perhaps I'm just willing to forgive the lovely Emma anything (including hair made of straw) but colour me crazy, I think it works.
Zoe Saldana in Prabal Gurung – I never thought pink and red were a great match yet Zoe carries it off with such aplomb that I almost wasn't reminded of a Hallmark display. However, the ruff?! There's a reason no one but clowns have worn these since Tudor times. I do applaud the candle holder/ornamental Turkish Delight box as a handbag though. In fact, I'm not sure it's even supposed to be a handbag… just Zoe trying to extract some sort of use from the pretty frippery you find scattered in aspirational lifestyle stores and find yourself buying even though they have no other ostensible purpose than to sit and look pretty. Much like Jessica Biel. Ornamental Turkish Delight box may even have had more charisma in The A-Team too.
Emma Roberts and Ashley Tisdale in Jenny Packham – I really love Jenny Packham dresses. They don't involve models wearing gimp masks down the catwalk, they don't require "directional" (e.g. freaky scary) make-up to look their best and they don't try and hit so many trends that they look like a fashion editor's mood board just vomited itself onto an unsuspecting passer-by. They're unashamedly pretty, feminine, feature liberal use of sparkle and are all the better for it. Emma Roberts' dress is probably my favourite of all the Oscar party outfits (and indeed, edges out most of the gowns from the main event); I just love the way the sleeves sit and how it seems that a star is exploding from the gown's middle. Shame it's on Emma, who excites me about as much as a film starring Jessica Biel, Elizabeth Banks, Kate Bosworth AND Jessica Alba (in case you're new here, that's marginally less than staring at a blank screen). I like Ashley Tisdale a whole lot more but like her dress a little bit less – but it's still a gorgeous shimmering champagne colour and I love that twisted shoulder detail.
Kerry Washington in Escada – Having sported thick heavy bangs (or as it was known then, a fringe) for most of my youth, whenever I see this hairdo, I immediately start having traumatic flashbacks to the pain and months of impaired vision that growing it out entailed. So, I'm not usually a fan (see Sandra Bullock at this year's Golden Globes). But I actually like the blunt bangs on Kerry and it plays in well with the metallic line details on her glittering diva gown. I'd say it was sassy if I didn't hate the word.
Paz Vega in Giambattista Valli – This is just lovely, soft and unexpected. It feels a little more suited to a charity lunch or a day at the races but it's still a stand-out amongst all the sequins and vampy colours. Pretty yet directional thanks to the strong but squishy shape, the romantic ruffly skirt makes me thinks of pillows, clouds, marshmallows and meadows of spring flowers. All good connotations, let me assure you.
Tagged 2011 Oscar parties, Anna Kendrick, Ashley Tisdale, best dressed, Elton John's AIDS Foundation Oscar Party, Emma Roberts, Emma Stone, Kate Beckinsale, Kerry Washington, Lea Michele, Paz Vega, red carpet, Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift, Vanity Fair Oscar Party, worst dressed, Zoe Saldana
Red Carpet Rundown: Screen Actors Guild Awards 2011, Part I
You know it's not been a vintage red carpet when Tina Fey is amongst the best-dressed at 2011's Screen Actors Guild Awards…
The Yays
Tina Fey in Oscar de la Renta – The days of the Great Jumpsuit Disaster of 2010, or the Great Southern Belle/Mary Poppins/Tiki Mask Boobs Disaster of 2010, are long gone. This can only mean she has a new stylist. With great taste. This intricate red lacy number is so stunning it would probably be a knock-out even on someone like Snooki, but thankfully the time when Snooki gets an invite to the SAGs hasn't come (yet!) and Tina is knocking it out the park. The detail on this dress is A-MAZ-ING (yes, I just had a Craig Revel Horwood moment). She looks fab.
Lea Michele in Oscar de la Renta – Yes, she's giving us diva face but with a dress like this, it's totally deserved. A shimmering sheath of loveliness, classic but with a touch of modernity thanks to the thin gold belt. Her red carpet run since she shot to fame (have a quick perusal via the ever-fabulous Red Carpet Fashion Awards) shows she has good taste in gowns (if not always in make-up and hair styles) and this is one to file in the 'mightily impressive' section. Will she ever top last year's turquoise Malandrino, though?!
January Jones in Carolina Herrera – When I first saw this, I was ready to dismiss it as another 'Look at me! I'm not Betty Draper!' choice, but it's grown on me to the extent that this is actually my favourite outfit from the show. The lace-like print is unusual but beautiful, the black and gold colour combo is outstanding, the fit is flattering and feminine and Jones carries it off with an old-school grace and elegance. Joan, you just got pwned.
Heather Morris in Romona Keveza – Heather is just going from strength to strength red carpet-wise. Following her dazzling turn at this year's Golden Globes, she continues to mine the neutral palette but with spectacular results. In the wrong hands, this could turn a bit Swan Princess wannabe, yet Morris pulls it off with charm to spare. She just looks so… pretty. Really pretty. Really REALLY pretty. I think I love her.
Julia Stiles in Monique Lhuillier – Julia turned up at the Golden Globes in an outfit that made her look like a dumpy saloon girl and looked almost as pissed about it as I was. The less than overjoyed expression is still with us yet the moonlighting as a Wild West extra is over, as this sweeping lavender cascade is just gorgeous.
Jayma Mays in Jenny Packham – Welcome back to the Jayma we all know and love, as opposed to the period-attired skeleton who showed for the Golden Globes. Gone is the spider's snot make-up, replaced with a light fresh and peachy look, which just feels so much more right. I'm not quite sure how she's making the red hair work with the burnt orange colour, but it looks all sorts of lovely floaty and yummy. Surely the L'Oreal contract courtesy of those lust-worthy locks is in the bad? Not sure why she's only been allowed one angel's wing as a sleeve though.
Kyra Sedgwick in vintage Thierry Mugler Couture – Mrs Kevin Bacon was unlucky to not be included in my Golden Globes write-up, as her mustard-coloured gown followed the time-honoured tradition of rather gorgeous mustard-coloured gowns, a code created by Michelle Williams and upheld by Diane Kruger. This dress is much less interesting but, in my opinion, even more effortlessly gorgeous. It oozes class, sass and sophistication, her figure is to die for and I want her hair. Another L'Oreal contract in the making.
Harry Shum Jr – A man! Again! Harry is included to show (yet again) how to be different and continue to get it so so right. I'm not sure many people could carry off a metallic suit, pink shirt and navy tie but he makes it look downright easy. The key? The cut is perfect (it's amazing how many actors wander round treading on their hems, their tailors having used the height on their CVs rather than reality to measure things), the fit is perfect and the little details are all just so – the matching pocket square, the hint of shirt showing at the cuff. Good work, young sire.
Susan Sarandon in Nicole Miller – As some of you may know by now, I'm a sucker for purple (see Katy Perry, Sandra Bullock, many nail varnishes). This dress proves why. Again, it's simple, sexy and sophisticated and there's not much more to say than that.
In all honesty, this is a bit of a blah year, especially when you compare it with last year's stellar showing. But just wait 'til you see 'The Nays'…
Tagged best dressed, fashion, Harry Shum Jr, Heather Morris, January Jones, Jayma Mays, Julia Stiles, Kyra Sedgwick, Lea Michele, red carpet, SAGs 2011, Screen Actors Guild Awards 2011, Style, Susan Sarandon, Tina Fey
Red Carpet Rundown: Golden Globes 2011, Part II
I didn't actually watch the 2011 Golden Globes ceremony, but I wonder if there was ever a time that a Glee cast member wasn't in shot during the red carpet coverage. The whole cast turned up for the ball, even down to Becki, the cheerleader with Downs' (where art thou, Howard Bamboo?!) and they made a surprisingly strong showing style-wise.
Dianna Agron in J. Mendel – Dianna has been one of my favourite newcomers to the red carpet as she has an exquisite elegant Wasp-y style that I've really taken too. She manages to take classic shapes and structures but make them look fresh and young, with a 'modern-day Grace Kelly' feel about her (now just watch her crash and burn in 2011, like my previous darling Marion Cotillard did this year, for which I'm blaming the pregnancy hormones). This gown is no exception to her tried and tested formula – it's a little safe but it's so pretty and ethereal and suits her so well that I really don't care. Her flawless old-school Hollywood hair and make-up lift it (even if she does like a porcelain doll you'd be scared of dropping) but then there's the edgy grunge of the nail varnish. Divine.
Lea Michele in Oscar de la Renta – I'm glad Lea's taken to smiling again on the red carpet, as there was a period where she went all J.Lo sexy-face on us. This pale pink confection has a romantic innocence about it and I love the cascade of ruffles and asymmetrical neckline. OK, it does look a bit like pink bed-sheets draped just so and the colour really does remind me of frilly old lady loo paper but it has a sort of sweet drama to it that is quite charming. And the choice of the contrasting turquoise ring is inspired.
Jayma Mays in Alberta Ferretti – I absolutely get the intentions behind this Art Deco-style dress and applaud them wholeheartedly. Yet, for me, it just doesn't work. Firstly, Jayma is so perfect as the cardigan-wearing, colour-popping Emma Pilsbury and she seems so damn perky in real-life too that my mind can't quite process this sudden drastic change in style. It's not that it's smouldering, it's not that it's black, it's not even that it looks like it could have come out of Granny's attic – all looks I feel that Jayma could have pulled off individually (and has done in the past) – it's that it's all happening at once and has been laid on thicker than a copy of The Yellow Pages. Too much, too soon, and that's before we've covered the spider's sneeze of eye make-up. However, I want that fan clutch bag very badly indeed.
Amber Riley in Oliver Tolentino – This is just fabulous. Silver is a great colour for Amber (I daresay this is the best she's looked on the red carpet… ever) and it feels like proper, expensive, heavy silver rather than cheap spangly tat from Primark. The belt is a nice twist that makes the whole look more interesting, the one shoulder works surprisingly well (I'd feared major spillage and squeezage the other side) and most importantly, she looks super confident and genuinely happy. No Zoolander-pouting here and when you see how wonderfully a real smile sets off an outfit, you wonder why A-listers got so addicted to the Blue Steel in the first place.
Jane Lynch in Ali Rahimi – The top half is near perfection, a lovely unusual shape that's supremely flattering. It loses its way towards the voluminous bin bag bottom, with random nipple tassles scattered about with abandon, but it's neither tracksuit nor trouser suit and is therefore, a stroke of brilliance.
Jenna Ushkowitz in Rebecca Taylor – Another role reversal. This time, the bottom half is a rather lovely fluttering of tulle ruffles, the top half slightly cheap-looking diamante-encrusted satin. But the cornflower blue is a lush colour, all too rarely seen on the red carpet, and works a treat on Jenna.
Heather Morris in Lorena Sarbu – Another confident grin works wonders with what could have potentially been a one-note outfit. It's relatively simple, letting the sparkles do most of the talking, but they're facing competition from just how naturally sparkly Heather seems to be in person. Her body's absolutely smoking too. Those short butterfly sleeves are just immensely flattering.
Harry Shum Jnr in Kill City suit and Anto shirt – What's this, a man?! Men don't really have much choice when it comes to the red carpet – it's either conform to black tie or be mocked forever after. You can't really go wrong with a plain black suit and they do often act as an instant elixir to a male's attractiveness, so normally I'd advocate the sheep mentality. Here, however, Harry shows how to do it different but get it so so right. By keeping to the black-and-white palette, he doesn't look too weird and wacky, and by bow tie-ing it up, he's still the right side of formal. But the checked shirt is a masterstroke and the smallest detail (the black line detail behind the buttons) saves it from the clutches of the Topman masses. Effortlessly cool, just the right amount of quirky but still utterly swoonsome. Nicely played my twinkle-toed friend, nicely played indeed.
Naya Rivera in Douglas Hannant – It must be hard to be as intrinsically sexy as Naya. She'd probably make a nun's habit look shaggable. January Jones was probably put out when she saw that someone else was showing almost as much boob as she was, but the sweetness of the blush colour and floral detail very nearly offset the banger effect. And then the figure-hugging va-va-voom nature of the dress kicks in and it's a bit of a lost battle. But it was nice while it lasted. And she still looks very lovely.
More men! Have I lost my mind?!
Well, here we see where else trying to be different can land you. Darren Criss negates all the class of an expensive Armani suit by wearing cheapo stag night comedy glasses. I imagine he thinks it adds character, but only if the character you were aiming for is 'twat'.
Kevin McHale very nearly gets different right, with this spotted suit jacket. However, it just veers a little too close to bad lounge singer, the type bashing away at a piano although no-one's listening, with slicked-back hair, cheesy grin, a permanently sweaty brow and car salesman patter (I may have put too much thought into this image). Close but not quite (I liked it the first few views), I applaud the effort. * Insert obvious where's the wheelchair joke here *
Justin Bieber – Brownie points for spotting the non-Glee cast member. Further brownie points for spotting the cardinal sin committed here, aside from having a face like a smacked arse. If sneakers aren't good enough for a tacky nightclub in Newcastle, why would they be good enough for the Golden Globes?!
Tagged Amber Riley, best dressed, Darren Criss, Dianna Agron, fashion, Glee, Golden Globes 2011, Harry Shum Jr, Jane Lynch, Jayma Mays, Jenna Ushkowitz, Justin Bieber, Kevin McHale, Lea Michele, photos, red carpet, Style, worst dressed
Red Carpet Rundown: Lea Michele
Anyone that knows me will know that Glee is my kind of show and the fact that the lead character is called Rachel is clearly a sign that me and Glee were destined to be together (regular readers will soon discover I am big on "signs"). Lea Michele (Rachel) has deservedly become the breakout star and has been trotting the red carpets with as much enthusiasm as her character would undoubtedly show (alas, she's not busted out any songs or dance moves yet… as far as we know…). We probably won't be seeing her at the Oscars (buh-bye stars of the small screen) but I'm a big fan of all her red carpet looks.
Oscar de la Renta (far left) – The biggest award ceremony for her was The Golden Globes so lo and behold, here comes the biggest dress. And we really do mean big. A couple of people have likened it to a loo roll holder yet anyone that remembers Alesha Dixon's get-up at 2009's Baftas will know that this black feathery confection is just the right side of loo roll territory. It's dramatic, romantic and a definite show-stopper (enough to make Rachel proud!), whilst the chic up-do keeps it looking elegant.
Catherine Malandrino (second left) – Next on the formality scale, the SAGs and this is actually my favourite dress of the awards season period. Colour? Stunning. Cut? Stunning. Style? Stunning. To be honest, I'd never really mourned the absence of emerald green on red carpets – until now. It's suits Lea perfectly and the dress itself is so striking without resorting to the traditional pulls of cleavage (hello Mariah) or wacky (hello Chloe Sevigny). Simply gorgeous.
Romona Keveza (second right) – I suppose the Grammys are like the Oscars for musos (except they seem to have awards shows every other week… but still) but the dress code for rock stars is always a little bit edgier than in Hollywood. I think Lea's done a decent job of trying to balance both these objectives with a shorter hemline, a more modern shape and a nod to the one-shoulder trend of the moment. It does kind of look like a stunted version of her Golden Globes dress but it's cute and coquettish, flirty fun at its finest. We hope no ostriches were harmed in the making of these dresses.
Nuj Novakhett (far right) – The People's Choice Awards saw Lea sport her freshest and youngest outfit of the lot with this vibrant red mini. And she should look fresh and young because, well, she is (even if she's not as young as the character she plays in Glee) – nothing is worse than lamb dressed as mutton. There's not really an awful lot else to say about the outfit other than it suits her down to a tee (the gold sandals are pretty too).
Favourite? – Surely you don't need to ask…
Tagged best dressed, fashion, Glee, Golden Globes, Grammys, Lea Michele, People's Choice, red carpet, Style, worst dressed