We salute the fashion risk takers at the Oscars, the ones who refuse to play it safe.
It must be tempting to borrow something obviously elegant to guarantee a place on the Best Dressed Lists.
In this era of social media trolling, where everyone has an opinion, it take guts to burn the rule book and express yourself boldly.
That’s why Janelle Monae’s Elie Saab couture extravaganza lifted our hearts. With its chunky gold and black embellishment and door-width bustled skirts, it was part Mad Max, part Marie Antoinette.
Monae is the singer turned movie star who appears in both Hidden Figures and Moonlight. She is known for rocking a pants-suit on the red carpet, but as her stylist Maeve Reilly told WWD this time they were keen to push the lady-like angle – with a twist.
“I think we’ve done a really good job of keeping it kind of quirky and young and interesting, as opposed to most actresses [who] are like ‘throw on a dress and go,’” said Reilly. “It’s not that we’ll never wear a suit again, but we definitely embraced the ‘actress’ vibe.”
One of the greatest leading ladies of all time Faye Dunaway wore a dress that referenced a suit – her navy satin double-breasted tuxedo dress featured sheer planets and wavy hem, because why not? You can wear what you want when you’re Hollywood royalty.
Leslie Mann clearly got that memo. Her acid yellow strapless Zac Posen ballgown was unashamedly flamboyant and happy. So what if people are comparing her to Belle in the cartoon version of Beauty and the Beast? Girls just wanna have fun.
Unless, of course, they… Wanna Dance With Somebody. We loved Halle Berry’s wild curls, which reminded us Whitney Houston circa 1987. In a good way. Go Halle. Nice Versace too.
It’s all fun and games, until it’s not. As Blanca Blanco found when her thigh-high slit revealed a little more than she presumably bargained for. Never heard of her? You have now. Breaking the fashion rules is one way to get noticed.
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