At premieres and red carpet events, Cate Blanchett and Lupita Nyong'o ruled; Lena Dunham and Kate Upton had sartorial issues.
BY MOLLY FRIEDMAN
DANNY MOLOSHOK/REUTERSActress Lupita Nyong'o was a hit at the Oscars in a bright red Ralph Lauren dress.
Red carpet goddesses like Cate Blanchett, Lupita Nyong’o and Jennifer Lawrence ruled in 2014 with clothes that stunned.
Here are the best and worst fashion moments of the year — from the beautiful (hello, Emma Watson) to the damned (pink tulle is not your friend, Lena Dunham).
BEST
Lily Collins at the premiere of “Love, Rosie” in Rome
This is a master class in crafting the perfect red carpet moment. In an ombré Elie Saab Couture gown, Collins lets the dress speak for itself, with no jewelry or accessories. Her old Hollywood hairdo gives the starlet an Audrey Hepburn look.
Lupita Nyong’o at the Oscars
Leave it to Nyong’o to launch one of the year’s biggest trends: built-in capes. In a fire engine red column dress by Ralph Lauren, the Oscar winner proved that elegance and grace are all that’s required when taking a fashion risk.
Emma Watson at the London premiere of “Noah”
Sometimes a simple white dress takes on new life because of the woman in it. With a high slit and halter neckline, Watson’s Ralph Lauren gown was breathtaking because of, not in spite of, its monochromatic color and familiar silhouette.
Blake Lively at the Angel Ball
Lively made the most of her new pregnant curves by wearing tight and revealing dresses that look flattering rather than trashy, like this Gucci dress.
Lily Collins at Rome International Film Festival in a stunning Elie Saab Couture gown.
PreviousNext
EnlargeCOSIMA SCAVOLINI / SPLASH NEWS
Jennifer Lawrence at the SAG Awards
Thanks to her ambassadorship for Dior, Lawrence has her pick of couture dresses. But this sparkly multi-colored column dress stood apart from the usual voluminous princess gowns.
Kate Middleton at the Wildlife Photography of the Year Awards in London
Staying true to her native England’s impressive collection of designers, the Duchess of Cambridge managed to update the tired “mullet dress” shape by wearing a draped bodice. Even her cream L.K. Bennett sandals look fresh.
Cate Blanchett at the Oscars
Blanchett exaggerated her ethereal looks with a feather-light Armani Prive gown with raised floral sequins and Swarovski crystals.
Jessica Chastain at the London premiere of “Interstellar”
It’s tough for redheads to wear pink, but Chastain pulled it off amazingly in a dusty rose-colored Saint Laurent dress. The crystallized asymmetrical strap was even a nod to the film she was promoting.
Sarah Jessica Parker at the Met Gala
In a dramatic gown that’s become even more poignant since Oscar de la Renta’s death, SJP paid homage to her longtime friend in a dress literally bearing his stamp of approval.
Jessica Alba at the L.A. premiere of “Sin City”
JASON MERRITT/GETTY IMAGESEnlarge
JOHN SHEARER/INVISION FOR THE TELEVISION ACADEnlarge
Cat Blanchett, left, stunned in an Armani Prive at the Oscars while Lena Dunham struck out with this over-the-top frothy look.
She looks hot, and pulls it off effortlessly. In a strapless satin Zac Posen dress, Alba showed that marriage and two kids can’t stop her from being worthy of a Maxim cover, and did it with class.
WORST
Amber Rose at the MTV Video Music Awards
Rose’s outfit was designed by Laurel DeWitt, but was basically a mashup of Rose McGowan’s butt-revealing mesh and chain number from the 1998 VMAs, and a very poor man’s version of Beyonce’s booty-baring Nichole de Carle outfit during her Grammys performance.
Kate Upton at the Met Gala
The Vogue cover girl looked like she’d wandered into the wrong party — during the wrong century. Her ruffled bar wench gown, courtesy of Dolce & Gabbana, made Upton look 10 times her size, and several galaxies away from the current state of style.
Lena Dunham at the Emmys
The saddest part of Dunham’s bubblegum pink Giambattista Valli ensemble is that the “Girls” star proclaimed her excitement about the layers of tulle and cap-sleeved shirt on Twitter. She looked like she’d fallen into one of Willy Wonka’s candy lakes in his chocolate factory.
Zosia Mamet at the “Olive Kitteridge” premiere in New York
We don’t know who to feel sorrier for — Mamet or designer Rebecca Minkoff. Not only is Mamet wearing an otherwise chic jacket that’s way too big for her, but she managed to wrinkle the skirt so badly that it looks secondhand.
Amber Rose attends the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards in California in a bizarre mesh and chain number.
PreviousNext
EnlargeKEVIN MAZUR/WIREIMAGE
Paula Patton at the Golden Globes
Patton was bound to make a powerful red carpet statement in her first public appearance since splitting with Robin Thicke, but a gravity-defying ruffled chip on her shoulder that looked like a “Project Runway” reject was not the way to go.
Kim Kardashian at Paris Fashion Week
So much of what Karl Lagerfeld creates for Chanel requires a wink from the wearer, or at least a sense of humor. Kardashian has neither, which made her choice to sport these tight Swiss cheese separates strange.
Mayim Bialik at the SAG Awards
Her lilac dress with black lace would look better on Angela Lansbury or, better yet, inside an incinerator.
Rumer Willis at ELLE’s Women in Music Awards
For a brief moment in time, the pelvis managed to beat out the butt and the nipple for the most overexposed body part in Hollywood. Willis’ version, by Franziska Fox, did everything to prove why that moment was so brief.
Katy Perry at the MTV Video Music Awards
Perry’s decision to update Britney Spears’ infamous denim dress from the 2001 American Music Awards was baffling. Not to mention the blasphemous choice of Riff Raff as a stand-in for Justin Timberlake.
Lady Gaga at the Harper’s Bazaar Icons party
When someone wears homemade octopus costumes in public, there’s a low bar. But the singer’s actual attempts to be fashionable, like putting on this Alexandre Vauthier look, are just as shocking.
BY MOLLY FRIEDMAN
DANNY MOLOSHOK/REUTERSActress Lupita Nyong'o was a hit at the Oscars in a bright red Ralph Lauren dress.
Red carpet goddesses like Cate Blanchett, Lupita Nyong’o and Jennifer Lawrence ruled in 2014 with clothes that stunned.
Here are the best and worst fashion moments of the year — from the beautiful (hello, Emma Watson) to the damned (pink tulle is not your friend, Lena Dunham).
BEST
Lily Collins at the premiere of “Love, Rosie” in Rome
This is a master class in crafting the perfect red carpet moment. In an ombré Elie Saab Couture gown, Collins lets the dress speak for itself, with no jewelry or accessories. Her old Hollywood hairdo gives the starlet an Audrey Hepburn look.
Lupita Nyong’o at the Oscars
Leave it to Nyong’o to launch one of the year’s biggest trends: built-in capes. In a fire engine red column dress by Ralph Lauren, the Oscar winner proved that elegance and grace are all that’s required when taking a fashion risk.
Emma Watson at the London premiere of “Noah”
Sometimes a simple white dress takes on new life because of the woman in it. With a high slit and halter neckline, Watson’s Ralph Lauren gown was breathtaking because of, not in spite of, its monochromatic color and familiar silhouette.
Blake Lively at the Angel Ball
Lively made the most of her new pregnant curves by wearing tight and revealing dresses that look flattering rather than trashy, like this Gucci dress.
Lily Collins at Rome International Film Festival in a stunning Elie Saab Couture gown.
PreviousNext
EnlargeCOSIMA SCAVOLINI / SPLASH NEWS
Jennifer Lawrence at the SAG Awards
Thanks to her ambassadorship for Dior, Lawrence has her pick of couture dresses. But this sparkly multi-colored column dress stood apart from the usual voluminous princess gowns.
Kate Middleton at the Wildlife Photography of the Year Awards in London
Staying true to her native England’s impressive collection of designers, the Duchess of Cambridge managed to update the tired “mullet dress” shape by wearing a draped bodice. Even her cream L.K. Bennett sandals look fresh.
Cate Blanchett at the Oscars
Blanchett exaggerated her ethereal looks with a feather-light Armani Prive gown with raised floral sequins and Swarovski crystals.
Jessica Chastain at the London premiere of “Interstellar”
It’s tough for redheads to wear pink, but Chastain pulled it off amazingly in a dusty rose-colored Saint Laurent dress. The crystallized asymmetrical strap was even a nod to the film she was promoting.
Sarah Jessica Parker at the Met Gala
In a dramatic gown that’s become even more poignant since Oscar de la Renta’s death, SJP paid homage to her longtime friend in a dress literally bearing his stamp of approval.
Jessica Alba at the L.A. premiere of “Sin City”
JASON MERRITT/GETTY IMAGESEnlarge
JOHN SHEARER/INVISION FOR THE TELEVISION ACADEnlarge
Cat Blanchett, left, stunned in an Armani Prive at the Oscars while Lena Dunham struck out with this over-the-top frothy look.
She looks hot, and pulls it off effortlessly. In a strapless satin Zac Posen dress, Alba showed that marriage and two kids can’t stop her from being worthy of a Maxim cover, and did it with class.
WORST
Amber Rose at the MTV Video Music Awards
Rose’s outfit was designed by Laurel DeWitt, but was basically a mashup of Rose McGowan’s butt-revealing mesh and chain number from the 1998 VMAs, and a very poor man’s version of Beyonce’s booty-baring Nichole de Carle outfit during her Grammys performance.
Kate Upton at the Met Gala
The Vogue cover girl looked like she’d wandered into the wrong party — during the wrong century. Her ruffled bar wench gown, courtesy of Dolce & Gabbana, made Upton look 10 times her size, and several galaxies away from the current state of style.
Lena Dunham at the Emmys
The saddest part of Dunham’s bubblegum pink Giambattista Valli ensemble is that the “Girls” star proclaimed her excitement about the layers of tulle and cap-sleeved shirt on Twitter. She looked like she’d fallen into one of Willy Wonka’s candy lakes in his chocolate factory.
Zosia Mamet at the “Olive Kitteridge” premiere in New York
We don’t know who to feel sorrier for — Mamet or designer Rebecca Minkoff. Not only is Mamet wearing an otherwise chic jacket that’s way too big for her, but she managed to wrinkle the skirt so badly that it looks secondhand.
Amber Rose attends the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards in California in a bizarre mesh and chain number.PreviousNext
EnlargeKEVIN MAZUR/WIREIMAGE
Paula Patton at the Golden Globes
Patton was bound to make a powerful red carpet statement in her first public appearance since splitting with Robin Thicke, but a gravity-defying ruffled chip on her shoulder that looked like a “Project Runway” reject was not the way to go.
Kim Kardashian at Paris Fashion Week
So much of what Karl Lagerfeld creates for Chanel requires a wink from the wearer, or at least a sense of humor. Kardashian has neither, which made her choice to sport these tight Swiss cheese separates strange.
Mayim Bialik at the SAG Awards
Her lilac dress with black lace would look better on Angela Lansbury or, better yet, inside an incinerator.
Rumer Willis at ELLE’s Women in Music Awards
For a brief moment in time, the pelvis managed to beat out the butt and the nipple for the most overexposed body part in Hollywood. Willis’ version, by Franziska Fox, did everything to prove why that moment was so brief.
Katy Perry at the MTV Video Music Awards
Perry’s decision to update Britney Spears’ infamous denim dress from the 2001 American Music Awards was baffling. Not to mention the blasphemous choice of Riff Raff as a stand-in for Justin Timberlake.
Lady Gaga at the Harper’s Bazaar Icons party
When someone wears homemade octopus costumes in public, there’s a low bar. But the singer’s actual attempts to be fashionable, like putting on this Alexandre Vauthier look, are just as shocking.
