This and That Thursdays: My Favorite Oscar Night Fashions (and a Couple of Regrettable Choices!)

From Native

I never watch the Academy Awards specials - they are on too late and last too long for someone who finds it hard to stay awake past eight o'clock at night!  However, I do like to read about the results the next day, and also take a look at the fashion choices of the attending stars.  I find it interesting that fashion "experts" can disagree completely on the outfits the attendees wore, as one person's best dressed list can easily overlap with another's worst dressed selections.  I do not know much about men's fashion, but I do have my own preferences for the best dressed women on Oscars night.  I tend to like sleek, classic, and restrained apparel with just a touch of uniqueness that emphasizes each woman's particular style.  So who made my best dressed list for 2018?  Take a look at my selections below:

By far my favorite look of the night was worn by Helen Mirren.  Mirren is always a class act, and I think her well-fitted, not too revealing dress was an ideal choice.  That unique slate blue shade sets off her blue eyes and white hair to perfection.  And her accessories coordinate flawlessly with the dress.  Well done, Ms. Mirren!

My choice for best red dress of the evening goes to Alison Janney.  It was a tough call, as Meryl Streep also looked lovely in red, but Janney's dress just seems to fit better (the oddly placed bow/belt on the front of Streep's dress did not flatter her waistline).  I do not normally find lots of draping fabric, especially on dress sleeves, particularly attractive, but Ms. Janney was more than able to pull off the look.

While pink is not one of my favorite colors, and I am at the age where I am not likely to a wear sleeveless evening dress, Viola Davis pulled off both looks beautifully, and with a smile that just lights up the room.  She even makes giant hoop earrings look good (says someone who does not even own earrings).  You look gorgeous, Ms. Davis!

My award for best strapless dress goes to Ashley Judd, who looks fabulous in purple!  Even though she is wearing a necklace, bracelet, and earrings, all of her jewelry pieces are understated and complement the dress well.  It takes a lot of confidence and very good posture to carry off a strapless dress, and Ms. Judd seems to have both in spades.

Anyone who reads my blog will not be surprised when I say that I am not a fan of pale colors, of which there were many examples at the 90th Academy Awards.  Even so, I do think that Laurie Metcalf wore a pale shade best with this sleek and simple dress.  A good fit and classic style work perfectly for this actress.

While the dress worn by Whoopi Goldberg did not garner many positive comments, I think that for her the look works.  I love the fact that this woman with the big and bold personality chose to wear a dress with the same qualities.  The sunglasses are certainly incongruous, I don't know what is going on with that little insert in the bodice, and personally I am not a fan of exposing huge tattoos, but you have to love the panache Goldberg exhibits as she sashays out in this colorful floral creation.  And while the little red bow may clash with the colors of the dress, as far as I am concerned wearing a symbol for a worthy cause beats a trivial fashion faux pas any day!

This dress worn by Haley Bennett (who was very good as the doomed housewife in the 2016 movie "The Girl on the Train") just made me laugh.  It was really not the most awful outfit of the night, and you have to give the woman credit for originality - after all, no one else thought to show up at the Academy Awards wearing what appears to be a bale of hay!

And finally, for me this bizarre outfit sported by a musician called St. Vincent was hands down the worst look at the Oscars.  It seems as if she felt the need to throw the skirt of the dress over her shoulder while she was dressing, and then just forgot to put it on properly when she stepped out for the night.  I honestly don't even know what to call this type of apparel - it looks like a badly fitted old-fashioned bathing suit.  This is the sort of look that makes you wonder what she could possibly have been thinking, although if the goal was to get attention I think she certainly achieved her mission.  After all, supposedly there is no such thing as bad publicity!

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So that's a wrap on my list of fashion hits and misses at the 90th Academy Awards.  Whether you agree with the Oscar winner selections or not, it is a lot of fun to find out who gets chosen, and even more fun to form an opinion on the night's fashion choices.  I can't wait to see what happens next year!