Photos: Getty Images

I don’t know what everyone’s been so excited about, with regards to last night’s red carpet, at the 89th Academy Awards.  Frankly, I found most of the fashions to be so safe as to be a snooze.  Oh, there were some stand-outs to be sure; but if this had been Tinder and not the Oscars, I’d have been doing a lot of swiping-to-the-left.  But, as always, it’s the exceptions that make the rule; so let’s see what we’ve got…

Taraji P. Henson, in a custom Alberta Ferretti number of midnight blue velvet, was not just sexy and exciting, but totally on point.  And paired it beautifully with Nirav Modi’s incredible 103-carat “Luminance” diamond necklace and dazzling 8-carat “Evergreen” emerald cocktail ring.  Not to put too fine a point on it, but she slayed. 

Jessica Biel ramped up the glam, in a golden beaded KaufmanFranco with a certain amount of burnout (but not too much), worn with my favorite jewel of the night, the “Whispers of the Rainforest” collar from Tiffany & Co.’s 2017 Blue Book, created by Tiffany’s soon-to-be-departing design director, Francesca Amfitheatrof.  Consisting of 350 “fronds” of 18K gold in varying sizes and finishes that flare-out from a collar featuring 60cts of diamond baguettes; the necklace – fashioned as a tribal neckpiece – is said to rustle, like a Chilean rain stick, when its wearer is in motion.

Emma Stone was move star perfection, in her embroidered Givenchy Haute Couture dress by Ricardo Tischi; showing-off just the right about of her creamy flesh – with a hidden slit covered in layers of fringe – paired with a pin from Planned Parenthood and Tiffany & Co.’s “Whispers of the Rainforest” earrings.  In a very subtle move, it appears as though Stone took some of the red out of her famous auburn locks (that she wore in glamorous waves), to more fully take advantage of her look’s palate.

Felicity Jones looked like one of Degas’ ballerina sculptures come-to-life, in a cocktail dress from Christian Dior Couture, with a subtle sequined floral design woven through the tulle, to catch the light.  Meanwhile, I have no idea who designed Shohreh Aghdashloo’s beaded black gown, but it was impeccable, as was her diamond jewelry; and she looked absolutely ravishing.

I loved Laura Dern, in that gorgeous beaded gown from Rodarte’s stylish siblings Kate and Laura Mulleavy: It suited her statuesque frame beautifully.  Karlie Kloss stopped traffic, in a white Stella McCartney worn with a matching one-shoulder cape; and with a diamond choker from Nirav Modi, and an ACLU ribbon pinned to her hip, she personified red carpet perfection.  And onetime Miss Universe, Olivia Culpo, shimmered in a shimmy-worthy fringed gown by Marchesa, created by design-duo Keren Craig and Georgina Chapman with glass beads made from melted-down Stella Artois chalices  – part of a creative collaboration benefiting Water.org.  (Choke on that, why dontcha?)

One group of ladies who all looked great, and all looked comfortable, were the presenters.  Halle Berry in Atelier Versace had one of my favorite dresses of the night and one of my favorite hair styles, as well.  She looked fierce, fun, and fabulous.  Scarlett Johansson paired a belted, multi-hued Alaïa gown with a pair of triple-row diamond cuffs designed by the great Art Deco sensualist, Suzanne Belperron (aka the “Greatest Female Master Jeweler of the 20th Century”), courtesy of those wonderful purveyors of archival jewelry, at Fred Leighton.  Kate McKinnon looked fabulous, in a black Narcisco Rodriguez dress with Chopard jewels; while Octavia Spencer, in a feathered gown from Marchesa sported a sleek asymmetrical bob that was among the evening’s best hair moments. 

In her best look of this awards season, Nicole Kidman was sans flaw in a flesh-toned beaded and embroidered Armani Privé, that perfectly suited her peaches-and-cream complexion, and wore it with jewels from Harry Winston, including Winston’s “Cluster” diamond and spinel drop-earrings, that added just the right amount of pink and red to her look, drawing attention to the hues on her lips and cheeks.

And speaking of Armani Privé, Mr. Armani really ruled the carpet, dressing not just Kidman; but also Viola Davis (who looked stunning in vermillion silk), and Isabelle Hupert (who looked positively regal, and wore hers with Reposi diamonds, including a very cool ear-climber).  And while a lady always looks like a Lady, in Armani Privé, it’s not the most adventurous way to go; and leaves me feeling like I’m seeing at a particularly elegant woman at a black tie bar mitzvah at The Pierre; not a mega-star, gliding down the carpet on Hollywood’s biggest night.  This is why you’re hard-pressed to see anyone under 40 wearing Armani Privé to an awards show (or anywhere else, for that matter).  To wit, Kidman turns 50 this summer, Davis is a few years older, and Hupert is in her early sixties.  This is not shade, because again, each of these women looked beautiful; I’m just making a point.

Now I’ve been hearing a lot of raves about the dresses worn by Dakota Johnson (Gucci), Ruth Negga (Valentino), and others who opted for high-necked, long-sleeved, full-length gowns with trains.  I don’t get it.  If you ran-up those same patterns in dusty florals and denim (and used the trains as shawls), you’d have the wardrobe department from Big Love (olev ha-sholem, Bill Paxton).  

Now, it should be noted that Miss Negga looked incredible (and she should, because she’s utterly gorgeous), with fabulous maquillage, an ACLU ribbon, a great hair moment, and those jewels – all by Irene Neuwirth using responsibly-sourced Mozambican rubies from Gemfields, including a head-piece with 146.16cts of rubies, earrings with 37.18cts of rubies with 3.26cts of diamonds, and a ring with a 14.89ct ruby framed by pave diamonds – were among the evening’s best.  And by “best” I don’t just mean expensive, but also interesting, exquisite, stately, and just downright cool.  But with all that lace and the train, everything from the neck down (except that spectacular ruby ring) was just so Victorian. 

And Johnson, once you could tear your eyes away from her tragic hair-choice (possibly the worst of the night), was easier to imagine stepping out of a carriage, in late 19th Century London, to call upon Sherlock Holmes at 221B Baker Street.  And while I love that her archival Cartier necklace and rings came from a museum exhibit in Geneva, they disappeared against that butter-colored dress.

As for the men, the highlights for me included Terrence Howard, in a belted silk La Perla smoking jacket; Riz Ahmed, in a blue Ermenegildo Zegna Couture tuxedo; Josh Dallas, in a brown velvet Isaia dinner jacket, accentuated by jewels from Kimberly McDonald (including a cool figural flower lapel-pin); Ryan Gosling, in a Gucci DIY tuxedo with a velvet shawl collar, and a ruffled evening shirt (which probably wouldn’t have worked on anyone else, but looked great on him); Aldis Hodge, in a navy blue Armani tuxedo, with a cool lapel pin-and-chain; and little Sunny Pawar, in a black tuxedo worn with high-top sneakers.

So, there it is – the good, the great, and the not-so-great.  Who did you think got it right, or really wrong?  Lemme know!

Oscar Style 2017
89th Academy Awards

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