The good:
In the Sequin Sisters category Saoirse Ronan in backless green Calvin Klein, relative newcomer Daisy Ridley in Chanel and red carpet pro Naomi Watts in Armani Privé dazzled on the night in head to toe shining looks. Ridley's ankle length dress was extremely modern and the relaxed fit looked comfortable but the glamour level didn't droop due to her pairing the sequinned gown with stunning diamond jewellery and bedazzled heels.
Honourable mention to Selena Gomez at the Vanity Fair afterparty in glittering Louis Vuitton
In the "Simple is Super" category Rachel McAdams in backless emerald silk August Getty Atelier was deemed by many to be best dressed of the night and I think she just edges the win for me too.
The look was echoed by Charlize Theron in her signature Dior who also got the memo that the pared back 90's aesthetic is a refreshingly welcome change from the trussed up, fussy looks of previous years. Flame haired Sophie Turner let her locks do the talking (to great effect) in off white Galvan for Opening Ceremony.
The winners of the the Golden Girls category were Kate Hudson in a 70's style pleated lamé by Maria Lucia Hohan and Lily Collins both at the Vanity Fair afterparty. I love Kate's undone hair and makeup, she lets her amazing physique and golden tan do the talking.
The Mellow Yellow gang: Alicia Vikander rarely gets it wrong. The hemline on this Louis Vuitton is not for the faint hearted but it hits her in exactly the right place on the shin and the frou frou-ness is balanced by the stark strapless cut of the bodice and her simple beauty look so she pulls it off where most people would look like a cupcake. Honourable mention to Andra Day, the simple shape and soft colour of this pale lemon SAFiYAA gown coupled with her strong wine lip is a triumph is stunning on her.
Black in all it's incarnations: Jennifer Lawerence gave us a twofer, first in ruffled Dior offset by her newly platinum blonde bob and minimal jewellery and then for the Vanity Fair party in a sexy Alexander Wang crop top and skirt look. She rarely puts a foot wrong so I'll just give her two thumbs up and move on.
Eddie Redmane and wife Hannah Bagshawe both rocked Alexander McQueen and killed it. Rebel Wilson looked bomb in long sleeved black with waist detailing which hugged her curvy figure to great effect.
Shoutout to the afterparty goers Daisy Ridley who went short and Taylor Swift who went extremely sexy.
The Mavericks: Deviating from the usual trends Rooney Mara in starkly pale lace Givenchy Haute Couture with beautiful detailing in the form of buttons and cutouts looked ethereally beautiful as she is wont to. Kerry Washington toughened things up in leather bodiced Versace and looked gorgeous doing it although I have seen her hair look better.
Honourable mention to Amy Poehler for doing cape sleeves, and large scale embroidery and pulling it off, this dress is beautiful and dramatic but doesn't overwhelm the wearer.
The Classics: Dianne Kreuger looked amazing in this incredible (barely decent) Reem Acra sheer lace and fringe dress that hugged her body perfectly. Again I thought the hair could have been cooler, who decided that the half up half down thing was happening again? Kate Bosworth looks beautiful and very old Hollywood in feathered lavender.
The Jury's still out:
People raved about Cate Blanchett in this high relief floral number. From certain angles it does look beautiful but from others the shoulders look a bit too Disney for me. The colour was gorgeous against her skin tone and hair colour though so it's not a total fail.
A good effort here from Lady Gaga, who seems to be determined to reinvent herself as an old hollywood type star without losing the out there quality that all her fans have long adored her for. This is all white sculptural gown over wide trousers is a cool option for the red carpet, however like Cate above Gaga is at the mercy of camera angles, straight on it looks pretty and flattering but in the three quarter image her waist disappears and the look becomes lumpy and too much.
Queen of the night Brie Larson got her gold statuette for Room but I can't give her one for her look. This raved about Gucci dress had beautiful detail and the shoestring strap is contemporary and cool but her nothingy hair and makeup look in this instance backfires and allows the dress to overwhelm her. I feel like I can''t see her face for ruffles and cobalt and embellished belts which is a shame. Her afterparty dress was less overwhelming, the soft pink velvet was very flattering to her skin tone. But I still feel she could have benefitted from a jewel or two to throw some light to her face and maybe a step up in terms of hair and makeup to strengthen everything up.
I normally adore Julianne Moore on the red carpet. I don't hate this black Chanel Haute Couture dress, the chunkily embellished straps for example are a win but I wish it wasn't in lace, for me this much black lace is just old fashioned especially when it's such a classic shaped dress. Not a disaster but not enough to put her up there with the winners. Kate Winslet is in this category too. Good dress, not quite the right fabric. This black strapless is just a tad too shiny to be flattering but strong hair, makeup and jewellery means she still looks stunning even if the dress isn't a total winner.
The beautiful Margot Robbie again for me is a victim of her hairstylist. Her hair looks limp and undone and doesn't stand up well to the strength of this gold snakeskin from Tom Ford. I would have loved to see her hair flat ironed pin straight and a contemporary slick of eyeliner to punch this up a notch.
And now, I'm sorry to say it's time to go to the losers of the Red Carpet competition:
Olivia Wilde's plunging Valentino is a challenging shape and stunning as her figure is I just don't think it flattered her. There was just a tad too much skin on show and the waistline was too far north of her actual waist to do her any favours. Reese Witherspoon is a snoozefest in this corsetted purple satin Oscar De La Renta and lots of diamonds.
And finally the "kill it before it lays eggs" award goes to:
Heidi Klum's lavender Marchesa. Noooo. NOOOOOOO. I hated this on the catwalk and I hate it even more on the red carpet. That sheer sleeve, the multi toned lavender, the big flowers it's all way too much I have to stop looking at it immediately.
And that's it for another year. add your thoughts in the comments would love to hear who you thought slayed and who's looks should have stayed home.
