The return of Celebrity Style Slam comes back with a real twist to the attitude and presentation. NY-based writer Nancy Lichtenstein who covers NYFW for me joins me in evaluating the fashion content seen on the red carpet. While we talk about the fashion winners and losers, you can weigh in with comments about our perspective.
We started with the Golden Globes and will also run into the SAG and a few of Art of Elysium as well as Grammys!
Nancy’s comments are bolded, mine are not- just so you are clear on who’s talking.
Celebrity Style Slam: Kate Hudson and Julia Roberts.
Julia Roberts
Color
NL:
Black is totally at odds with Julia’s skin and hair color; it drains the life from her face, but this is the least of her worries.
SW: Black works but it’s so unrelieved. Where’s the color pop? The jewelry is an afterhought in terms of color. There’s nothing in bag, shoes or dress that give this star style!
Shape
NL:
This dress is just completely inappropriate for a high profile awards ceremony. Other than that, the skirt length is flattering for her great legs, but the bodice of the dress has way too much fabric in front–it’s bunching up and hiding her shape.
SW: Not my favorite style for a red carpet dress but it does suit her personal style and body. Add in a better belt and voila, better fit and style! Now if she had it made in a different fabric and color with some different colors, that would be a different story!
Style
NL:
I swear to God I have this dress at home– okay, mine is from the Newport News catalog and hers is probably more expensive than that, but really, you can’t tell the difference. I keep it draped over a chair for those rare occasions when I’m home sick in my pajamas and suddenly get an invite that’s worth accepting and don’t have time to think about what to wear. And that’s exactly what this looks like–she was planning to watch from the couch with a bowl of popcorn and at the last minute pulled something that was reasonably clean from a pile of laundry. Julia, we know you’re proud of yourself for living a “normal” life with your husband and kids but this is taking the hausfrau thing too far.
SW: This dress is so *everyday*– more of a casual out to dinner or lunch or Oscar tea dress but no. that’s not where she is. It’s like Roberts decided at the last minute to attend, had no stylist and just pulled something out of the closet– but did manage to borrow a stellar necklace that doesn’t really work with the outfit. For her effort, she could have pulled a Sharon Stone with a long skirt and a Gap shirt and done better.
Hair/Makeup/Accessories
NL:
The only way to describe her hair is limp. The makeup isn’t doing enough to distinguish her hair from her skin, which are almost the exact same color.
The one thing I really like is the necklace, though I don’t think it goes with this dress at all in color or style. I’d LOVE to see this necklace on her with a deep V halter gown in brown with a long, just slightly A-line skirt…that would have been very Saint-Tropez and could have brought a slightly casual vibe to her look without subtracting so much glam that she looks like she’s going to a PTA meeting.
SW: Her make-up is just everyday make-up It doesn’t stand up to the red carpet glare of photos. There’s no bright glossy mouth or interesting eyes — though she always features a clean eye look which is great. Add in some lashes or tons more mascara and that would have been better.
Her hair style would have been great had she been rocking a slinky gown or flowing dress that would work the almost Bardot-like hair.
As stated earlier, the necklace, while gorgeous is an after-thought and doesn’t really work wirh this dress as it seems not a match in style or tone. It’s gorgeous though!
Overall Rating Two stars: one for having great legs and one for the necklace.
SW: Agree– and she’s lucky she got that!
Kate Hudson
Color
NL:
Stark white looks like nothing but a wedding gown to my eyes. The color is actually reasonably flattering on her; she has enough pigment in her skin to pull it off, but even though she’s the star of Bride Wars, unless she’s planning to run off to Vegas after the awards show for her own ceremony I don’t think this was the best choice. While half of me wants to applaud her for being gutsy, half of me wants to slap the label Demetrios on it and be done with it.
SW: For a warm blonde, there’s not greater way to drain color from your face than to wear unrelieved white. Ivory, eggshell, antigue white– all work better than this white dress to put the glow in her face. It does seem to be a bit bridal too.
Shape
NL:
The skirt of the gown is fine, but the bodice is making my bosom heave. The feathery top fights with the sharp angle of the bottom, and it just looks stiff and painful. Maybe it’s just bridal flashback again, but I’m looking at this and literally feeling a whale bone corset squishing everything–which is odd because Kate Hudson doesn’t have much to squish! She is young and gorgeous, what would have been wrong with a fun, floaty look?
SW: What Kate Hudson is doing is showing off a la “NINE”, that she’s no longer an ingenue and definitely a woman who commands the looks and kudos of everyone. It’s a great dress but it’s also a design contradiction– with the soft feathers at the top and the sharp edges at the waist of this corselette type of dress. It’s definitely odd and doesn’t make a lot of sense. I would love to have seen it show off 2 colors that would make the feather part one color and the skirt another with the sharp edges creating the definition of a waist and skirt flowing over her hips.
This also looks like a wedding dress and whiy is that photo of her holding her train the one that’s plastered all over? Weird.
Style
NL:
Listen, I’m looking forward to a Dynasty remake as much as anyone, but Kate, it’s just not you. There’s plenty of time left for your career to tank and then for you to make a spectacular comeback as a nighttime soap villainess…enjoy ingénue while you can.
SW: I think Kate Hudson is showing she’s no longer a fluffy piece of girliness but a woman to be reckoned with and definitely got great style. Except this isn’t the best dress — or color– to show it off. She’s got a great body, beautuiful looks– make the most of it with a better choice or dress or color or both.
Hair/Makeup/Accessories
NL:
I actually like her hair, it’s the first updo I’ve seen at the Golden Globes that added to the look rather than detracted. Makeup? I sound like a broken record but red lips would have been better, and the white eye shadow with a white gown looks a little too frosty…at least the manicure is good.
As for the accessories, I liked the earrings and bracelet but the shoes are a total disaster. PLATFORM MARY JANES with an evening gown, even in white, are just plain wrong.
SW: Skip the shoes. The shoes are a huge mistake with some of the sharp edges of the dress. Better to have gone strappy or peep-toe but not these white (WHITE?) mary-jane shoes. This is not a wedding!!
The hair is amazing and perfectly suited to her face and gives a sleek, sophisticated look. it’s absolutely gorgeous. The make-up needs a bit more color to give more of a glow. This basic neutrals isn’t working and why not a pretty colorful, glossy lip?
Overall Rating: Three stars
SW: Maybe 3.5 because she did everything right except color and shoes.
Winner: Kate Hudson
Stevie Wilson, LA-Story.com
Subscribe to RSS headline updates from:
Powered by FeedBurner
If you want to feature content from LA-Story.com, please remember to linkback to the specific page & please email the link to stevie@la-story.com
LA-Story.com, LA-Story Recessionista, Celebrity Stylescope, Celebrity Style Slam Trademark/Copyright: KBP Inc. 2007-10
