Can you rock the red carpet and get your name into this envelope? You still have time.
Offer closes on February 29 at 12:01 SLT. Call now; operators are standing by!
For the first seven callers, we offer at no additional cost, fame, fortune and 15 minutes in the limelight!!!
In this year’s rules, I put down a minimum of 20 entries to get an “official” contest. I’m not sure I should have done that, on more mature reflection, except that I have a short contest list before I’ve had a chance to winnow through the scads of entries I always hope to receive. I can relax now, though; we have at least 20 entries between the blog and the Flickr group, and there’s still ten days to go before the Oscars are handed out in Real Life. So it’s become a “real” contest, and my money is now officially on the line.
You still have time to enter! Of course, you should do so only if you want a shot at L$25,000 and an opportunity to bask in Hollywood-like glory for a time. You know how to find the rules by now (grin). And, if you’re on Flickr and get an invitation from me to enter, don’t turn it down. It’s no guarantee of placement; I give the invitation to anyone who has a likely looking photo. But it is an encouragement to take your shot — or do another shot, and submit that one officially!
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Making up my mind about who I was going to feature in this update from last year’s Oscars was difficult, until I found a good supply of photos from the 2015 proceedings. To me, Lupita Nyong’o stole the red carpet in 2015, and basically served almost everyone else when she appeared in that pearl-beaded Calvin Klein gown. It was so good that I’m going to give her double exposure here:
The verdict: pure nacre sophistication, worn by a queen.
Some other people did wear some stuff, though (grin). Here are just a few of my favorites:
Behati Prinsloo, on the arm of Adam Levine, rocked ruby red in an Armani Privé gown. A picture of sleek sophistication here; I adore the visual sensation created by the decorated tulle netting on this. The accessory holding on to Behati ain’t too bad, either!
Chloë Grace Moretz entered in this gown from Miu Miu, which to my eye channels the muslin dresses favored by the English gentry during the Regency — think Elizabeth or Emma out of Jane Austen — or Marie Antoinette in “farm girl” mode at Versailles’ Petit Trianon. The satin ribbon bodice catches the eye, and the pleating, nipped waist and gentle train add further flair/drama to the dress. I’m still a little wishy-washy about the fabric’s print pattern; it’s lovely, and works well for a young woman of Chloë’s age, but I’m not sure it really fits a high-octane event like the Academy Awards.
Dakota Johnson, on the other hand, wins without a doubt in this scarlet single-shouldered sheath1 from the house of Saint Laurent. There’s just enough of a drape here to give the illusion of a belt or sash — fashion is at least one part illusion, remember — and a high slit to the side for the extra daring touch beyond the one shoulder. And that shoulder is done in what appears to be, from the photo, silver braid.
Jennifer Hudson, in a lovely citron gown by Romona Keveza. I’ve been in love with gowns in this shade since, when I was much younger, my mother bought an illustrated biography of John F. Kennedy, and I saw a photo of JFK alongside Jackie Kennedy, preparing to enter for a state dinner in January 1963. (Another version of the photo, along with a custom recreation for Barbie.) Jackie was wearing Oleg Cassini, of course, as she frequently did; the gold satin sash and shoulder bow-loop detail made all the difference to a young 10-year-old girl. Jennifer’s strapless gown isn’t a copy; but the sort of fold-down detail below the gold zonê-style “belt” is as effective in some ways, and it’s pure grace on a lovely singer.
Felicity Jones might have grabbed my red-carpet palm in this gown from Alexander McQueen, if it weren’t for Lupita Nyong’o and Calvin Klein. Pale silver or grey satin with a nicely beaded bodice and a ball skirt, channeling Loretta Young in some ways.
Finally, I choose Viola Davis from among the other candidates I had. The drama potential of this Zac Posen gown, with a touch of “construction” about the waist and above and its fluidly folded skirt, is plain yummy. I tend to choose dresses I’d love to wear in world or RL, and this would be one.
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I won’t say when the Final Update will come exactly, but it should be by the 26th, as I’ll be departing for Orlando to see My Boys in Purple open their 2016 season. That will have the final tally of entrants prior to contest closing, along with my own choices for Running the Red Gauntlet — and Jem’s as well!
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1 Alliteration’s artful aid!
Around the Grid 