Screen Actor's Guild Awards 2014 Red Carpet

I bet you didn't think you'd get another red carpet post so soon after the last one! Well, you're in luck - it's awards season and I'm interested in what they're wearing this year. I don't think I usually look at the SAG Awards red carpet but I figured that I finished the Golden Globes post in time so why not do this one?

Enjoy the pretty (and not so pretty, and downright strange)...

Golden Globes 2014 red carpet

I'll bet you never thought you'd see another red carpet post from me. I've actually started a few over the last year but by the time I got to working on them it was so far past the event that it didn't seem worth posting them. This time, I really wanted to get one done. So here it is!

Most of the outfits people wore looked ok although there are always a few that are not quite right for the occasion. I'm happy to report that the strapless mermaid dress is fading from view but sad to tell you that the mullet skirt (shorter in front and longer in back) is showing up more frequently. Sparkles and embellishments are more subtle than they used to be which is a pleasant change.

Enough of me talking; go and have a look at the outfits. Enjoy!

A couple of things

It's Oscar night! I'm watching the red carpet show and there are lots and lots of sparkly dresses. There are some non-sparkly dresses, too, of course, but embellishments are really trendy right now. I'm really looking forward to doing the red carpet post this week. I'd like to think I can get it done in a couple of days but let's be realistic - it'll take most of, if not the entire, week.

Today we planted our pepper seeds. We've bought pepper plants and planted them for the last two years but this year we decided to grow our peppers from seed for the very first time. We planted five kinds of seeds (three hot pepper and two sweet pepper varieties) in moist soil and they're sitting in their covered trays on the heating mat under a 24-hour light. Apparently peppers are tropical plants and so need the extra heat to germinate - at least that's the theory. We'll see if it pans out.

If for some reason this batch doesn't work out there will still time to grow a second batch. Our growing season is extended a bit with the greenhouse. We may do a second growing just for fun just because we can.

Tomorrow is the last day I have to get up early to drive Ian to work for a few days. I'm looking forward to sleeping in on Tuesday; I was up early this weekend to walk and feed Gozer. Not having to do anything Tuesday morning is very exciting.

Weather and tv

We haven't had strange enough weather lately, I think. To make up for that, the temperature will rise through the night and in the next 24 hours we'll get freezing rain, rain, and snow on top of the snow we got on Friday.  Wait a day and the weather will change again, I'm sure.

Ian's flight ended up terribly delayed on Friday. It was supposed to arrive at Pearson airport in Toronto at about 8pm. Instead, Pearson grounded all flights at their origins until 8pm (and later 9pm) because of the storm so Ian's flight sat on the tarmac for two and a half hours after he boarded - after it was already an hour and a half late.

When they finally landed, three and a half hours later than scheduled, there was no gate available for them so they sat on the tarmac for about an hour waiting for one. After getting gate information, the plane taxied to the gate only to find out that there was no ground crew to bring the plane in or get the baggage. The plane sat 100ft from the gate for over two hours waiting for ground crew to arrive. Ian finally made it into the airport just after 3am, over seven hours late, and he didn't get home until 5am.

At least he made it home. Other people's flights were cancelled and couldn't get home until today and he had enough batteries in his tablet, PSVita, and Kindle to keep himself entertained on the plane for the ten hours he was on the plane.

I'm watching the Grammys tonight. I missed the first half-hour because I was watching a recording but that's ok. The show is always entertaining what with the musical performances and all the musical people. It looks like people wore some interesting outfits and I'm looking forward to reviewing them in the next red carpet post.

Golden Globe awards

It's the start of the big award season! Yay! I'm watching the Golden Globes right now and while there seem to be more commercials than usual, I'm enjoying the show very much.

This year's show is hosted by Amy Poehler and Tina Fey and their comic genius has permeated the entire show. This may be a big awards show but there's a close, friendly vibe. People were making jokes, when things went wrong people just laughed, and everyone seemed to have a great time. Jodie Foster's acceptance speech was brilliant and poked fun at media and reality shows and being gay and single and how much she values privacy. I don't know if she had planned it in advance or if she spoke off the cuff (Ian says she planned it) but her speech was wonderful.

The dresses women are wearing are lovely, for the most part. There are lots of beaded embellishments and lots of lace and lots of sheer fabrics. I'm looking forward to doing the red carpet post in the next few days

Gozer fun and more

Ian's dad's birthday was this past week so we went to their place to celebrate. We had a very yummy dinner and a delicious cake while we were there and spent some time talking and catching up. Of course we brought Gozer with us and not just because we were gone all day: she really likes Ian's dad and heads straight for him when we're there. If she can't sit up on his lap she's happy to sit at or on his feet.

We all took Gozer for a walk while we were there and it went very well. She met a local dog that's very friendly and that actually laid down before she approached because she was clearly a bit nervous. They ended up having a bit of a sniff and I think they're friends now. I was very impressed with how comfortable Gozer was with Ian's parents; Ian's mom held the leash and Gozer behaved perfectly well. I think Gozer enjoyed the whole day very much: she was whining in the car when we left so I assume that she would rather have stayed there. We'll have to go back soon.

I'd been having some residual nausea problems and I realized that it happened after I drank water. I already told you how the Brita water had the green stuff in it and as it happened, I didn't think to clean out my water bottle. If I don't drink water out of that bottle, I don't get nauseous. So now I feel a little silly having felt nauseous so often because it was my own fault. At least now I know how to fix it and I know I won't have to worry about it any more.I think I can definitively say that my nausea and stomach problems are resolved.

As I'm writing this I'm watching the Oscars which are so far very entertaining. It's so entertaining that I don't want to leave to walk Gozer even though I'm recording the show. Not that Gozer cares what I'm watching; she just wants a warm and comfy place to sleep. She's so warm and comfy right now that it will be hard to convince her to go out for her evening walk. Why would she want to go outside into the wind and colder temperatures when she can be warm and cozy right here? If I was her, I wouldn't want to go out, either).

I will definitely be doing a red carpet post for the Oscars. It'll be interesting to see the differences in clothing between the Golden Globes and Oscar events.

Last night's Grammy awards

Did you watch last night's Grammy awards? I did. It was easy to see that Whitney Houston's death the day before had shaken many people up and that the tributes to her were hastily added to the night's program. The somber moments were limited but seemed to be heartfelt.

The show opened with LL Cool J, the host, saying a prayer for Whitney Houston. While I understand that the producers and the host meant well by saying some words and wanted to honour her memory, I wish that they hadn't said something that began with "Our heavenly father" and ended with "amen". I know I'm not alone in not believing in a personal god who listens to what you say and I`m uncomfortable and excluded, having to listen to things couched in a religious way. When I've objected to prayers like this before, I've been told to pay attention to the meaning behind the words and to ignore the religious phrasing because its the intent that counts. My thinking is that religious phrasing definitely does not belong at a non-religious event, so why should I have to ignore the religious phrasing? Why don't religious people have to insert the religious words instead, if it's all supposed to mean the same thing anyways?

Anyways, back to the Grammys. The show overall was fun and entertaining to watch. I loved watching the acceptance speeches because they sounded so raw and honest - they sounded like real people accepting awards. Adele sang for the first time after her recent vocal cord problems and she sounded as good as she did before. Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen also performed new songs which sounded pretty good. Glen Campbell was there, too; apparently he's been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and is doing a farewell tour.

The "talk of the night" was Nicki Minaj's performance of Roman. I didn't totally understand it but there was an exorcism and religion involved somehow. It didn't really make sense and the song wasn't catchy in any way so the whole thing left me quite cold. It was as though she was trying to be as relevant and interesting and unique as Lady Gaga or Madonna and in the end the whole thing was disjointed and mediocre.

Speaking of Nicki Minaj, she behaved rather badly, in my opinion, when she didn't clap for the winner of the award she lost. I understand that she wanted to win and was disappointed when she lost, but not clapping for the winner is being a poor sport. I also thought that Lady Gaga behaved badly when she got up to leave after the last award was given before the final performance of the night. Considering she was close to the front stage, it was impossible to miss her getting up out of her seat and trying to leave. I know she didn't win anything (and I don't think she was nominated for anything) and she wasn't on the red carpet, and no one cared much about what she was wearing, but to get up and try to leave before the show was officially over is rude.

Aside from those small things, I enjoyed watching the show. I even recorded it while I walked Gozer so that I wouldn't miss any of it. If only all award shows were so good, I'd be a much happier girl.

SAG Awards show

I watched part of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards tonight. I couldn't see part of the second hour because we were recording two things and I had to take the dog out for her walk but I enjoyed the rest of the show, mostly.


This is one of those award shows that has no host or emcee for the viewers although I think there was an announcer for the audience. I find that I miss someone telling jokes and keeping everything together; without that person, the award show devolves into an unrelenting speech after award after speech after award after speech after award pattern with only commercials to break things up.

It also seems that there isn't much in the way of rehearsals for the main event because many of the people were wooden in the way they read the teleprompter. You wouldn't have known that acting paid their bills for them. Balancing this out was that there were no limits on the length of the acceptance speeches. I especially loved the skit that the cast of Modern Family did during their acceptance speech :)


I wonder if winning a SAG award is somewhat more meaningful than winning some other awards because the winners are chosen solely by their peers who (for the most part) really understand what it is they. In my head I figure that the public is more swayed by who wins an Academy Award or an Emmy - and winning one of those awards is obviously a big deal - but I wonder if the actors themselves are more honoured by the recognition from other actors via the SAG award. They might think that the awards is lame, for all I know.

There was no red carpet coverage so I didn't see many dresses but I was impressed with the ones that I saw on-stage. I'll have a red carpet post up in the next few days; hopefully it won't take as long to finish the post as it did the last one!

Golden Globes

Award season has begun! The Golden Globes are tonight and I'm watching them as I write this. I have to say that Ricky Gervais, the host, is doing so much better this year than he did the last time he hosted an award show. His jokes are funny instead of awkward this year, as are the jokes of the various people giving out the awards.

It helps that the crowd is more raucous this year and I can't help but think that perhaps they've been plied with more champagne than usual. There are a lot of audience members whooping and whistling and clapping through acceptance speeches and the introductions. There's definitely a light, party feel to this event and everyone seems to be having fun. This award show seems to be not taking itself too seriously and I rather like that because it's fun to watch. Gozer can't figure out why I've been laughing so hard through the whole show.

Of course I don't just watch this show to see who gets which award. I haven't seen all of the movies or the tv shows so I don't really care who wins or loses. As you know, I care most about what people are wearing and boy, have there been some interesting outfits. Some of the dresses have been gaspingly gorgeous and others have been amazingly hideous. Some have dressed themselves well and others I wondered if they left before looking in a mirror... or if their stylists hated them. It might take me a couple of days to get the red carpet post up but don't worry, it's on its way.

63rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards

Tonight was Emmy night! Oh, I do love award shows, especially when the awards are for something I care about - like evening tv. Of course I love the dresses, too, but that's a subject for another post. I loved this award show: I haven't laughed this much or this hard during an award show since I don't know when. This was one funny show.

Jane Lynch was the perfect choice for the show's host. She's hilarious and can sing and it was her musical opening number and monologue set the light-hearted tone of the show. Pretty much every time she was on stage she joked around.

Of course a funny host isn't enough to make a funny show. Almost everyone who was on-stage said or did something funny thanks to the writers. For example, Ricky Gervais'  pre-recorded monologue with the offensive stuff "edited out" was hilarious. I also giggled throughout the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series nominees go on-stage when their names were called and then I howled when they crowned the winner with a tiara and a bouquet of roses. The fact that almost everything had to have been scripted didn't make anything any less funny.

Naturally, not everything intended to be funny was actually funny. The songs the Emmytones sang to introduce each section of the were clearly supposed to be funny but they fell flat. Charlie Sheen wasn't at all funny, although it seemed like he was trying to make some kind of joke as he said whatever positive thing he'd been told to say about Two and a Half Men.

Although the tone of the show was light-hearted, not every segment was (or should have been) funny. It would have been inappropriate had the segment remembering people who'd died this past year made any jokes. And not every introduction included much of a joke, either. In fact, the second half wasn't as non-stop hilarious as the first and that was ok. Funny moments were scattered throughout the show and the tone of the show stayed light throughout the show.

I definitely enjoyed watching the Emmys this year, and not just because pretty much the entire show was entertaining and fun to watch. I loved that it didn't take itself that seriously: there's nothing wrong with a dignified (some might say stuffy) award show but a light-hearted approach is definitely a welcome surprise. And I loved that it ended on time. Other award shows could learn a thing or two from this one.

Last night's VMAs

We watched the MTV Video Music Awards last night and honestly, that show isn't what it used to be. The jokes were lame and the performances were all right but the show lacked energy. One of the best performers of the night was the house band!

It didn't help that Lady Gaga showed up as her male alter-ego Jo Calderone and spent every moment on-stage smoking, drinking, and mugging for the camera. The smoking and drinking really bothered me. She has such a huge following - not to mention that the VMAs are aimed at teenagers - and I personally think that smoking and drinking sends the wrong message to her fans and the people watching. She wasn't glorifying that behaviour - it was clearly part of her character - but for her to do it at all sends a message that it's ok to do it. And I don't think that this is the right message to send to the viewers.

I was quite disappointed with the lifetime achievement award presentation to Britney Spears also, and not just because I think that it's a little early to be giving her a lifetime achievement award. The presentation included a frantic, sped-up rendition of Britney-lookalike dancers dancing the choreographies from her different videos which was quite unpleasant to watch. Lady Gaga/Jo also presented the award and managed to make the presentation more about her and less about Britney. Britney giggled but she looked uncomfortable and wasn't able to say much of anything due to Lady Gaga/Jo's comments and constant mugging.
 
The highlight of the night was the Amy Winehouse tribute given by Russell Brand. He toned down his usual manic self even though it still looked to me like he was bursting to tell a joke of some kind. Luckily for the viewers, he didn't give in to that urge and instead managed to convey that she was a brilliant artist who struggled with her life. He was able to humanize her and make her seem like less of a tabloid freak and more of a real person.

Another highlight was seeing the stranger outfits that Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj were wearing. I love it when someone has the confidence to pull off an over-the-top look and both of these women are known for their costumes. I will of course be doing a red carpet post for this event in the next couple of days and I hope to include as many of these crazy outfits as possible. Thank goodness for the crazy outfits because they made the show entertaining when it wasn't fun at all.

If you haven't yet seen this year's VMAs, I wouldn't recommend watching them. The show just wasn't that good.

It's Oscar night!

It's the Academy Awards tonight - the biggest red carpet show of the year!! Oh yeah, and awards will be given out, too. There are a lot of award shows - too many, some might say. And with each award show is an increasing number of minor red carpet events. In some ways it's all pretty silly, isn't it?

There's something about the overall glamour of the Academy Awards to which I'm drawn. The award show a stately affair, full of self-importance and conducted with pomp and circumstance. Winning an Academy Award seems to carry with it more weight than winning an equivalent Golden Globe or SAG award. Cynically, I suspect that "more weight" translates into "more money".

The awards themselves are supposed to acknowledge the very best in each area in that year. People assume that an Academy award-winner is particularly talented or great but that isn't always true. Some years the competition is particularly stiff and others the competition just isn't there. Any of several really good contenders in a category one year would win that category in a weaker year. Few people remember that the competition was particularly stiff the year a particular contender didn't win.

Regardless of whether the awards are useful or important in the real world, I like watching the show and looking at all of the outfits. Therefore I'll be watching the show tonight as long as it doesn't go too late and it isn't boring. I'll post my red carpet review for you in the next couple of days.

Grammy night

The Grammys were on tonight! Of course I watched the show. I love the variety of musical performances. it's as much a celebration of the diversity of music as it is an award show. Plus you never really know what's going to happen or how the show will go.

Heck, just seeing Lady Gaga's many costume changes makes watching the Grammys worthwhile, for me :) She showed up on the red carpet (and on stage) being carried in an egg-like thing. Apparently she was incubating in preparation for tonight's performance, as perhaps a priestess would before an important ritual. The outfit she wore onstage also ended up a little sheerer than perhaps she'd planned - those stage lights are very bright. How is this not entertaining? :)

I enjoyed this award show and actually made it all the way through, at least until bedtime. Muse performed, as well as Lady Gaga, Mumford & Sons, The Avett Brothers, Bob Dylan, Cee Lo Green (looking and surrounded by muppets, including a puppy muppet!), Katy Perry, Eminem with Rihanna, Skylar Grey - who outperformed Rihanna, possibly because Rihanna was sick - and Dr. Dre, Mick Jagger, Barbara Streisand, Arcade Fire, and more. How awesome is that? Well, ok, I was bored while Barbara Streisand sang, and I didn't really like the first Arcade Fire song, but I enjoyed the rest.

One thing that surprised me was the number of non-musical television stars announcing performers. Eva Longoria, for example, presented the Biebs and Usher and she's not a musicians or in any way connected to music as far as I know. Each of these non-musical performers (including Neil Patrick Harris) were great famous and lovely eye-candy, of course, so I guess that's enough.

As an aside, I still don't consider the Biebs an actor. Never Say Never is a biography and how much acting does someone have to do to play themselves? His "movie" is the ultimate in capitalistic endeavours: the kid is 16 and his life is ahead of him, but there are buckets of money to be made right now by shooting a biography (that could have been a segment on Born to Be) in unnecessary 3-D.

Back to the Grammys. The only thing I didn't really like was that there were a lot of commercials: one after every live performance. I know they need time to set up the stage for the next act, but at times it felt like there were at least as many, if not more, commercials than show, and I don't like that.

I also watched quite a bit of the red carpet coverage and I'll have a red carpet post up in a couple of days. This award show isn't as stuffy as the other major award shows and it's also not as casual as the MTV Video Music Awards. The people on the red carpet tend to take more chances with their outfits: safe is not the way to go on this red carpet. I loved that Katy Perry brought her grandmother as her escort and had her grandmother's cane bedazzled, making it a fitting, sparkly accessory on the red carpet. There's nothing safe about a bedazzled cane.

Golden Globes 2011 Red Carpet

Warning: this is a very long post with a lot of images (76, I think) so it might take a while to load.

As promised, this is my Golden Globes 2011 red carpet post. I'm only focusing on dresses worn by women on the red carpet. I've excluded outfits worn to the after-parties and what the men were wearing. Men's fashion doesn't interest me as much as women's and there just isn't room for all of the red carpet and after-party outfits.

Elegance seemed to be the order of the day. Most of the women on the red carpet looked ladylike, glamorous, and beautiful without looking trashy or messy. 

There was a rainbow of colour on this red carpet with lots of sequins and beading and sparkle. Most dresses are shades of white or black but bold blues, greens, yellows, oranges, and reds were all over the red carpet. 

Style-wise, dresses were varied mostly strapless or one-shouldered. Big shoulders appeared in a couple of dresses Texture through pleating and ruching is still prevalent but most of the texture comes from the elaborate beading and sequins or flowers. There are quite a few trumpet- or mermaid-style dresses where the hips are fitted and the skirt increases in width below the knee but there were numerous sheath dresses as well. Trains on skirts are getting shorter (finally!) and ball gowns look out of place.

Jewelry and accessories were understated. The chunky "statement necklaces" that have been everywhere over the last few seasons were conspicuously absent on this red carpet. Makeup was mainly subtle and natural, letting the dress take center stage.

With all that said, let's look at the actual dresses. Here they are, sorted roughly by colour.

Shades of white (including nudes and pale colours)

Gia Mantegna in 
Lorena Sarbu

Pretty but kind of boring. The black sash helps because otherwise this dress would look like a big towel.

Hailee Steinfeld in Prabal Gurung

Gorgeous!!!! She's a teenager but her dress looks amazing on her. There's just enough sparkle to make it interesting but it  doesn't overwhelm her. Even better, it's white but doesn't look like bridal wear.

Nicole Kidman in Prada

Not everyone loved this look - I think many found it boring - but I think it's fabulous on her. It's sleek and the overall sequins don't add too much texture, just lovely shine.

Vanessa Williams in Roberto Cavalli

This is the least crazy Roberto Cavalli I`ve ever seen, I think :) This dress, like Nicole Kidman's, is allover sequins but looks a bit flashier. The dress doesn't fit her all that well... notice the bellybutton?

Jennifer Lopez in Zuhair Murad

OMG. What do you say to this? It reminds me of so many other JLo dresses; she's not taking a risk here. The shawl is pretty and the dress simple and the look isn't bridal, so I guess this is ok.

Susanne Bier

I imagine she's wearing a Danish designer. This dress is lovely and fits her well, although it is a little bit bridal.

Jennifer Love Hewitt in 
Romona Kevesa

She looks like she's standing in a pool of fabric which isn't attractive. The waist and skirt silhouette is attractive but the super-sized crumb-catcher is a little too much.

Tilda Swinton in Jil Sander

You have to admire her for going her own way, even when that way is shapeless. A fitted, stretch top would have worked better with the skirt. I do love that she doesn't wear makeup to these events.

Kaley Cuoco in Katherine Kidd

How pale and ethereal the skirt is! It's a pretty dress but the colour washes her out. Her hair is also a bit messy for the dress.

Dianna Agron in J. Mendel

I don't love this dress but she looks polished and comfortable. At least her boobs aren't fighting to get away and the colour suits her. I love her hair.

Leighton Meester in 
Burberry Prorsum

Um, wow. The waist is strange on this dress, not to mention the sleeves. And the skirt. And the fabric.

Sandra Bullock in Jenny Packham

Like Scarlet Johanssen's dress, there's something weird going on with the sleeves. Of course it's hard to notice the sleeves because of her hair - especially her bangs. That cut does nothing for her or the dress.

Heather Morris in Lorena Sarbu

Now this, I love. Love! the shape is perfect for her and makes her look sexy and beautiful. I love the sleeves and the allover sequins, too.

Sarah Hyland in Max Azria

I want to like this, I really do. The bodice is interesting and the lower skirt is fine but the dress is too flat over her abdomen, making it look big. The colour isn't quite right for her, either.

Michelle Williams in Valentino

She needs to learn to stand up straight. Posture is important! Then again, good posture wouldn't make this dress look more mature. The pattern is just a bit too juvenile and shapeless for the red carpet.

Julie Bowen in Tadashi Shoji

In many ways this is a lovely dress; I especially love the ruffles. I'm not keen on the striping effect on the torso, however, and the colour definitely doesn't suit her. She looks washed out.

Kelly MacDonald in J. Mendel

The colour is completely wrong on her and the silhouette does her no favours. The ruching and cowl neck and peplum all look droopy and sad.

Anne Hathaway in Armani Prive

A knockout! I didn't love the shoulders at first but they've grown on me because they balance the dress. Love the colour and overall sequins. Gorgeous.

Blues and greens

Amber Riley in Oliver Tolentino

This sequinned dress has a lot of texture and it looks good on her. It would look better if the texture weren't all over the dress - but at least the colour is gorgeous! 

Jane Krakowski in Badgley Mischka

A lovely dress in a great colour! The only thing I don't like is the shoulder strap because it looks weird.

Jenna Ushkowitz in Rebecca Taylor

This colour looks great on her but the skirt looks strange. Maybe it's because it's too long and all ruffled.

Hope Davis in Bibhu Molapatra

I don't know why I love this dress, but I do. The colour and style are gorgeous and suit her well. I'm not sure what to make of the limp, straggly train, however. Take the train away and the dress is fabulous.

Amy Adams in Marchesa

A beautiful colour, but this looks like a bridal dress in blue. It fits her well and looks lovely on her. The big flower-things could possibly be a bit smaller but they still work on this scale.

Tina Fey in L'Wren Scott

I love this navy velvet dress! I wish that Tina Fey would learn how to pose in a dress, though, because her pose detracts from the beauty of the dress.

Mandy Moore in Monique Lhullier

Meh. This looks like a bridal gown in blue. I love the tulle in the bodice but I don't like the skirt shape or  fabric.

Julia Kurbatova

Many people didn't like this but I think it looks lovely. I love the leaf embroidery on the bodice and the fit of the dress. I also love the colour combination.

Catharine Zeta-Jones in Monique Lhullier

Another bridal gown, this time in dark green. The colour is perfect against her alabaster skin and the dress shape suits her figure (plus her boobs aren't trying to escape). The dress looks very heavy to wear because of the overall texture.

Elizabeth Moss in Donna Karan

I almost love this except for the area around her hips. It looks a bit too big for her there. The bow on the bodice is also kind of saggy. At least the colour is fabulous on her. I do wish she'd worn a slightly brighter lipstick to bring more attention to her face.

Mila Junis in Vera Wang

Another strangely ruched green dress. Again, this colour looks great on her, but this dress isn't flattering to her figure. It makes her hips look huge.

Angelina Jolie in Atelier Versace

Many, many people are saying that this was the best dress of the night. Angelina Jolie looks vibrant and beautiful in this colour. The style seems a bit old for her, though. The allover sequins add an interesting texture against the smoothness of her hair and skin.

Yellows, oranges, reds, and pinks

Helen Mirren in Badgley Mischka

What a beautiful silhouette! I wish she'd chosen this same dress, which looks phenomenal on her, in a bolder colour. She'd look so much better if the dress was red or green.

Lara Spencer in Angel Sanchez

I love this dress. The details on the bodice aren't too overwhelming and the dress fits her well. The colour isn't quite right for her, unfortunately, and so the dress is wearing her. I also wish that she'd done something more sophisticated with her hair.

Kyra Sedgwick in Emilio Pucci

Not many people can wear this orange but she manages to pull it off. The pleating and ruffles give an interesting texture. I wish she'd done something else with her bangs.

Katie Lee in Christian Dior

I love, love, love this dress. I love the bodice, I love the skirt, and I love the colour. She looks amazing in this colour and style and her hair is lovely.

Emma Stone in Calvin Klein

This dress is pretty, but plain, and the colour washes her out. Some details of some kind would have improved the look of this dress on her.

Nancy O'Dell in St. John

Now this is how to wear this style of dress! She owns this dress style and colour. If only her hair weren't quite so messy.

Katey Segal in Douglas Hannant

When I saw her accept her award I thought she looked like Cuddy on House. Neither the colour nor the style of this dress are right for her, and her hair looks awful with it. 

January Jones in Versace

If she wanted to wear the most talked-about dress on the red carpet, she succeeded. Some love this and others hate it but no one is indifferent about it. Personally, I think the colour is ok on her and the style looks all right. I don't like the knee-length skirt under the fringe; I think it should be shorter or longer. I also wish that she had a band over her cleavage as I think this dress is too revealing.

Christina Hendricks in 
Romona Kevesa

The dress silhouette is fabulous! The colour works with her skin but not her hair and that flower is practically eating her head. I like the ribbon on the hem and I'd love the dress if that flower were much smaller.

Edie Falco in Valentino

Another red that looks wonderful against her skin but that doesn't work with her hair colour. I love this dress otherwise.

Sofia Vergara in Vera Wang

I love the fabric used for this dress because it shows both pink and dark coral, adding depth and interest. I really like the pleated neckline and waist, and the black belt definitely adds to the dress. The silhouette and colour work for her.

Julianne Moore in Lanvin

Pretty much everyone, including me, thinks that this dress looks terrible on her. The poufy sleeve, the wrinkles, the weird-looking hem, all conspire to make her look like she just wrapped fabric around her willy-nilly. Definitely a mistake.

Claire Danes in Calvin Klein

Pretty much everyone, including me, thinks that this dress is one of the best from the red carpet. The colour is fresh and looks beautiful on her and the silhouette is quite flattering. Love her hair, too.

Lea Michele in Oscar de la Renta

Another bridal gown, this time in pink. She looks like the diva she is. I think I'd like it more if it didn't have that comforter of a train.

Natalie Portman in Viktor & Rolf

The colour is lovely on her but the rose looks strange. If the rose weren't there this dress might be better although then it would look like a pink monstrosity. It might be better if the rose design were in a different colour and added to different parts of the dress.

Megan Fox in Armani Prive

I love the woven bodice but I don't love the matte skirt with the front slit. The colour is good on her and the silhouette is good, but this dress doesn't succeed like it should.

Julianna Margulies in 
vintage Yves Saint Laurent couture

I'm not a fan of light pink with black. To me, the contrast is too much. I like the skirt on this but the bodice doesn't look right. That might be because of the way that she's standing; she needs help with her posture, too.

Maria Menounos in Pamela Roland

I love this and I wish I could wear it myself! The play of matte/shiny textures appeals to me and I love the neckline. The colour works for her.

Scarlett Johanssen in Elie Saab

This dress fits her very well and the colour is ok. There's something weird about the sleeves. I think I'd have liked it better if they weren't there or were longer and less full.

Naya Rivera in Douglas Hannant

I love this dress even though it doesn't fit her perfectly: the bust isn't perfect and the hips are weird, too. Maybe I just love the colour?

Blacks

Melissa Leo in Marc Bouwer

The sleeves are different but I love this sequinned black dress. I especially love the neckline and silhouette and I think the dress suits her perfectly.

Annette Bening in Tom Ford

It looks like she woke up, rolled out of bed, and threw on the dress as she rushed out the door. The sack of a dress isn't all that attractive and her hair  is a mess.

Jane Lynch in Ali Rahimi

I don't think this is the first time that Jane Lynch has chosen a dress with a lovely bodice and a not-so-lovely skirt. She looks like she's melting into the floor and like her hips are ginormous. At least the bodice works for her.

Piper Perabo in Oscar de la Renta

Piper Perabo is smiling like this in most of her pictures. I wonder how she felt about this the next day, because her mouth looks like an elastic band. The dress is gorgeous although the ruching on the right side ends too low.

Eva Longoria in Zac Posen

This is some kind of whale tail! Too bad she's melting into the floor. I know she's short but she can do better. And that skirt/train looks dated.

Halle Berry in Nina Ricci

I don't like mullet dresses (short in front, long in back), and there's something about this dress that I really don't like. Maybe it's the matte black chiffon train. I like the bodice but the skirt/train just doesn't work, in my opinion.

Julie Stiles in Romona Kevesa

This is a black bridal gown. I like the shoulder ruffles and the bodice but not the skirt.

Kat Kramer

I almost like this dress; I like the skirt and the bodice and especially the asymmetric lines. What I don't love is the lace thingy on the one shoulder. With the asymmetric lines the lace shoulder strap looks a little too designed. This dress makes her look short, but at least she's not melting into the ground.

Jessalyn Gilsig in David Meister

Another black bridal gown, this time covered in lace. The bodice is sort of interesting and the dress is flattering on her, but it does yell out "bridal!"

Giuliana Rancic in Zac Posen

Those things on her boobs look strange, don't they? It gives the bodice an unusual shape at the top. The pleating and gathering makes the skirt interesting.

Julianne Hough in Marchesa Resort

I love this dress: it's simple yet elegant and it looks comfortable, too. The collar is what makes this dress most interesting. She looks fantastic in this outfit.

Jane Fonda in Georges Hobeika

I'm not usually a fan of sheer sleeves and yoke but I love it here because of the way they've been embellished. I'm not sure how I feel about the extra shoulder thingies, but I think I don't like them. Still, she looks radiant here and the dress definitely suits her.

Jayma Mays in Alberta Ferretti

Now this is a sexy dress! Look at that plunging, sheer neckline and the texture of the sequinned lace fabric. Gorgeous! I don't love her makeup because the eye is too heavy for that lipstick colour. Her hair is lovely.

Jennifer Lawrence in Louis Vuitton

I almost love this dress. The straps are a little long and heavy for my taste but I love the fabric and silhouette. Unfortunately, the dress appears to be wearing her and not the other way around: she needed to do something different with her makeup or hair to stand up against the dress, I think.

Shaun Robinson in Oday Shakar

I love, love, love, love this dress. I'm a sucker for allover sequins but what I really love is the form-fitting silhouette paired with the single sleeve. This is a very sexy dress and she wears it to perfection.

Olivia Wilde in Marchesa

Many people picked this dress as their red-carpet favourite. I don't know. I like it, of course - how could I not, with the gradated sequins and gorgeous bodice? I think I'd prefer this dress if it weren't so full and if it was less of a ball gown. It looks like some tulle is escaping down there in the bottom right and I think it has the right idea. I don't like her hair for this dress, either; it's  too every-day to really look right.

Kelly Osbourne in Zac Posen

Not everyone loved this dress but I do. I especially love that line of colour running asymmetrically down the dress. It works with the bodice and the one-shouldered neckline. This dress would be perfect if it wasn't too long and if she weren't melting into the floor.

Hayley Atwell

This is definitely an unusual silhouette with the big shoulders, nude bodice, and black skirt. The silhouette works for her but that nude colour just isn't right. I love the feathered hairpiece.

Prints

Gabourey Sidibe in Marc Bouwer

It's a shame that there aren't many good red-carpet choices for larger ladies. This dress is definitely flattering but it would be so much more gorgeous in a solid colour or an ombre or something like that. The print, while interesting, doesn't really work for the red carpet. Still, she looks amazing and radiant in it.

Jo Champa in Dolce&Gabbana

I haven't been able to find the designer for this dress. Kylie Minogue wore the same dress by D&G on New Year's Eve at the Jools' Annual Hootenanny but I still don't know who designed it. As perfect as the dress was for a New Year's Eve celebration, it was just as wrong for a red carpet appearance. She should have lots of red-carpet dresses to choose from, so why on earth did she choose this one? There's no need to announce that she's a cougar on the prowl; most people can figure that out themselves. The colour is great on her but the silhouette does nothing for her figure. This was definitely a bad choice.

Christina Aguilera in Zuhair Murad

Imagine this dress made of white beaded and sequinned lace over a white fabric (instead of black on nude) and what do you have? A bridal gown, of course. I think I have to stop watching all these bridal shows because I'm seeing bridal everywhere! Back to the dress. it should work and be gorgeous on her, and it definitely fits, but there's something wrong. Maybe it's just that it looks dated, like we're seeing the her from a few years ago. Maybe the dress would be better in less contrasting colours. Either way, it's long past time for her to change her look, maybe into something more natural this time.

Catt Sadler

This is definitely an unusual dress but I like it. It fits her and is eye-catching and it seems to suit her. The colour definitely works for her. Her hair is a little tall, however. She could have brought it down from the heights just a bit and it still would have looked great.

Heidi Klum in Marc Jacobs

I never thought I'd mourn for the days when she only wore short, tight, shiny dresses everywhere, but that's the point I'm  at right now. Did she think that the red carpet would be laid out on the beach this year? The colourslook ok on her but the dress isn't flattering at all and her hair is much too casual for such a casual dress on the red carpet. I wish she'd find a look in between her old one and this frumposity.

Helena Bonham Carter in 
Vivienne Westwood

Helena Bonham Carter is nothing if not interesting, and this getup is definitely interesting. The dress is unusual, if not particularly flattering and her hair is its usual mess. At least the colours work on her. I kind of like the idea of wearing different shoe colours on each foot because it makes matching prints so much easier. At least no one can say that she's dressing for anyone but herself. That's good, right?