Color You’ll Be Seeing At Proms Everywhere

The award goes to… the color red! Continuing the trend from the Golden Globes, if there’s one definitive awards season color trend it’s playing match the carpet. We’re not won over by Anne Hathaway’s red Valentino, but Sandra Bullock was beautiful in Vera Wang, Rhea Durham (Mark Wahlberg’s wife) in Naeem Khan was one of our favorite uses of red, and Jennifer Lawrence’s Calvin Klein dress isn’t the most memorable, but is a choice that would be almost universally flattering. Penelope Cruz is beautiful, but we’re not crazy about her L’Wren Scott dress.

Best Dressed Minimalist

How do we decide this one? Gwyneth Paltrow was a bit flashier in Calvin Klein with Louis Vuitton accessories, but we loved Reese Witherspoon’s white-trimmed Armani Prive black dress as well. There will probably be a bit of disagreement over Witherspoon’s Barbarella-worthy hair, but with an understated shape and colors, we think it’s the perfect pick for a bit of experimentation as far as hair and accessories go.

Best Dressed In a Real Life Transformative Role

Jennifer Hudson’s had a number of transformative life experiences, and they seem to have all given her a level of fashion confidence that she didn’t have when she first walked away with Oscar gold (also made, by the way, in Hudson’s hometown of Chicago). We only have one descriptor for Hudson’s tangerine Versace dress and overall look – wow!

Best Style Newcomer

We’re still not totally sold on her Prada stripes for the red carpet, but overall Hailee Steinfeld has been killing it this awards season. She didn’t disappoint in embellished Marchesa last night, and we sincerely hope Steinfeld continues to get great roles because we’ve become quite attached to seeing (and loving) her style picks.

Best Demonstration of Ageless Style

Helen Mirren in Vivienne Westwood. That is all.

Best Representation of Classic Hollywood Glamour

Hilary Swank’s sequined and feathered Gucci dress and upswept hair were nothing but glamor. The “inspired by” dresses are going to look like a disaster, but the original is pitch perfect.

Best Negative Publicity Deflection

Remember that nasty potential custody battle Halle Berry was gearing up for with model ex Gabriel Aubry? No? Thank that lovely Marchesa dress.

Best Use of Accessories

Amy Adams’ shimmering, dark blue L’Wren Scott dress was a favorite that continued the all over sequin trend, but we couldn’t stop looking at the huge, vibrant green emeralds on her neck and wrist. The Cartier jewels were worth a reported $1.35 million and looked every bit of it.

Best Fashion Risk

Cate Blanchett is sure to end up on the worst dressed list for those who like their red carpet fashion safe, and this is definitely one that takes a strong dose of personal style to pull off. Blanchett has plenty of that though and the circular bodice, beaded accents and architectural sleeves on her Givenchy dress work for her.

Best Dressed, Quaker Edition

Florence Welch in Valentino is a lot more buttoned up than the red carpet looks we’re used to seeing, but in a very (very) classic Little House on the Prairie way it’s a unique look that stands out without the normal glitter and jewels that are the standby way to stand out, and Welch pulls it off.

Best Oscar Impersonator

Valentino Garavani. The only man with a patina that Oscar would be jealous of.

Best Dressed In a Supporting Role

You know who doesn’t always get credit for fashion choices? Oscar dates. Camila Alves (Matthew McConaughey’s wife), Sunrise Coigney (Mark Ruffalo’s wife) and Rhea Durham (see: top of the page) may not have been up for any awards themselves, but Alves and Coigney were every bit the leading style ladies in grand black dresses that deserve an award of their own. Alves wore Kaufman Franco.

Ricci showed up to the event wearing a black dress by Givenchy. Unfortunately, it seemed as if the designers at Givenchy neglected to line the dress. Yet Ricci wore the design with such confidence that the sheerness seemed intentional.

But what really got tongues wagging was the controversial cleavage the dress created. Rather than exposing the tops of the breasts in the traditional manner, the dress’s strategically placed collar left the under side of Ricci’s breast exposed. That quirky feature was enough to get every fashion blogger discussing the trend implications of underboob.

Some bloggers have taken criticism of Ricci’s choice even further, calling the get up “Goth” and citing the neoprene collar as the “rings of Saturn”. In addition, there is wide-spread reference to Ricci’s days as Wednesday Addams. {Stylecaster}

Unconventional cleavage has yet to become a legitimate trend. Hopefully Ricci will learn this, unlike her cleavage predecessor Lindsay Lohan, who has been an advocate for side cleavage for almost 5 years now. Unfortunately, the 23-year-old has yet to learn the importance of a bra.

Here’s hoping that Christina Ricci is not taking a dive into the deep end and will return to her more favorable fashion ways.

Would you attempt an outfit that gave you underboobage / reverse cleavage?

Counterfeits, knock offs, replicas – whatever you call them, designs too similar to someone else’s create endless uproars in fashion. Fashionista dedicates an (often heavily commented) entire section to their perceived crimes against originality. While the focus is usually on Forever21, Steve Madden or another mall brand taking on the latest runway trend, what’s not reported are the often hushed cases of larger design houses taking from smaller designers without credit.

A seamstress in the south of France is suing Chanel for copying one of her crochet patterns. Carmen Colle runs World Tricot, an ethical clothing company specializing in handmade haute couture for top designers like Dior, Gaultier and Givenchy. She runs a small business, and many refugees depend on the opportunities provided by the company. Since filing the lawsuit in 2004 she reports being bullied and dumped by banks and clients. She has had to lay off many of her workers and struggles to fight for her creation stating “[Big names] treat us as things they can take up and then throw away. It’s a shame for them. The greatness of a country, and the greatness of a brand, is the respect it shows for its petites mains (translation: little hands).” Chanel has denied the allegations, and maintains the pattern was created in their studio.

The case is just being presented in court and will bring light to the other side of copyright adventures between large brands and smaller companies at high risk of such infringement.

Read the full story {Guardian}

This one, in simple black with ruched hems and a hint of military can be a comrade for years to come.

VPL Chute Suit $187.50 from Shopbop.

Read the full story {Telegraph}