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Womens Formal Wear
by Shari Bookstaff |
Hollywood’s Award Season: A Guide to Womens Formal Wear
Care to dress up for a night on the town? Since I don't get many chances to wear beautiful, fancy dresses, I love to live vicariously through the celebrity fashion shows--yes, it's Hollywood Award season. From the Golden Globes to the Oscars, stars walk the red carpet donning the latest in womens formal wear.
Remember when Cher's typically outrageous Bob Mackie gowns were the staple of every Academy Awards show? See-through fishnet, midriff-baring, large headdress ensembles were always an entertaining sight to see. Who cares if the fashion critics always trashed Cher's version of womens formal wear? She's unique!
Other stars go a more traditional route when choosing womens formal wear. With so many opportunities for glamour, we, the at-home audience, get to see womens formal wear displayed at events such as Critic's Choice Award, People's Choice Award, Screen Actor's Guild Award, the Golden Globes, and of course, the Academy Awards. Since we at home are so eager to see what the latest fashion in womens formal wear, and there are whole cable networks dedicated to appeasing our curiosity of the entertainment industry, each award show is preceded by several hours of coverage. We certainly won't miss any of the latest styles in womens formal wear when we can see 6 hours of pre-coverage of the stars arriving on the red carpet.
I'm not a fashion critic, so I won't give you a best and worst dressed list, but here are some of what I think are the most beautiful or unique fashions in womens formal wear.
Halle Berry wore a dress by Elie Saas when she accepted her best actress Oscar at the 2002 Academy Awards show. The skirt was made from a deep red taffeta. The embroidered mesh top featured beautiful strategically placed flowers. Halle Berry always shows the best in womens formal wear.
In 2003, Catherine Zeta Jones pulled off a grand feat in womens formal wear when she attended the Academy Awards celebration 8 1/2 months pregnant. She even sang a song from the award-winning movie Chicago, before accepting her Oscar for best supporting actress.
That same year, Nicole Kidman wore a stunning black silk gown with crisscrossed straps over one shoulder. Custom-made matching shoes helped propel her up on stage to accept her best actress Oscar. Nicole, of course, always presents the best in womens formal wear.
One of the most unique gowns worn to the Academy Awards (except Cher's outfits) was Cate Blanchett's 2001 dress. John Galliano designed a gown, which looked fairly common from the front. But turn her around and you see a hand-embroidered pattern of flowers with a very cute hummingbird flurrying about. This dress was a beautiful display of womens formal wear.
We can't forget Julia Roberts, always gorgeous at glamorous events like the awards shows. We always get to see her shine in womens formal wear, since she is always a presenter. But when she accepted her best actress award for her role as activist Erin Brockovich in 2001, she looked absolutely stunning. Vintage Valentino, her long, flowing gown featured a white stripe down the front and won her spots on all the best-dressed lists.
If you like previewing the best in womens formal wear from the comfort of your couch, check out some of the pre-coverage of the popular Hollywood award shows.
Return to Pulse Media's Guide to Clothing, Fashion, and Shoes
Shari Bookstaff is a biology professor in northern California, where she lives with her two children. Shari is an avid nature lover, sports fan and photographer.
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