Oscar's 2016: Best and Worst Outfits & That Gold Snakeskin Dress

I wasn't intending to blog about The Oscars but I consumed so much media about it yesterday, from the moment I turned on the TV and saw Red Carpet interviews over breakfast, to during the day, when every time I glanced at social media I saw 'That Dress'....the Gold Dress by Tom Ford, worn by Margot Robbie, which 'looks like an Oscar' itself. 

It doesn't just look like an award statue though, the gold snake print fabric she's wearing is not too dissimilar to the gold snakeskin dress I wore on the Red Carpet for the Asian Media Awards back in October 2015. Hmmmm....has someone been copying my style?

TRENDS

Pluging necklines were the biggest Oscars trend this year with the majority of women walking the red carpet wearing dresses that drew attention to their cleavage. Personally I think my own gold dress with less skin on show, is far classier. Not that I'm against showing cleavage, it makes you feel amazing when you have a decent dress and a bit of boob showing, but it is sad that so many women feel they had to do this on the one day they'll get photographed most in their life. 

It's a sorry state of affairs that women need to show their skin while the men are in dapper suits, to get noticed in their careers. The biggest reason it's so important to dress well at The Oscars is that an actor/actress gets noticed, and cast in their next role but why is baring skin so important for this? The Oscar's have been going for 88 years and still this is what women are expected to do. Women who wore outfits that weren't as revealing were told they look dowdy and old fashioned - because modernity is all about looking semi naked right?

Choosing what one is wearing to The Oscars is clearly a big deal. Everyone in attendance will have faced every fashion dilemma going when it comes to choosing their outfit ...but some made much better decisions than others.

I won't di-sect every single outfit (you can do that on Google, there's enough opinions and photos out there to see what people are saying,) I'm just going to comment on what I think was the best outfit and the one that was a real disappointment...

Dress: Armani Prive

BEST OUTFIT: Cate Blanchette

Cate's was more than just the best outfit, it's the overall look. Every single element compliments her, the hair and make-up are equally as important. The the dress has character and personality and the colour is original and suits her complexion. It's the perfect dress for 'Cate.'

Dress by Zuhair Murad

MOST DISAPPOINTING OUTFIT: Priyaka Chopra

I LOVE PC as an actress, she's one of Bollywood's finest. Previously a model, her early acting career was pretty bad, but she's grown so much into a natural, intelligent and creative actress who's give some incredible performances. 

Despite this being the 88th Academy Awards there is a huge lack of South Asians represented at them. (Don't even get me started on the fact Bollywood films don't make it into the international category).

Priyanka being at the Oscars wasn't just her elevating her career, whether she liked it or not, she was representing Indians on a global scale. Ok that may sound unfair but she does carry some responsibility as an ambassador, especially as she was on the stage handing out an award. Even though she identifies as being part-American - she studied there, launched her pop career there and recently starred in US serial Quantico - the biggest success in her career has been starring in Indian cinema. 

In that world there are some incredible fashion designers, and she herself has worn some absolutely gorgeous colourful couture work - the kinds of designs Western audiences don't get much exposure to.

This was an opportunity to show the best in Asian fashion to the world and she chose to turn up in a simple, safe white dress with hair pulled back into a pony tail - which to me is the opposite of Cate's look - bland, and with zero personality. 

Priyanka has never been the most 'stylish' of actresses but she looks sooooooo much better when she appears at Indian functions in India, her attempts to do Oscar's glamour in a traditional gown are for me, a real disappointment.

Dress: Elizabeth Kennedy

Mindy Kaling, the other female South Asian icon at the Oscars looked remarkably better than Priyanka because although she wore a classic black dress, the detail of the blue  bow at the back is what gave it some personality and the overall look suited her. 

I'm not saying in anyway that because someone is Asian they should wear Asian clothes - but in Priyanka's case she has access to the best in Indian designers, so her choice was a wasted opportunity.

As for what I would wear to The Oscars, well I recently bought a red carpet dress (above) which has a gorgeous shimmer to it. It's the only long dress I own and I bought it in the January sales from Joy because it was reduced from £120 to £28 and fit me perfectly so I took it as a sign that I had to own it. It's what I would wear if I had to pick something from my current wardrobe right now.....but if I could get dressed by a designer, hands down it would be Manish Arora, Indian designer and fashion visionary. 

I can but only dream about wearing a creation of his One Day....

For this particular blog post I had to use images found online which aren't credited because there are so many versions of them - so thanks to whoever took them, I hope you can see this is a wee blog and I just needed them for illustrative purposes. Thanks.

Red Carpet Glamour

The best looking couple of the night, move over Hritik and Barbara

This week I unexpectedly had my first Red Carpet experience, attending the European Premiere of the Bollywood movie Kites. Leicester Square was cordoned off to allow A-List celebs who had just flown in from India to make their way across the legendary carpet while hundreds of screaming fans lined the sides. Attending with The Great Bollywood Deewana, I lapped up the cheers as we sauntered along what felt like a very long catwalk, waving at all the lovely people who commented on my hair!

Making my entrance on the red carpet

It was the first time in my entire life that I have ever worn heels from my house all the way to my destination. Normally I pop them into my bag, wear comfy flats and then change into them when I need to look glam, but for this event I didn't think the the bulkiness of carrying additional footwear was appropriate.....and I'm pleased to say, my feet survived! Yay!


If you've ever wondered what a Red Carpet is like, well it's very soft and feels very lovely to walk on. As for seeing so many faces watching you, it feels quite surreal, esp when you know you're not important! You can pretty much walk at whatever pace you like, we timed it so there weren't too many other guests in front or behind us.

I was among the first fans in Europe to see the film!

I really couldn't wait to see the film, I've seen a few terrible Bollywood flicks lately and so I had high hopes, especially as Hritik, the leading man normally chooses his projects so well.
Once inside we hung around a bit but were told to take our seats which was a shame as we couldn't watch the other stars arriving.

The movie's stars took to the cinema stage

When we entered the cinema screen we were convinced we would have the worse seats, maybe in the corner somewhere but to our complete and utter surprise we had the best two seats in the house, directly in the centre, second row from the front and as you can see there was no one sitting in front of us, we felt like VIPs!


After sitting in the screen for 1/2 and hour and munching on free popcorn all of a sudden there was an applaud in the room and all the stars of the film entered the screen and one by one walked onto the stage to introduce it. This included the leading couple Hritik Roshan and Barbara Mori, the film's producer and two directors (there are two versions of the film, one in hindi and one in English - a Bollywood first!) and the music director. It was completely surreal to think we had the best view ever!


Overall I loved the film, it was an action packed romance, about being in love whatever the consequences and whatever the cost. The pair were soooooooooooooooooooo gorgeous, I hope they both win awards for their excellent performances.


If one day you find yourself in a similar situation (i.e. you're a totally ordinary member of the public and you suddenly find yourself thrust into the Red Carpet limelight), here's my top tips on how to survive a Red Carpet experience:

• Theme your outfit - I went Vintage - if you opt for a theme you'll immediately look distinguished, not like a star but someone special, which of course you are.
• Pack efficiently - you don't want a bulky handbag so take miniatures of whatever you need that fit into a smaller purse such as a mini lipgloss, compact mirror etc.
• Wear red - don't worry about being camouflaged, the stars rarely wear red so you'll be safe knowing you'll be the only lady/gentlemen in the shade.
• Don't over do it - leave the Oscar ballgowns to the leading actress, if you wear one you'll look out of place and worse still like a wannabe so just be comfortable in something that reflects your individuality.
• Add height - hats are sure to make an impression if you're out to get noticed just don't forget to take it off when the film starts!
• Take your time - it's your unique moment so walk slowly, take it all in, wave at random people, take photos and make sure you smile. Don't get there too early or you'll miss the atmosphere and don't be too late or you may not be let in!
• Promote something - preferably something that's handmade by you or by an up and coming designer just incase someone asks you where it's from and you can get some business for someone who deserves exposure.
• Enjoy! - who knows when you'll get to walk the Red Carpet again, it's a once in a lifetime tick box thing, so if you make it on there, just have fun and enjoy yourself : )