Sam Norton
A&E Editor
Anne Hathaway: we saw your boobs in “Brokeback Mountain” and in “Love and Other Drugs,” but last night at the Academy Awards, they made an unexpected appearance.
The blush, Prada column gown Hathaway wore to the Oscars not only clashed with her skin tone, but the seams on her chest did not accentuate her features; rather the seams became distracting by putting the focus on her protruding nipples.
Todd Williamson AP / Photo and John Shearer / AP Photo Actress Charlize Theron arrives at the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday Feb. 24, 2013, in Los Angeles.
A Twitter account was created and critics put her on the worst dressed list.
And I couldn’t agree more—I cannot stress the importance of taking photographs of your dress at every angle to ensure that you don’t pull an Anne Hathaway—no one wants to be that girl on the red carpet.
However, I can see why Hathaway fell in love with the dress. The back of the gown was more spectacular than the front—with a criss-cross cut back, complete with a bow and jeweled collared embellishment.
If the front of the dress were as intricate as the back, the dress would have put her on the best-dressed list.
But simplicity ruled the red carpet last night. From white and red gowns, navy suits, and metallics—these were the trends that ruled the night.
Charlize Theron stunned in a white, peplum Christian Dior Couture gown, making her my pick for best dressed.
She didn’t let the dress wear her; rather the dress enhanced her natural beauty, making her look effortless as she walked the red carpet.
According to the book “100 Ideas That Changed Fashion” by Harriet Worsley, London-based Turkish designer, Rifat Ozbek, started the white dress trend in 1990.
Todd Williamson AP / Photo Hathaway won Best Supporting Actress for her role as Fantine in the film adaptation of “Les Miserables.”
“A less-is-more approach to fashion was to become one of the most important elements that defined 1990s style, particularly as it was so different from that of the previous decade,” Worsley states, “Throughout the final decade of the twentieth century, fashion quietened down its tone. Designers concentrated on sleek clothes, which were subtle, comfortable, and above all else, unshowy.” And Charlize’s dress at the Oscars did just that—it concentrated on being subtly sexy and sleek.
Jennifer Lawrence, Kristen Stewart, Amanda Seyfried, Queen Latifah, Octavia Spencer, and Zoe Saldana were among the other celebrities to wear white on the red carpet.
However, metallic hues were the other top trend of the night. Naomi Watts receives my second best-dressed vote of the night, wearing a silver Armani Prive dress that featured a futuristic cut out neckline.
Jessica Chastain also stunned in Armani Prive, selecting a copper embellished gown that complimented her features perfectly.
People Magazine published their top-ten best dressed, naming Jennifer Lawrence, Jessica Chastain, Charlize Theron, Naomi Watts, and Kerry Washington among their top picks.
Kerry Washington, Jennifer Aniston, and Olivia Munn were among the celebrities to bring the color red to life on the red carpet–showing that the bold choice in color was a risk worth taking.
But Anne Hathaway wasn’t the only one to make a fashion faux pas on the red carpet—Reese Witherspoon, who typically nails her style, failed to impress with a navy blue and black dress that was too plain and featured a bust line that was far too small and tight—making it look like she had no room to breathe.
These stars—from Hathaway, to Theron, and Watts not only showcase the work of designers, but they also invent the trends.
“Mutually beneficial relationships between leading designers and Hollywood stars began to blossom once more, the publicity helping both sides. And today no more major fashion show is complete without its carefully dressed stars lined up in the front row for the cameras,” Worsley states in her book.
Since actresses help make a trend popular among society, hopefully we all learn from Anne Hathaway’s mistake and make sure we check how the seams fall on our body—unless you want to end up with a Twitter account dedicated to your nipples.
Sam Norton can be contacted at
snorton@keene-equinox.com