Met Ball 2014: What They Should Have Worn

After last year's Golden Globes ceremony I did a blog post where basically I very badly photo-shopped actresses heads onto models heads to show the designer looks I thought they should have worn instead. You seemed to like this sticker book dress-up-barbie approach so low and behold I've done it again - this time with looks from the Met Gala which left me underwhelmed. 

Though you can see my photo shopped skills have not improved much (you can see the original post here) hopefully you can still see where I was going with this. As always comments below please if you agree or disagree. 

First up, lets tackle Naomi Watts who chose to wear Givenchy Haute Couture and proved that old adage (the one I just made up) that just because its haute doesn't mean you look hot. As previously commentated I feel like there is WAY to much going on in this strange mix of black swan, scales and shower curtain so I've tried to strip that all back for our first look and decided plain black was the way forward. This strapless number is from Ralph & Russo and I think its clever simplicity is due to the yards of fabric that scream luxury, and the shape which is very much Dior New Look. The second number is very classic Watts, in the form of pale pink beaded Chanel. She could have just added a clutch to to either of these and looked effortless instead of awkward.


Next up I've taken on serial fashion offender Rita Ora, who was widely criticised as worst dressed of the night in her Donna Karan Atelier gown. Here I felt like the issue was two fold, that dress is so classically girly, almost bridal. Second was the shoes  - dear god the shoes. To make this all look a little bit more polished and classier without loosing her edge, I'd have chosen the pink Versace number below which has a little bit of reveal in equal measures of conceal. Failing that I think Chanel's rather fancy pantsuit from the Couture SS14 show (or similar) would have been a refreshing look. Maybe so people were just not meant to wear ballgowns and i just have to accept this, sigh. PS. I can't believe I used Versace and classy in the same sentence either, I apologise. 


Shailene Woodley is a tricky customer for me because I feel like she wants to be more directional in the way she dresses but she's just not quite there yet. In my last post I mentioned having a presence that maybe peers like Kristen Stewart and Hailee Steinfeld have already perfected and I'm sure in time it will come. In the meantime I've gone for a great British label Erdem, as an alternative to the Rodarte dress she wore. This shorter dress from the AW14 collection has the same neckline but there's much less going on which I think we can all appreciate. My second choice is something classically beautiful from Ralph & Russo. I'm obsessed with this up and coming design duo at the moment and expect them to make big waves on the red carpet shortly. 


Katie Holmes was another celebrity who made this year's worst dressed list with her yellow dress from Marchesa. The only excuse I can think of here is that she let Suri pick it out. Whilst most agreed anything would have looked better, I think she would have benefited from some Elie Saab. Keeping with the same shape I'd loose the voluminous off the shoulder straps, define the waist even further and find a smoother line through the skirt - less room for crinkle error. Katie has some great choices from the couture SS14 collection, including classic black or this coral pink which I think would suit her complexion. Also can we talk about how Pacey, Joey and Jen were all at the Met Ball but no Dawson? We need a full Creek reunion like NOW! 


I had to find a picture of Lupita Nyong’o sans headband for this to work properly, and again apologies for the hideous use of photo shop. Though typically she prefers strong block colours, I'd have loved to have seen Lupita in some prints this year, maybe an abstract romantic floral from Elie Saab, or the equally dramatic Ombre number next door from the same collection. 


This is how you Give Good Cape Gyllenhaal! Either stark white, tailored to within an inch of its life (Ralph & Russo) or all romantic dreamy lace and animal print fairy-esque in Valentino Couture from SS14. Though this brown is not the best colour on her, there's something about Valentino's animal and opera inspired couture collection that is infinitely more suited to her than the latest AW14 line which she wore which is such a shame because, I'm just going to come out and say it, her breasts look sad in this dress and there's too much TAUPE. Taupe is a shade I never want to see on the red carpet again. 


I didn't mention this look from Amy Adams in my previous post as I don't think its bad, however this feels a LOT like a return to the Amy Adams of the past (I've discussed this before here) where she used to wear nudes or metallics and you always had that sensation of deja vu. Remember that phase? I'll say it once more with feeling I think she needs bolder colours and stronger shapes, especially to balance her shoulders. Elie Saab sent two dresses down the runway for AW14 I think would be perfect for her. The green is particularly lovely with red hair don't you think. 


Again, I didn't include this in my original post as I don't think its a bad look, just very repetitive from Anne Hathaway. If I see her in one more Calvin Klein column black-colour tube dress I think I may scream. My problem with this particular style however is the midriff, do we really need the gap right over her ab muscles or is this not ruining the lines of the dress? To ease her out of this funk gently I'd suggest she get on board with Christian Dior SS14 Couture. However no one wore one of my favourite dresses from the Givenchy AW14 show - see below - and I think Anne may be one of the few who could pull it off. Its a shame she doesn't have a film to promote right now or else I think she'd be a bit more fearless and willing to go for it fashion wise! I never in a million years think she would flirt with the idea, but I'd also love her to try the John Galliano AW14 collection. There's so much she would nail but this cream dress with gold detailing stands out as my favourite and probably the most 'her' thanks to its simplistic elegance. 



1 comment:

  1. what a way to point and explain things in the most perfect and easy to understand manner. Thank you for this article.

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