If you watched the Academy Awards Sunday night through half-lidded eyes like the rest of us, you might have missed a few of the fashion hits that happened before the show during the red carpet arrivals. Sure, Hollywood’s Pretty Young Things wore right-off-the-runway looks from McQueen, Marchesa and Givenchy Haute Couture, but that’s to be expected. Yawn. What surprised us? Hollywood’s old guard showed up ready to wow. It just goes to show that designers might be fighting to dress ingenues of the silver screen, but when it comes right down to it, actresses that might flash an AARP membership looked just as great as girls decades younger.
Our editor Michelle exclaimed “Finally!” when she caught sight of Meryl Streep at the Oscars. Eschewing her usually low-key looks (banana clip, anyone?) she chose to wear a draped gold Lanvin gown with a plunging neckline and a wrap silhouette. After all, Clinton and Stacy extoll it as universally flattering on What Not to Wear just about every week. What’s surprising, other than her win, that is, is that the Lanvin frock is eco-friendly. Recruited by Livia Firth (wife of Colin) for her Green Carpet Challenge, Streep made sure that her gown was made of eco-friendly fabrics. The result? A dramatic draped stunner that looks just about as luxe as any other starlet’s red carpet looks.
Meryl Streep, in Lanvin dress and clutch, with Salvatore Ferragamo shoes.
Famed slow-mo beach runner Bo Derek didn’t just arrive looking like a perfect 10, she was celebrating a decade of marriage to her beau, John Corbett on Oscar night. Dare we say she looks like she looks just as good in her violet column as she did running down that beach? Minus the cornrows, of course. Everything from her natural makeup to her windswept hair make us wish some of the younger set wouldn’t try so hard. C’mon ladies: If Bo can do it at 55 years old, so can you!.
Quick, someone call Dr. Quinn! We’re feeling feverish admiring Jane Seymour in her fiery sequined gown.
The former doctor and current jewelry designer matched her dress and her minaudiere to the carpet, but we can’t get enough of how flattering those paillette chevrons are. Kudos to her (and her stylist) for making her look like just what the doctor ordered in a sea of strapless mermaid gowns.
Jane Seymour wears Pamella Roland.
While it’s hard to erase the image of Glenn Close in full Albert Nobbs makeup out of our heads, when she walked out onto the red carpet in this formfitting fit-and-flare Zac Posen, she quite literally took our breath away. We can’t think of any past red carpet hits from the 64-year-old actress, but this masculine meets feminine creation is sure to erase any red carpet don’ts right off her record.
While other celebs shivered in their strapless gowns (except Gwyneth in her stunning cape, of course), Close looked chic and warm in her matching tuxedo blazer, proving Posen’s mastery of tailoring and giving us all a major dose of high fashion gender-bending.
Glenn Close wears a Zac Posen dress and matching tuxedo jacket.
Though we’re not quite sure of her age, we do know that Miss Piggy is certainly no spring chicken. The divine swine herself also chose a Zac Posen gown, which showed off her every curve. With a plunging neckline and her signature opera gloves, Miss Piggy looked just as young and fresh as when she did when she premiered on the Muppet Show in ’74. While the other ladies on our list proved that less is more when it comes to hair and makeup, Piggy’s never been one to shy away from a set of feather falsies and a full bouffant.
And lest we remind you, before it was the trend du jour, Miss Piggy’s been going green for decades.
Miss Piggy wears a Zac Posen dress, Christian Louboutin shoes and Lorraine Schwartz jewels.
Photos courtesy Style.com and Vogue.com.