The 69th BAFTA awards took place on Sunday night and while the prestigious British awards show is usually a pretty accurate predictor of who will win the Oscar at the end of the month, the BAFTAs this year were about one thing only – Cate Blanchett’s incredible McQueen gown. That is one fancy dress. More on Blanchett and some of the night’s other notable looks, below.
Cate Blanchett in Alexander McQueen
Blanchett’s Alexander McQueen gown with floral appliqué bodice and black feathered skirt was outstanding. The details and materials are impeccable – it’s a work of art. Even though it’s the beginning of the year, this will absolutely be one of the best dresses of 2016. Plus, her diamond drop earrings and diamond cuff from the Tiffany & Co. Blue Book collection were equally amazing. Some may have gone with minimal accessories with such an elaborate dress but Blanchett nailed the whole look from head to toe. I always say she chooses dresses that belong at The Met’s Costume Institute and I firmly believe they need to devote a whole exhibit to her red carpet gowns. It would be well deserved. Can’t wait to see what she wears to the Oscars.
Alicia Vikander in Louis Vuitton
Alicia Vikander has become one of fashion’s ‘it-girls’ and her recent choices have been consistently interesting and edgy. This Louis Vuitton black leather and tinsel-fringed high-neck column gown is no exception. It’s beautifully constructed and fit her perfectly. Loved it. Also, the side-swept hair looked super cool and the simple accessories worked nicely.
Julianne Moore in Armani
There’s clearly nothing at wrong with this Armani cream-and-black gown but Moore has set the bar so high for herself (much like Cate Blanchett) that this dress didn’t do much for me. Sure, it’s elegant and the black ribbons down the back are lovely but it’s not as amazing as most of her red carpet looks. And I think she should have kept the black velvet cape she had on earlier in the night.
Kate Winslet in Antonio Berardi
Kate Winslet is consistent with not making huge statements on the red carpet. She doesn’t seem like she’s all that into it. Her choices are straightforward and often similar. But she stepped up her style-game with this one-shouldered black Antonio Berardi gown. It’s a good looking dress and the neckline and shoulder detail was edgy yet chic.
Saoirse Ronan in Burberry
A great example of how good styling makes all the difference. While this custom sequin-embellished Burberry strapless organza gown is lovely on it’s own, it made a huge impact when paired with that outstanding multicolor, multistrand diamond Chopard necklace. Elizabeth Taylor would have loved it.
Dakota Johnson in Christian Dior
Johnson looked nice in this red Dior gown with ruffle details but something about the look fell kind of flat for me. Maybe it was the hair, which looked fine but also like how she’d style it when hanging out with friends on a Saturday. And wearing a red dress on Valentine’s Day seemed a little too obvious.
Isla Fisher in Stella McCartney
Fisher looked beautiful and flawless in this body-conscious white Stella McCartney gown. The Veronica Lake-like hair and diamond accessories were also a nice touch. How can you argue with this look?
Rooney Mara in Givenchy
Mara once again wore Givenchy, which seems like her go-to designer for red carpets. But I thought the nude colour completely washed her out (although the metallic headband was cool). And she always seems like she takes herself sooo seriously. It’s kind of insufferable. It’s like, ya, we get it. You’re a VERY serious actress.
Rebel Wilson in Marina Rinaldi
Well, this was unfortunate. Wilson is so lovely and seems super fun so I have no idea why she wore an outfit that seemed intended for some boring office party. A very strange choice that wasn’t appropriate for the night or suited her lively personality. And it didn’t look well made either.
Angela Bassett in Galia Lahav
Basset looked great from the front in this fuchsia dress with a fishtail hemline but I’m not into the sheer panel at the back. It’s the kind of material meant for figure skaters. And I mostly wanted to write about her dress so I had the opportunity to mention the time she came into the Rubaiyat in Calgary when I worked there about 10 years ago. She tried on a pair of earrings that were about $35 and spent over an hour wondering around the store looking in every mirror possible, making different facial expressions and playing with her hair to see how the earrings looked in every possible way. She asked everyone she was with what they thought, and she debated and debated and debated about buying them. All for earrings that were $35! Shockingly, she didn’t take them in the end.
The Oscars are now only two weeks away!!
Photos via usmagazine.com
Casey Wagar 