Cate Blanchett has never had a sour moment on the red carpet but in addition to being my favorite by a long shot last night, this is by far the best she has ever looked. I have a soft spot in my heart for Ricardo Tisci and his work at Givenchy. His past few couture collections have been absolutely breathtaking (if you have a chance, look them up on style.com) and I was beyond excited to see Cate wearing one of my favorite pieces from the Spring show. The color is perfect on her skin tone and hair and I congratulate the stylist who chose this for her because no one could have pulled it off better. The simple hair and lack of jewelry give this beautiful couture gown an understated elegance and a sense of ease that I wouldn't have thought possible. This whole collection was a masterpiece and Cate was my best dressed of the night.
On the other end of the spectrum, we have Florence Welch. I am sure you will come to learn as I continue this blog I am a major Florence fan and almost always love what she wears. Last night was a rare exception. Before last night, we had only seen her at the VMAs and the Grammy's and for both red carpets, she wore Givenchy Haute Couture and couldn't have looked more stylish. I am not a huge Valentino fan to begin with (I think the house is stuck between ruffles and lace and would do well to drop those things and find ways to carry their girlish philosophy on dressing into the 21st century) and when Florence chose this dreadful piece from their current couture collection, she dropped all the way to worst dressed. Not only do the colors completely wash out her pale skin but they look old. Generally, I like it when designers give clothes a distressed, almost antiqued feel. It helps clothes feel comfortable and wearable instead of precious. However, in a couture collection, we want to see pieces so beautiful we are afraid to touch them. This Valentino dress is yellowed to the point that it looks like something you could purchase at an estate sale and scrap for parts. It did look a little chic on the runway but for Florence's stylist to put it on the red carpet, where she could look so beautiful and glamorous, is a crime punishable by being fired. If there is a job opening, I'd love to submit my resume.
All this being said, I cannot bash Florence's look without offering an alternative. She generally chooses these light, gold and flesh tones that don't always flatter her coloring. She also has a great figure for clothes (tall and thin with just the right amount of curves) and I am a sucker for a red-head.
Given the opportunity to dress Florence, I would have put her in this gorgeous Reem Acra pre-fall 2011 gown. As I said, she generally wears lighter, fleshier colors, but i think this gunmetal would be stunning on her light skin and her beautifu hair would have given just the right amount of pop. It is much more glamorous than the Valentino which is perfect for the Oscars. This gown would have given her the sophistication i know she is capable of with the rock-star edge that she was lacking last night. With her body, I believe it'd look better on Florence than the model. Hair curled and tosseled, no jewelery, and simple black pumps is all she'd need to make her way back up to the best-dressed lists. Had she wanted to carry a bag, this Alexander McQueen clutch could've add the perfect amount of edge to an elegant and sophisticated gown.
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