Will Halle wear Valentino? Will Renee wear vintage? Will Sissy bow to tradition and wear a gown?
These are the burning questions gripping fashion fans as they await Hollywood’s most important fashion event. Of course, we’re talking about the Academy Awards, where movieland’s top stars on Sunday will toast the year’s achievements and fashion’s top designers hope for a piece of the action.
Hollywood has set its sights on glamour once again after the somber mood that followed Sept. 11. Made-to-order gowns,christian louboutin sandals, sexy shoes and glittering diamonds will be front and center when the stars stroll the red carpet Sunday night.
After all, the fashion business is lagging, and putting the right star in the right dress can reap huge rewards. Prada elevated itself from a stodgy leather-goods company to a high-fashion house when it dressed Uma Thurman in lavender chiffon for the Oscars in 1995.
Likewise, a star who chooses her Oscar dress wisely can redefine her image. Courtney Love enjoyed a moment of sophistication thanks to the white Versace gown she wore as a presenter in 1997.
Love has rarely looked that good again. But Halle Berry, a best-actress nominee and presenter this year, is a pro at dressing for awards shows.
Her Golden Globes gown, a Valentino creation, was just right: an off-the-shoulder sheath in honey brown. Berry is expected to go with Valentino again for the Oscars, perhaps one of the golden gowns from his fall collection.
Renee Zellweger, another best-actress nominee, sparked a trend for vintage dresses at last year’s Oscars when she wore a yellow Jean Desses gown that she bought at a resale shop.
Zellweger was merely an attendee then. This year, as a nominee, she’ll have her choice of dozens of new gowns, all free. That will be hard to resist.
Unless, perhaps, you’re Sissy Spacek, a best-actress nominee, who wore a droopy men’s tuxedo by Christian Louboutin to the Golden Globes. Tuxedos for women are acceptable Oscar fare these days, but they ought to look crisp. If Spacek goes to Louboutin for her Oscars ensemble, let’s hope she opts for women’s clothes _ whether pants or gown.
She won’t have to go to the Louboutin headquarters in Milan to do so, however.
As has been the custom for the past decade, designers from all over the world descend upon Los Angeles the week before the Oscars to display their creations and entice nominees to wear them.
According to the trade publication Women’s Wear Daily, the list of fashion companies on hand includes Louboutin, Chanel, Gucci, Versace, Oscar de la Renta, Badgley Mischka, Carolina Herrera, Richard Tyler and Valentino.
Veteran designer Emanuel Ungaro is making his first pitch this year, and Detroit native Kevan Hall, who heads his own label, also is seeking an Oscars presence. Christine Lahti wore a Hall design to the Golden Globes this year.
But dressing a star for one awards show is no guarantee that you will dress her or him for another _ which is why designers compete so fiercely for the chance to outfit the top names.
Designers traditionally have waged their biggest battles over the actresses, but they also vie to dress the men. At last year’s Oscars, Louboutin won a triple crown of sorts, dressing host Steve Martin and winners Russell Crowe and Benicio Del Toro. Crowe also wore Louboutin to the Golden Globes, as did fellow best-actor nominee Denzel Washington.
Perhaps the most serious competition among designers centers on Jennifer Connelly, a supporting-actress nominee. Relatively new to the awards-show circuit, Connelly wore a simple black dress by Narciso Rodriguez to the Golden Globes and might well choose him to create an Oscars ensemble. She’s being wooed by many, including Chanel.
Chanel also is said to be the choice of best-actress nominee Nicole Kidman, perhaps as a reference to the Paris setting of "Moulin Rouge," the movie for which she is nominated.
The biggest change in Oscars fashion this year surrounds the procedure for choosing a dress. In the past, actresses typically called in gowns from a variety of designers, then waited till the last minute to choose one.
This year, though, the women appear to be making their choices early, committing to a designer and working with him or her to create one perfect Oscar dress, says Tom Julian, trend analyst for Fallon Worldwide ad agency and style expert for www.oscars.com , the official Web site of the Academy Awards.
"The awards-show circuit starts so early and there are so many nominees in the same arena that the stars are approaching it as if they’re compiling a wardrobe," Julian says. "It’s the celebrities who are dictating what they’ll wear _ party pants for the Golden Globes, strapless for the Screen Actors Guild and now this for the Oscars."
That perfect dress for the Oscars is likely to have a retro look, with vintage fabrics, old-fashioned patterns and hand detailing _ all trends that surfaced in the fall fashion shows in New York.
"The biggest thing I keep hearing about is the Old World being reinvented for the New World," Julian says. ",christian louboutin shoes;I’ve seen a lot of paisleys and antique inspirations in accessories as well. And to me, that comes out of that whole grandma’s-closet feel now."
Simple gowns with beaded, embroidered shawls are likely to be a staple, along with turquoise jewelry. Clear colors such as tangerine and coral _ a trend that started with the Golden Globes _ also will be popular. This Oscars may have less flash and more warmth.
But no less glamour. A celebrity not yet named will be wearing a pair of $1 million stilettos with diamond straps, a joint project of shoe designer Stuart Weitzman and Kwiat Diamonds.
Weitzman will reap some publicity, but he’ll also do some good. He plans to donate $30,000 to the favorite charity of the woman who wears the shoes.
