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Make your own Oscar dress? History says "uh-oh"
2007-02-23
Hollywood actresses may have perfected the pout and the come-hither stare but when it comes to designing or styling the perfect outfit for Oscar night, they should defer to the fashion experts. That, at least, is the lesson from the Academy Award's red carpet history, where some daring actresses' self-designed or self-styled creations have fallen flat with fans and fashionistas. "Sometimes it works, mostly it doesn't," said Ryan Patterson, supervising producer for "Access Hollywood." "Mostly you should leave that stuff to the experts." Too much self and not enough professional stylist can be a Catch-22 for actresses, said Valerie Steele, director of the Museum at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology. "People often complain that nowadays the Oscars are really boring because stylists are responsible for dressing the actresses," Steele said. "But you can't blame the actresses. When it's been left up to them, very often they have had these bloopers where they've been made fun of." Remember the Kim Basinger white satin creation with only one sleeve? The look was wildly criticized at the 1990 awards. Ditto that of Demi Moore a year earlier, a look that combined short pants resembling running shorts, a black lace bodice and Elizabethan train. "I remember biker shorts being a really hot thing, but some things are better left for the gym," said Patterson. Even the doyenne of acting herself, two-time Oscar-winner Meryl Streep, has gone the unconventional route for the red carpet. Streep once chose a gown from the sale rack at Saks Fifth Avenue, according to reporter Bronwyn Cosgrave, author of "Made For Each Other," a history of Oscar fashion. Another year, Cosgrave said, the best actress nominee for "The Devil Wears Prada" borrowed a dress from friend Cher, an actress both celebrated and jeered for her creativity come Oscar night. "God help her, she's made some big mistakes on the red carpet," Cosgrave said of Streep, adding that since her star performance in "The Devil Wears Prada," the actress' fashion sense has improved immeasurably. But working with world-class designers and wearing avant-garde, haute couture fashion is no guarantee of red carpet success. Fashion watchers cite the John Galliano reverse white tuxedo Celine Dion wore in 1999 and Uma Thurman in a Christian LaCroix white, blue and gold billowy concoction, as some of the worst of the bunch. And singer Bjork as a white swan? Need we say more? DAISIES AND DREW But every so often, trusting one's own instinct works. In 1996, Sharon Stone delved into her deep closet to assemble a show-stopping red-carpet outfit that included a Gap mock turtleneck and a gardenia plucked from her garden. And Drew Barrymore, according to Patterson, should be applauded for choosing a black gown off the rack one year and accessorizing it with fresh daisies in her hair. A rumor this year that Victoria Beckham, former Spice Girl and wife to soccer star David, would be styling the Oscar outfits for Tom Cruise and wife Katie Holmes revived the issue of dubious self-creations on Hollywood's biggest night. Although the rumor was denied by Beckham's publicist, Patterson said given the former pop star's fashion know-how, such a collaboration would probably be a success. "Look at her and look at her husband," Patterson said. "Nine times out of 10 they both look amazing."
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