Hi everyone,
Here is our annual Point/Counter Point about the Oscar Fashions (as well as some ways the library can let you relive or make fun of the Academy Awards)

Marialice:
The good. The bad. All boring.
I saw a posting on Facebook the other day that stated: better to arrive late than to arrive ugly. I laughed because this has always been my motto.
And it reminded me of this year’s Oscar fashion. Not that the stars were ugly by any means but there did not seem to be much fussing—with gowns, hair, makeup. I like more glamour, I guess.

• I dress better to walk my dog, than costume designer Jenny Beaven when she clomped up the aisle to claim her Oscar. Its hard to believe that back in 1986, she won an Oscar for best costume design for Room with a View. So she must know a thing or two about fashion and period frocks. (Place a hold on Mad Max, Fury Road).
• The dress I liked the least was worn by Heidi Klum or should I say that it wore her.. The color was bad enough but add to it a single puffy sleeve and an unattractive cut-out. I would have thought it would be hard to make Ms Klum look bad, but this gown and plain messy pony tail, sure did the trick. Kiss, kiss, bye, bye ugly Marchase gown. (Request Heidi Klum’s Body of Knowledge)
• I’m afraid I didn’t see The Danish Girl and had no idea who Alicia Vikander was. Her yellow dress was very understated as was her hair and lack of jewelry. But the worst part was the puffy hem that couldn’t make up its mind whether to be long or short. (Place a hold on The Danish Girl)
• Olivia Wilde need to lose that collar around her neck or perhaps it was holding her up. (Stream The Longest Week starring Olivia Wilde via the library’s subscription to Hoopla.)
• Kerry Washington looked like a dominatrix in her leather bodice and mismatched Charlize Theron—what were you thinking? That gown was much too low cut for my taste. Although I did love her earrings and her smoky eyes. (Request the first four seasons of Kerry Washington’s show, Scandal.)
• My favorite look was Cate Blanchett. She was perfection—earrings, bracelet, great seafoam color Amani Prive gown. (Place a hold on Cate Blanchett’s movie, Carol)
• Brooklyn’s Saoirse Ronan looked beautiful in her green sequined gown, mismatched earrings and beautiful beachy hair. (Download the book, Brooklyn from the library’s subscription to Overdrive)
• Priyanka Chopra looked elegant. That silver belt was just the right touch. (Place a hold on Dil dhadakne do starring Priyanka Chopra.)
• The only gentleman to stand out was Jared Leto and not in a good way. That Gucci tux with the flower bow tie and red piping was certainly unusual. (Request Jared Leto’s movie Dallas Buyers Club)
• This year’s fashions were too boring for me. Please bring back more Hollywood glamour. Even if everyone is late to walk the red carpet.

Laura:
I agree with Marialice that the outfits were a bit on the dull side, this year. (Except for the crew of Mad Max: Fury Road. I love that they went the funky but the casual route). However, I managed to find some looks that I adored and others that I really disliked.

• Cate Blanchett: Worst Dressed. Marialice and I completely disagree on this one! If the dress didn’t have a bunch of little flowers attached to it, I actually would have liked it. (Download the Carol inspired novel, The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith from the library’s subscription to Overdrive.)
• Jennifer Lawrence: Worst Dressed. There is a Yiddish word, ungapatchka (spelling not accurate) that my grandmother used to describe outfits such as this. Read the definition and you’ll know what I mean. (Place a hold on Jennifer Lawrence’s movie, Joy)
• Kate Winslet: Worst Dressed. It’s so shiny. It looks like a large garbage bag. (Place a hold on Kate Winslet’s movie, Steve Jobs)
• Charlize Theron: Neutral. I agree with Marialice that the neckline is low, but I think the dress itself is nice, and the color is beautiful on her. (Request Charlize Theron’s movie, Monster)
• Alicia Vikander: A qualified best dressed. I think the dress is adorable, but I’m not a huge fan of the inconsistent lengths. (Place a hold on the book, The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff.)
• Kerry Washington: A qualified worst dressed. I like the hair and jewelry. The dress would not be too bad, if the top was made out of a different material. (It looks like it was made out of construction paper) (Request Kerry Washington’s movie Django Unchained.)
• Reese Witherspoon: Best dressed. Very elegant and a nice color on her. (Stream the soundtrack from Reese Witherspoon’s movie, Walk the Line via the library’s subscription to Hoopla.)
• Rooney Mara: Worst dressed. Yikes! (Place a hold on the audiobook version of The Price of Salt.)
• Lady Gaga: It works for her. I would have hated this on anyone else (and I certainly couldn’t pull it off) but it kind of works on her. (Place a hold on the documentary, The Hunting Ground featuring Lady Gaga’s song, “Til it Happens to You.”)
• Jennifer Garner: Best dressed. Alias’s Agent Sydney Bristow looks stunning. (Request the entire series, Alias.)
• John Legend: Best dressed. Legend pulls off the classic look in style. (Download one of John Legend’s albums via the library’s subscription to Freegal.)
• Olivia Munn: Best dressed. Simple and elegant. (Request Suck It, Wonder Woman! : The Misadventures of a Hollywood Geek by Olivia Munn)
• Whoopi Goldberg: Best dressed. I think she looks great! Not a huge fan of the jewelry, but this dress is perfect for her. (Download the e-book It It Just Me? Or is It Nuts out There by Whoopi Goldberg via Overdrive.)
• Heidi Klum: Worst dressed. Maybe it’s me. She is a host of Project Runway, so she obviously knows about these things better than I do, but not my thing! (Request eight seasons of Project Runway)
• Common: Best dressed. A nice twist on a classic. (Download Common’s album, Can I Borrow a Dollar? via the library’s subscription to Freegal)
• Jared Leto: Worst dressed. I’m boring when it comes to men’s fashion. I love the classic look. Not loving this look. (Request Jared Leto’s show, My So-Called Life)
• Louis Gossett, Jr. and Candy Brown: Best dressed couple. They both look very elegant and lovely together. (Request An Actor and a Gentleman by Louis Gossett, Jr.)