Some Red carpet trends are the same at every Academy Awards and awards show. It is guaranteed that there will be variations on the classic black dress and at least a few white dresses just to throw the trend. At the 89th Academy Awards in 2012, the third staple seemed to be for skin-toned dresses. Many stars graced the Red Carpet in gowns that match their skin (and sometimes even their hair).
Cameron Diaz, for example, looked – in my opinion – even better than normal. In true Diaz style, her hair was down and managed to bridge the gap between windswept and styled in a sexy tousle. Her dress was skin toned with beautiful long lines that accentuated her height and whole look. For her, the skin-toned dress gave her a more classic look than she normally achieves.
This look of Cameron Diaz’s could be a hot trend this spring and summer. For a look that is sexy but not cliched, try wearing skin tones. A skin toned dress can be both suggestive and classy.
Another star with a dress that mirrored skin tone was Jennifer Lopez. Her dress was designed to grab attention. This skin toned dress had stripes with varying skin tone colors that seem to radiate out around the dress. This Zuhair Murad creation gives the illusion of being mostly see-through. It is everything that I would expect from a Jennifer Lopez music video: over the top, expensive, and a bordering on raunchy. Could it have worked for a different show? Yes. However for the Oscars I would have liked to have seen Lopez in something classier. This dress could become a summer club look.
Milla Jovovich’s dress at the 2012 Oscars was technically white with a myriad of textures and shades. But this beautiful woman is so pale that the dress accentuated her skin and gave her a pearly look. For most of us, this would leave us looking either like vampire wannabes or anaemicas, but on Jovovich she just looked stunning. Where’s the lesson for the rest of us? If you are dressing to match your skin tone, be honest about what your skin tone is and buy clothes that match your shades.
Kate Mara was last year’s Oscar attention earner 127 Hours. This year she earned attention with her Red carpet appearance. Her dress was incredibly feminine, soft and flowing. It was a delicate tone that looked like it could have been taken from a make-up artist’s palette, but it looked natural and beautiful. The whole effect of this dress was sensual and beautifully feminine. This was a classic choice for Mara, and she looked stunning in an old Hollywood way.
Kate Mara’s outfit is absolutely classic for this type of look. If you are not creating a focus out of colors in your outfit, then use texture to add more interest to your clothes. Using skin toned clothes that combine soft and sheer materials, for example, create a more intricate look that is still incredibly feminine.
Penelope Ann Miller is another actress who was working the skin-tone look on the Oscars Red Carpet. This trend was being embraced by all types of leading ladies this year and by multiple designers. Miller’s dress was skin toned and seems to be some type of lycra, stretchy type material covered with gold sequins. For me, the concept was there, but the overall effect just seems a little cheap for the Academy Awards.
Clearly this year’s surprise Red Carpet trend was for skin-toned dresses, and such dresses will be making appearances throughout the year on women in everyday settings. It is an understated color that can easily turn either super classy or super trashy.