Oscars 2017 | Best and Worst Dressed

Best Dressed

Emma Stone in Givenchy

THIS is what you wear to win an Oscar. A vintage throwback look can be difficult to pull off, but this one was a total success. The bead-work throughout the bodice and in the fringe skirt is ridiculous, and the gold tone is just the right shade for Emma’s skin tone. It was the perfect look to match her movie that was all about jazz music, and paired with a soft wave in her hair, she’s set to swish her skirt at a jazz club.

Taraji P. Henson in Alberta Ferretti

This. Is. How. You. Dress. UMPH. From the hair to the necklace to the boobs to the VELVET, this look was flawless from head to toe. My mom would like you to know that she wishes Taraji had added a bracelet. I think she’s nit-picking.

Auli’I Cravalho in Rubin Singer

For a fresh-faced youth to make her debut as the voice actress in an animated film nominee, this was an impressive entrance. I’m all about art-deco inspiration, and this was a great gown both for the Oscars and for her age.

Kirsten Dunst in Dior Haute Couture

We haven’t seen Kirsten on the carpet in a while, and this was a beautiful Grace Kelly moment. She might as well be in Rear Window. And with POCKETS! Sometimes flawless simplicity is the best way to go.

Felicity Jones in Dior

I’m normally anti-short-dresses when it comes to the Oscars, but Felicity was just a presenter, and for a tea-length dress this was a feminine, sweet, and memorable look. She might as well have stepped out of a Degas ballerina painting. So pretty!

Viola Davis in Armani Privé

Wearing red on the red carpet can be difficult, and I’ll fully admit that it was difficult to find a good photo of this gown, but at the end of the day it was a great color on Viola and that’s probably all that matters. The draping and the fit was GORGEOUS, and I always say that when you’re going to win an Oscar, a dress that has a good neckline is key.

Emma Roberts in Vintage Armani Privé

Vintage gowns can be tricky, but this was perfect. 1. Only a woman with no boobs could wear this dress. 2. The vintage hairstyle, like Emma Stone’s, was a stunning throwback to Old Hollywood glamour. 3. She was representing sustainable fashion by wearing a vintage look and not using resources to create a new one, which I can always get behind. A triple threat.

Janelle Monae in Elie Saab

This look took a bit to grow on me, but now I’m fully on board. She’s spent the entire award season wearing super fussy looks and accessorizing WAY too much, and I was thrilled that she stripped it down a bit. I know what you’re thinking – this is stripped down? Yes. Look at her SAG and Globes looks. This was a crazy detailed dress that she styled with just a few rings, basic studs, and a short, simple hairstyle. It’s quintessentially Janelle, and it will probably go down in Oscar gown history.

Best Party Looks

Heidi Klum in Alberta Ferretti

Grace Helbig always says that Heidi is always there. It doesn’t matter if she’s not getting an award or presenting, she just always gets an invitation. She ended up going to a few after parties in several Alberta Ferretti looks, because of course she would. Whatever she decides to wear is always a love-it-or-hate-it situation, and she happened to look fabulous in both gowns! Two very different looks, but two hits in my book.

Kate Bosworth in J. Mendel

This is just so freaking classy. A lot of people use the Vanity Fair party as an excuse to dress in slinky, more casual dresses, but this was an Oscar-worthy gown and a stunning look on Kate.

Kate Bekinsale in Zuhair Murad

I love how extravagant this gown is. She wasn’t nominated. She wasn’t presenting. She didn’t walk the red carpet. But Kate showed up to the party in a dress that says “I’m going to show up and make an entrance with SLEEVES and you’re going to know I’m here and I’m going to look better than you. Boom.”

Best Couples

Justin Timberlake in Tom Ford and
Jessica Biel in Kaufman Franco

I get all the Jessica Biel Lion King references that circulated the internet, but I still love the uniqueness of her gown and the stand-out necklace. Long sleeves can skew matronly really easily, but the distressed sequins kept this one looking modern and cool.

Justin's tux was probably my favorite of the night because of the TAILORING. If you can afford the best tailoring in the world, there's no excuse to not show up in a perfect suit. Between that and his perfectly proportioned tie, he was one of the best in the house.

John Legend in Gucci and Chrissy Teigen in Zuhair Murad

This photo doesn't even do Chrissy Tiegen's dress justice, but let's be real, Chrissy looks amazing 100% of the time. It's getting kind of boring. Except it isn't, because she somehow manages to surprise me. I'm used to super-sexy looks from her, and this one kept the sex appeal with the slit, but the high neck and sleeves added a modernity while the beading kept it zippy and fun. And it has a cape! And a sheer sleeve! On anyone else this look could be everything but the kitchen sink, but on Chrissy it's just...cool.

John's tie bothers me enormously, but he always seems to know when he's with Chrissy that he's not really the star of the show, and I appreciate that.

Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman in Armani Privé

A lot of people really hated Nicole's dress, and I don't understand why for the life of me. Only Nicole Kidman, with her tallest-glass-of-water body, could wear this dress. She looks like a porcelain statue. And really, given that the last time we saw her she was wearing sequined parrots on her shoulders, I think literally anything else should have been acceptable.

Keith Urban, while not really being a "Hollywood" guy, did a great job keeping it classic with his tux. Am I the only person who thinks it's time for a new hairstyle for him, though? I'm pretty over the banana-streaked highlights.

Jeff Bridges in Dolce & Gabbana and Susan Geston

Susan Geston needs to give a class to women-of-a-certain-age on how to dress. This. Is. SO. STUNNING. It's the right shade of red, the right type of satin, and just the right cut.

Jeff walked out on a limb and went for a 3-piece suit, and he gets my A+ tailoring award, too.

Best Men

Chris Evans in Salvatore Ferragamo

If you're going to step outside the classic norm for the Oscars, at least it's well-tailored and styled. Everything from the tie to the pocket square to the shoes is flawless.

The Moonlight Men (Trevante Rhodes, Alex R. Hibbert, and Ashton Sanders) in Calvin Klein

I loved that these three completely emulated the three phases in their movie with coordinating, but distinctly different looks. So perfect.

Lin Manuel Miranda's Face

Lin looked like a sweet, innocent, enthralled 10-year-old boy the entire night and it broke my poor heart in the best way possible. This man needs to be invited to every Oscars just so the human race can grab onto a shred of his infectious joy.

Honorary Man: Sunny Pawar

...just look at him. 'Nuff said.

They Should Have Changed...

Ruth Negga in Valentino and Oscar de la Renta
Red is a tough color to wear on the red carpet because the reds can easily clash, and Ruth's Valentino gown was one of the worst. The mass of red blew out on camera, and the full-coverage of the gown was overwhelming on her small frame. She looked like a Victorian vampire. The Oscar De la Renta, on the other hand, was the perfect note of formal and whimsical. It's a sculptural, unique work of art.

Alicia Vikander in Louis Vuitton
Dressing Alicia Vikander can be difficult because of how tiny she is - bodice proportions don't always work for her, and the long waist of the weird Spanish flamenco gown she wore on the red carpet just wasn't flattering. I don't really know if that many lace ruffles would look good on anyone, really, and styled with a high bun and a glitzy diamond necklace, the whole look was just wrong. Her after-party look was elegant, mature, and styled to perfection.

Dakota Johnson in Gucci
I understand the concept of wearing two looks by the same designer, but I don't know how anyone could look at Dakota's first gown and be remotely okay with it. I'm not thrilled with the super-shiny satin in either look, but the red carpet gown looks like she pulled her grandmother's yellowed wedding gown out of the attic. The party look, at the very least, has a breath of skin and, well. Looks like it's from this century.

Naomie Harris in Calvin Klein
I can be lenient toward a tea-length gown at the Oscars, but a dress at the knee simply isn't appropriate, and paired with a weirdo miss-matched shoe, the whole look was off. It would have been a better move to wear the gown on the carpet and the short dress at the party.

Leslie Mann in Zac Posen and Carolina Herrera
I have a hard time believing that Zac Posen designed this yellow Beauty and the Beast monstrosity. It's rumpled and crunched and the draping looks like a bad prom dress. The nude Carolina Herrera is so much more elegant and airy.

Worst Dressed

David Oyelowo and Jessica Oyelowo

There's nothing wrong with these looks individually. But if she's wearing a creamy ivory, YOU CAN'T WEAR WHITE AND STAND NEXT TO EACH HER. This was just poor planning on every level.

Terrence Howard

Maybe the photo-op pose is throwing me off a bit, but this bathrobe-tux situation is way too Hugh Hefner for my liking. It's the Oscars. Put on a real jacket.

Casey Affleck's Hair

I don't care if it's for a role or if this is just your vibe - you don't go to the Oscars with a caveman beard and a man bun. Get it together.

Octavia Spencer in Marchesa

Octavia Spencer has worn some STUNNING red carpet gowns, but this one simply isn't flattering. The ruching in the bodice flattens her chest and the shoulder straps make her shoulders look broader than they are. Between that and the washed-out color, she simply blended into the backdrop.

Ginnifer Goodwin in Zuhair Murad

Much like Ruth Negga's gown, this was just a weird Victorian nightmare. This reminds me of what Rochester's murderous attic-wife would wear in Jane Eyre.

Charlize Theron in Dior Couture

This isn't the worst dress in history, but the fabric reminds me far too much of Halloween costumes I had as a child. Trying to dress up as a Grecian Gladiator isn't generally a great move for the Oscars.

Halle Berry in Versace

This was a classic tale of too many looks in one. The top half is great, the bottom half is great, but both put together just look bizarre. If it was all gold or all black it might have worked better, but the combination makes it feel like a cheap prom dress.

Salma Hayak in Alexander McQueen

I distinctly remember an episode of What Not to Wear in which Clinton described a contributor as wearing a top that looked like two watermelons being held up by dental floss. Whelp. Here we are. If that weren't enough, the fabrication is an oddly Moulin Rouge inspired, and combined with the modern straight-hair styling, the whole look is off.

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Photos from EOnline, Harpers Bazaar, CNN, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, and PopSugar.

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