Oscar dress-up clothes, if there is such a thing, are frivolous and lighthearted. But with autumn comes a more serious and sophisticated attitude, as well as pressure to make just the right statement. It becomes especially apparent in special-occasion Oscar dressing.
This fall, retailers and designers are predicting that quiet elegance will win over women looking for Oscar dresses to wear to galas and holiday outings. Gone are busy details and entrance-making ball gowns. Instead, the silhouette of the season is spare, with clean lines that skim the body in fabrics such as silk, satin and matte jersey. Elements of flash are seen in small bow trimmings, irregular hemlines and filmy lingerie looks.
“The corseted Oscar dress with lingerie detailing is very big this fall,” says Stephanie Solomon, fashion director of ready-to-wear for Bloomingdale’s in New York. “Get it in a jewel tone and you’re set for the season.”
“There’s a very strong trend toward glamour,” adds June Rau, Nordstrom’s fashion director for the western region. “There’s drape and movement and a body-consciousness that comes from wearing fabrics that aren’t as heavy as in the past.”
Shorter lengths, too, are what distinguish this fall’s gala gowns from past seasons. It’s especially true of dresses with beading — the most up-to-date beaded number is reminiscent of the dropped-waist flapper dress from the 1920s.
Black this season is considered safe but a tad boring. Women who want to make a memorable entrance should choose dresses in reds and purples, fashion experts say.
“From a style standpoint, we’re seeing cleaner styling with some open backs, ribbon detailing and interesting necklines,” says Richard Samuelson, vice president and general manager of Neiman Marcus at Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto.
The store usually does well with evening dresses by Carmen Marc Valvo, Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta, Badgley Mischka and Melinda Eng, he says.
“Evening wear is one of the most personal categories women shop for, and they really do spend a lot of time looking and begin their search early for the season,” Samuelson says.
Accessories continue to be opulent and bold. Furs, real or fake, are seen in wraps and on collars and purses. The evening bag of the season is the clutch. Earrings sparkle and dangle long. Legs stand out in fishnets or seamed hosiery and ankle-strap shoes. The one must-have: a colorful pair of gloves in satin or leather.
Famous Oscar dresses by popular designers at the Academy Awards.
TheOscarDresses.com trying to find out Best Oscar Dresses and Worst Oscar Dresses:
Posts Related to Elegant Fashion Season
Weightless Wonderment
The seasons in Southern California differ so subtlety that it is easy to miss the drift from one to another, that is with the exception ...
-
Academy Awards ceremony
The best fashion show in the world each year is not on the catwalk runways of London, Paris and New York, but on the red ...
Charlize Theron Oscar dress 2000
Celebrity Oscar dresses: Charlize Theron, star of The Cider House Rules, also stood out in a shimmering bronze silk Oscar dress cut in a beautifully-simple ...
-
Fashion questions: Oscar Dresses
Best non sequitur fashion questions: Kathy Griffin to fellow host Bobbie Thomas of In Touch magazine: "Is it true that Underoos are the underwear that's ...
Hilary Swank Oscar dress 2005
The Oscar Winner: At the 77th Academy Awards on Febriary 27 at the Kodak Theatre, Hilary Swank, who won Best Actress as a fatalistic boxer ...
No Comments, Comment or Ping