80th Oscars: Red Carpet

I was strolling along Glorietta yesterday morning when my bestfriend Je reminded me that Oscars is being aired now on cable, live. Missed the dreadful opportunity, I did even start to whine as I finished my business in Makati. I went home that afternoon, watched a couple of DVDs, ate and slept until the replay of the whole Oscars show from the red carpet to the official ceremonies is shown at Velvet Channel.

I think it started at around past 7 when I was watching these two Red Carpet hosts candidly sharing to the viewers their bets to win the Oscars (a prerequisite, really since it's an award shows night), but of course most importantly "Who is wearing WHO?" Being Oscars as they say, it is not just the best Acting Award known throughout the world, but it is known to be the best Live Glamor Fashion show on earth. Oscars wouldn't be Oscars if they didn't have the long, audacious telecast of the Red Carpet show, where big starts, break through stars, celebrities walk through that sophisticated and grand carpet with tons of photographers, tons of anchors, tons of screaming fans and images of beauty clad in overly horrendous priced jewelry, gowns, couture and beauty effects.

Before the actual Oscars these actors and celebrities put on a show wherein they pose at their best, with their signature and perfectly glamorous formal attires and celebrity-like personalities. For some actors, they cannot help feeling nervous as thousands of reporters, photographers are catching their every angle, scrutinizing their fashion sense, hoping they don't end up in the worst dressed list. If you think about it, I believe they went through tons of effort actually picking up that dress. It's bad enough for a normal person to go through DRESS anxiety when going to a prom, hoping that she will be as grand or grander than her batchmates, but much more if that person goes through the whole Dress Entrance ramp with the almost the whole world watching and other fellow famous celebrities treading at the same path. It might be that nerve wracking. You have to get that perfect dress...or else.

It's funny though, viewers actually liked watching the Red Carpet show more than the actual celebrity where formality is put to a tee. You could put yourselves to be fashion critics in your own rooms with own comments on the dresses, hoping to see someone who's daring enough to wear something else than the normal, safe black cut dress. In fact, you've got to admire the likes of Tilda Swinton. Few people would choose to pick that dress...as if it involves a lot of effort, and fewer people would get to pull it off. Tilda Swinton may be clad in this kind of ambitious one shoulder creation, but it's more of her intense personality that radiates. I'm dressed formally. This is the time wherein I should be at my most comfortable, and I really don't-care-what-other-people-think-this-is-my-night-attitude. Now that for me is truly admirable, and I just shrug the fact that some fashion critics verbally attest their disbeliefs to some of the fashion sense of non-pick artists, as if they've committed an unforgivable crime of the century. Please.

But moving on, there some artists whose gowns I don't like and some that I actually do like, but I'm in no position to criticize their tastes. I might not like or might not carry Tilda Swinton's dress, but it's definitely rocking if I see it in her perspective. Comfortable and ode to my self-expression! Although what I liked was Marion Coutillard's dress. It's new, it's risky and its' very young and chic. I also liked Miley Cyrus' red dress. Cate Blanchett's dress (by Dries Van Notten) was one of my favorites also in terms of the cut, design and eggplant color, gosh..despite that it's a pregnancy dress, I'm sure lots of men out there wished it was his baby she is carrying. Katherine Heigl's Red Escada dress is also great and Keri Russel's silver ball gown dress. Some of the actresses wore the same dark, black dress with tons of details, layers, laces and fur. Not really a fan of it though. For men, well, they all look the same with minor differences in details actually. The only thing that would set them apart is the perfect FIT of their suit and how they carry themselves without the frills. Leave the frills, glamour and preparation to the girls. For the men, it should be purely handsome, ego, collected confidence. Javier Bardem, the Rock, Viggo Mortensen and the odd ball effects of Johnny Depp and Daniel Day Lewis capped it all off.

It is live fashion show at its finest. You'll know the real personalities of the stars..and at least you'll know that even some stars make mistakes, but not to be dragged by the oscars fashion melt down, everything is purely for self expression with lots of effort.