Comments on: Francesca on the annual Golden Globes fashion brouhaha

By: La BellaDonna

La BellaDonna — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:54:43 +0000

I object strenously when the primary complaint about someone’s outfit, male OR female, is “It’s not what I’m used to!”

I’ve seen these so-called “experts” having a cow over men in traditional Scottish evening wear (yum, yum, YUM), or women wearing something everyone else ISN’T wearing.

I saw Diane (Lane, I think) in a WONDERFUL white outfit one year – fit her beautifully, looked fabulous – she made the “Losers” list for that year. So did Sharon Stone one year in a BREATHTAKING satin evening suit which owed not a little to Christian Dior (the original), and it was well worth it, too. She looked incredibly elegant; I believe one of the “experts” made a snarky remark about “Star Trek”. Well, she looked out of this world, but I don’t think that’s what that Common Tater meant. (small potatoes, and few to the hill).

I’m all for discussing what people wore, what looked great, what looked really odd, even for the wearer, what almost made it and why it didn’t – but I’m interested in the analysis; I’m not looking for a chance to laugh at someone who took a chance, or to mock them merely because their jobs require them to turn up in what is essentially fancy dress these days. I’d rather see someone take a chance on her own taste, and fail, than see ten people in a row all dressed by the same stylist – especially if that stylist is trying to turn out clones of herself (….Rachel Zoe).

By: Abby

Abby — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 22:37:30 +0000

Lisa I completely agree with you re Mickey Rourke. Beautifully said. I brought him up because his clothes have been so discussed, not because I personally objected to them.

By: Ripley

Ripley — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 03:49:27 +0000

I agree with Lisa. These are professionals, and this is part of their job. After all, if it really was only about the performances and who has won or lost, there wouldn’t be a red carpet in the first place. All of the celebrities would walk in the door with a minimum of brouhaha.

Also, if we are going to look at celebrities and say, “She looks great! That dress is stunning. He has such a great sense of style,” then there needs to be the flip side of, “Oh, honey. No.”

By: G-dog

G-dog — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 02:09:30 +0000

Lisa – what a refreshing perspective. Also points out that many former “hotties” are chastised for not properly living up to our expectations. I can only imagine the self-confidence it takes to look past others’ expectations & accept yourself as you are with the additional pressure of the spotlights – which try to impose what you ‘should’ be.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:05:58 +0000

I may be the only person in the world who thinks this, but I actually really like what Mickey Rourke looks like these days. He looks like hell sometimes, but there’s something very real and joyful about the way he presents himself and I like and respect that. I don’t care that he was a hottie when he was young; we were all beautiful then. He’s been through a lot, and there is a lingering sweetness about his little necklaces with his dogs’ names that reflects his sincere gratitude towards the companionship his animals gave him when he didn’t have lot of other true friends, his silly adornments. He refuses to be invisible when he knows he’s not the stud he was. It feels very authentic and real, and I like it. I wouldn’t encourage my husband to dress that way, but Mickey works and owns what he has become. There’s a lesson there and it’s too bad that more people don’t discuss it.

By: Abby

Abby — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 19:42:32 +0000

Oh Francesca, one of my guilty pleasures! You are right of course.

I do love to hear discussion of the dresses. It is interesting aesthetically and where else do we get to see this stuff outside of a runway, which is an even more absurdly out-of-reality environment than a red carpet. I could do without dissection of the choices and the body snark is horrible and probably I should not watch. Strangely enough they seem to be extra nice when talking about an actual big girl!

Anyone claiming that the men get it as bad as the women should put down the crack pipe. Even when the men are criticized there is a tone of “oh that wacky Mickey Rourke, the dear” but when it is a woman it is more “off with her head!”

Helen Mirren rocks my socks, rocks the Casbah and rocks generally. She rocks.

By: mdegraffen

mdegraffen — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 19:18:04 +0000

Aha! So this is where all the talk is coming from…http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/01/20/globes.fashion.critiques/index.html?hpt=P1

By: graciela

graciela — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:35:42 +0000

I think you can critique the dress, the styling, the team behind the appearance. Afterall, fashion is up for critique, no? It’s when people make it personal that it bothers me because it’s not really the actresses fault if they look bad in the clothing. You turn to a stylist to help you find something that works for you, not a mannequin, not a hanger, but you. So if the actress turns out looking “big” when they obviously are not (like all the big talk around Christina Hendricks) that’s a fail for the styling team. And if someone really is “big”, then you can’t hold that against them as an automatic (that’s totally anti-woman). That’s just idiotic. Queen Latifah can look amazing and she can also look bad. It depends on how she is styled, not her size.

By: mdegraffen

mdegraffen — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 14:03:12 +0000

Look, I enjoy those shows. I do. So shoot me. I don’t have the money for the team and I never will, so I like to see what people are wearing. Over the years I have even gained an education from these shows as to designers that I like, trends I would or would not want to try, etc. It’s obvious who uses stylists and who tries to go it alone. Part of being a star is the image projected. If you publicize yourself as elegant, then your image should match. If you are a rules breaking kind of person, then your dress for these events should reflect that. And if, unfortunately, you have questionable taste and do your own styling, then your choices reflect that. This year’s GG’s also had an extra element of rain and what it does to carefully constructed hair styles. I heard the words Aqua Net more than once, which I hadn’t heard in years. I also watch makeover shows because I enjoy the transformation and seeing people making better choices. Most people have no clue as to how they are perceived by others. Frankly, I also find the reference to high school a bit insulting. I’m 60 years old. I was and still am a studious type, and would not care to relive those years. It was not fun.

By: All Women Stalker

All Women Stalker — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 05:42:14 +0000

If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say nothing at all. I like it, I really do. Sadly, I sometimes unconsciously find myself joining in on the idle chatter. I need to do something about this trait. It’s not very nice.