The Fug Girls: The Best and Worst Red-Carpet Moments of 2014
Photo: Christopher Polk/Getty ImagesDimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images (2)
It is a truth universally acknowledged that you cannot properly close the book on a year without first reminiscing about its highs and lows. So, in order to move into 2015 with a clean slate, please join us as we take a look back at 2014’s awards shows, galas, premieres, and film festivals, reveling in what worked and purging the horrors of what didn’t. (Spoiler: In the future, we may just refer to the past 12 months as the Year of Lupita.)
BEST: Lupita Nyong’o’s Entire Awards Season She helped custom-make her shimmering Oscars Prada, and she picked a clever, crisp cerulean Gucci th...
BEST: Lupita Nyong’o’s Entire Awards Season She helped custom-make her shimmering Oscars Prada, and she picked a clever, crisp cerulean Gucci that decorated her rather than the other way around. But that Ralph Lauren cape from the Globes truly announced her, way louder than a megaphone ever could — an extraordinarily self-assured, unerring, challenging choice for a rookie. A global style crush was born.
Photo: Gabriel Olsen/Getty Images
BEST: Elizabeth Banks in Elie Saab Couture Who’d have predicted we’d begin the year with a great cape, much less end it with one? Elizabeth has ...
BEST: Elizabeth Banks in Elie Saab Couture Who’d have predicted we’d begin the year with a great cape, much less end it with one? Elizabeth has gotten absurdly good at this red-carpet malarkey — all the more remarkable for how easy it would be to go full Effie Trinket at every Mockingjay premieres, and how deft it is for her to model something just as indelible, with a flavor all its own.
Photo: Anthony Harvey/Getty Images
BEST: Amy Adams in Antonio Berardi Amy switched stylists this year, and gone are the days of strapless, sweetheart-neckline sacks. Her perfect c...
BEST: Amy Adams in Antonio Berardi Amy switched stylists this year, and gone are the days of strapless, sweetheart-neckline sacks. Her perfect cleavage made us cry with envy in American Hustle (and, aptly, at the Golden Globes before this), but this creatively cut gown from the SAGs did a tremendous job reminding us that her bod does not begin and end with her boobs.
Photo: Steve Granitz/2014 Steve Granitz
BEST: Oscar de la Renta at the Met Gala The colors, shimmer, and texture of Karlie’s and Ivanka’s gowns are once-in-a-lifetime stuff even for the...
BEST: Oscar de la Renta at the Met Gala The colors, shimmer, and texture of Karlie’s and Ivanka’s gowns are once-in-a-lifetime stuff even for the lucky ones. But though we were mixed at the time on SJP’s custom piece, hindsight suggests she was eerily prescient (or in-the-know): She insisted upon that iconic red signature on the train, and now that Mr. de la Renta is gone, it has become an iconic, poignant way to say good-bye to a master whose personal touch won’t infuse the Met Gala again until the inevitable day when it’s thrown in his honor.
Photo: Larry Busacca/Getty Images
BEST: Kirsten Dunst in Rodarte Let’s be honest, it’s a rare thing when we drape one of these laurels on a Rodarte. But the Star Wars series of d...
BEST: Kirsten Dunst in Rodarte Let’s be honest, it’s a rare thing when we drape one of these laurels on a Rodarte. But the Star Wars series of dresses was so weirdly, delightfully ballsy and whimsical, and we cannot think of a better place for one than the body of one of the Mulleavys’ earliest fans at the Met Gala — an event that generally embraces balls and whimsy.
Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/2014 Getty Images
BEST: Uzo Aduba in Christian Siriano For the Orange Is the New Black actress, there’s no better way to flip the Crazy Eyes coin than to show up a...
BEST: Uzo Aduba in Christian Siriano For the Orange Is the New Black actress, there’s no better way to flip the Crazy Eyes coin than to show up at the Emmys looking like a bombshell. This dress was custom, and it’s jaw-dropping on her, and it’s giving us crazy eyes the longer we gawk.
Photo: Kevork Djansezian/NBC/2014 Kevork Djansezian/NBC
BEST: Lizzy Caplan in Donna Karan Atelier Imagine that point in the rom-com where the heroine arrives at the ball at the top of the stairs, and ...
BEST: Lizzy Caplan in Donna Karan Atelier Imagine that point in the rom-com where the heroine arrives at the ball at the top of the stairs, and everyone turns to look at her as she descends in a gown that’s silken and fitted as a second skin (but which will get peeled off later by Matthew McConaughey or something). That delicious breath-in-your-throat feeling is the exact experience of looking at Lizzy in this dress.
Photo: Frazer Harrison/2014 Getty Images
BEST: January Jones’s Prabal Gurung Note that we said January’s Prabal, not January in Prabal, because we actually don’t think Ms. Jones herself...
BEST: January Jones’s Prabal Gurung Note that we said January’s Prabal, not January in Prabal, because we actually don’t think Ms. Jones herself did much for it. But despite her non-transportive styling choices, the dress itself is still unforgettable, from the fabric to the cut. Close your eyes and stick it on Diane Kruger, or Lucy Liu, or anyone who wouldn’t succumb to the urge to style her bangs with an entire can of hair spray. There, we feel better already.
Photo: Frazer Harrison/2014 Getty Images
BEST: Blake Lively in Gucci Premiere Blake hasn’t yet proven herself as a Major Movie Star, but that didn’t stop her from having a Major M...
BEST: Blake Lively in Gucci Premiere Blake hasn’t yet proven herself as a Major Movie Star, but that didn’t stop her from having a Major Movie Star Moment in Cannes. She’s like Cinderella all grown up, and with sturdier shoes.
Photo: Danny Martindale/Getty Images
BEST: Myleene Klass in Dennis Basso Hayden Panettiere scored with a baby-blue and peachy-pink version of this dress at the Met Gala, but th...
BEST: Myleene Klass in Dennis Basso Hayden Panettiere scored with a baby-blue and peachy-pink version of this dress at the Met Gala, but the British TV host/musician beat her by almost a month to the design, wearing it to the Olivier Awards in April, and for sheer impact the black-and-white wins by a mile — or, we suppose, a kilometre. Klass’s appearance in this gown is now basically the only reason we remember that that event even exists (with all due respect to Sir Larry).
Photo: Tim P. Whitby/2014 Getty Images
BEST: Jessica Chastain in Elie Saab Couture Without the heavy Cannes wind, it’s lovely. With the wind, it’s transcendent. Mother Nature mu...
BEST: Jessica Chastain in Elie Saab Couture Without the heavy Cannes wind, it’s lovely. With the wind, it’s transcendent. Mother Nature must REALLY have thought she deserved that Oscar for Zero Dark Thirty, because she repaid Chastain that loss by doing her an almost iconic solid.
Photo: Dominique Charriau/Le Film Franc
BEST: Camilla Belle in Carolina Herrera Camilla might be the best-dressed person you aren’t ever totally sure you’ve heard of, and she beat a lo...
BEST: Camilla Belle in Carolina Herrera Camilla might be the best-dressed person you aren’t ever totally sure you’ve heard of, and she beat a lot of other very needy contenders to this fabulous coral gown. We especially like the clever clear belt that gives it a touch of shading without hijacking the monochrome effect. It’s solid proof that Herrera isn’t just high fashion for high society; there’s plenty for the Youngs as well.
Photo: Jason Kempin/2014 Getty Images
BEST: Janelle Monae in Tadashi Shoji Monae habitually sports a self-described uniform of black and white, and this glorious, bold Shoji cape was...
BEST: Janelle Monae in Tadashi Shoji Monae habitually sports a self-described uniform of black and white, and this glorious, bold Shoji cape was an elegant way to take that uniform and kick it up a notch. All credit to her that she managed to honor the Met Gala’s Charles James theme while staying true to her modern, cool aesthetic.
Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/2014 Getty Images
BEST: Liu Wen in Zac Posen Posen’s construction skills have never been used to better effect than on this gown — and it is a gown, make no mista...
BEST: Liu Wen in Zac Posen Posen’s construction skills have never been used to better effect than on this gown — and it is a gown, make no mistake. The Met Gala should always supply more than just mere dresses, and from the color to the cut, this entire effort was exquisite.
Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/2014 Getty Images
BEST: Karolina Kurkova in Marchesa Too often lately, the talents of Georgina Chapman get lost under a pile of feathered, sparkly, mesh DIY madnes...
BEST: Karolina Kurkova in Marchesa Too often lately, the talents of Georgina Chapman get lost under a pile of feathered, sparkly, mesh DIY madness. But this Met Gala stunner was a gorgeous reminder of the label’s strengths, and why it became so beloved: It's dramatic, over the top, and unforgettable, made better thanks to a brilliant marriage of frock with a model who really knows what to do with it.
Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/2014 Getty Images
BEST: Allison Williams in Giambattista Valli Allison Williams's WASP-y good looks are well suited to classic silhouettes like this Emmy gown. Bu...
BEST: Allison Williams in Giambattista Valli Allison Williams's WASP-y good looks are well suited to classic silhouettes like this Emmy gown. But the brilliance of this Valli is that it mixes basic and offbeat in a way that compels us to look closer with eyes wide, rather than narrowed in a perplexed squint.
Photo: Jason Merritt/2014 Getty Images
BEST: Freida Pinto in Oscar de la Renta Cannes always inspires the stars to go big, which can lead to them looking insane rather than iconic. But...
BEST: Freida Pinto in Oscar de la Renta Cannes always inspires the stars to go big, which can lead to them looking insane rather than iconic. But Freida Pinto ably sidestepped that trap with a dramatic, gold-trimmed gown that is major enough not to be for the faint of heart, yet which she carries off with gorgeous panache.
Photo: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/2014 Getty Images
BEST: Cate Blanchett in Givenchy When else does one wear one's dramatic quasi-dragon-skin dress, but to Cannes to promote your movie about dragon...
BEST: Cate Blanchett in Givenchy When else does one wear one's dramatic quasi-dragon-skin dress, but to Cannes to promote your movie about dragons? Even without the wink-y thematic tie-in, this dress would be an intricate, dramatic delight — bold and beautiful and brave. In other words: Classic Cate.
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/2014 Getty Images
BEST: Chrissy Teigen in Monique Lhuillier Bless Chrissy for going all-out at the Oscars; there’s no better time for a non-habitual attendee to b...
BEST: Chrissy Teigen in Monique Lhuillier Bless Chrissy for going all-out at the Oscars; there’s no better time for a non-habitual attendee to bring the big glamorous guns. This expert blend of cut and pattern keeps her dress on that razor-thin line between twee and stuffy — perfectly on brand for Teigen's trademark irreverence.
Photo: Jason Merritt/2014 Getty Images
BEST: Heidi Klum in Sean Kelly Simply put, this dress — a challenge winner by Project Runway contestant Kelly — was so much fun, and perfec...
BEST: Heidi Klum in Sean Kelly Simply put, this dress — a challenge winner by Project Runway contestant Kelly — was so much fun, and perfectly deployed at the Creative Arts Emmys. Heidi Klum is never going to show up looking directionally understated or severely elegant at an awards show, so it was brilliant of Kelly to play directly to her Cheerful Crackpot side, rather than her nudist side. She gets just as much attention, but we are far more amused.
Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
BEST: Ashley Madekwe in Roksanda Ilincic You don’t have to be an A-list name to get an A-plus gown. In the depths of January, this was a neon del...
BEST: Ashley Madekwe in Roksanda Ilincic You don’t have to be an A-list name to get an A-plus gown. In the depths of January, this was a neon delight, flattering and fresh and eye-catching. But it also marked the beginning of a year that saw Ilincic’s brand get a huge publicity boost (even the Duchess of Cambridge opted for a frock). We don’t know if Ashley gets the credit, but she should take it anyway.
Photo: Jason Merritt/2014 Getty Images
BEST: Emma Stone in Atelier Versace We never got around to seeing the Spider-Man sequel Emma was promoting, but we doubt the movie lived u...
BEST: Emma Stone in Atelier Versace We never got around to seeing the Spider-Man sequel Emma was promoting, but we doubt the movie lived up to the glorious promise of the dress. To be blunt, it’s so extremely dreamy, especially with that perfect hair and fabulous red lip. Make a note, Emma: Go for Old Hollywood Glamour as much as possible in 2015.
Photo: Tim P. Whitby/2014 Getty Images
BEST: Just Rihanna’s Head Here Somehow, Rihanna figured out the best makeup and ideal earrings to wear with a crystallized kerchief, and turned ...
BEST: Just Rihanna’s Head Here Somehow, Rihanna figured out the best makeup and ideal earrings to wear with a crystallized kerchief, and turned the whole thing into our favorite head-suit of the year. When you look at how much she’s actually got on that head, it’s amazing that her own beauty is still what shines through it all. And helpful, given that the REST of her is shining through what she’s wearing from the neck down ...
Photo: Randy Brooke/2014 Randy Brooke
WORST: Rihanna in Adam Selman Listen, her bod is great. And sure, the sheath’s sparkles are pretty, and making this gown was probably a technica...
WORST: Rihanna in Adam Selman Listen, her bod is great. And sure, the sheath’s sparkles are pretty, and making this gown was probably a technical master class. But this is also F-list-level attention-seeking from a certified A-lister, and while Rihanna probably found that amusing, we despair of a fashion world where people keep treating actual clothes like they’re obsolete.
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/2014 Getty Images
WORST: Paula Patton in Stephane Rolland Now that we know she and Robin Thicke were in hot marriage water when she wore this, maybe we can look a...
WORST: Paula Patton in Stephane Rolland Now that we know she and Robin Thicke were in hot marriage water when she wore this, maybe we can look at this dress as a metaphor for her inner turmoil erupting to the surface. Or it’s just totally hideous. You choose.
Photo: Jason Merritt/2014 Getty Images
WORST: Julia Roberts’s Awards Season Julia Roberts is a tall, rich drink of water. When she comes out of hiding, she has all the resources to ki...
WORST: Julia Roberts’s Awards Season Julia Roberts is a tall, rich drink of water. When she comes out of hiding, she has all the resources to kill us with glamour; instead she killed us with godawful. That Givenchy at the Oscars is dowdy and stuffy. The wrinkly Dolce & Gabbana sure looks like she shoved her own button-down underneath it, but apparently it came that way. And not to belabia the point, but her Lady Gumby jumpsuit from Valentino is a double-crotched devil. We are beginning to suspect that whoever is giving her advice simply cannot stand her.
Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images
WORST: Bibs at the SAGs Kerry Washington (and Miuccia Prada) didn’t seem to grasp that babies don’t need to wear bibs until after they’re out of...
WORST: Bibs at the SAGs Kerry Washington (and Miuccia Prada) didn’t seem to grasp that babies don’t need to wear bibs until after they’re out of the womb. Kerry can always blame her fashion misstep on pregnancy hormones, but we don’t know what Cate’s excuse is — unless she had a late-night reservation at the Lobster after the show.
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/2014 Getty Images
WORST: Elizabeth Olsen in Miu Miu Our understanding is that Elizabeth actually said she wanted a deeper blue, not a deeper Braille.
Photo: Larr...
WORST: Elizabeth Olsen in Miu Miu Our understanding is that Elizabeth actually said she wanted a deeper blue, not a deeper Braille.
Photo: Larry Busacca/2014 Getty Images
WORST: Sandra Lee in Dara Lamb One could argue that this is at least an event-appropriate nod to the structure and stylings of Met Gala honoree ...
WORST: Sandra Lee in Dara Lamb One could argue that this is at least an event-appropriate nod to the structure and stylings of Met Gala honoree Charles James. It’s more likely, though, that Sandra Lee actually just had the cost-saving brain wave to wear one of her own tablescapes and call it a day.
Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/2014 Getty Images
WORST: Sarah Jessica Parker in Schiaparelli It must have been a huge relief for everyone on staff at Peter Pan Live! to know that, if something ...
WORST: Sarah Jessica Parker in Schiaparelli It must have been a huge relief for everyone on staff at Peter Pan Live! to know that, if something went awry, a musical-theater pro like SJP was ready and waiting and dressed to step in as Wendy.
Photo: Gilbert Carrasquillo/2014 Gilbert Carrasquillo
WORST: Glenn Close and Kristen Stewart These two took a similar cut of white pant — snug, then billowing at the thighs — and united it across th...
WORST: Glenn Close and Kristen Stewart These two took a similar cut of white pant — snug, then billowing at the thighs — and united it across the generations with utterly awful execution. Kristen’s Chanel trousers appear to be made of packing material, like she’s a fragile genie in a roughly handled lamp, and Glenn’s are made of hellfire and despair. It’s the first time we’ve ever rooted for someone to have a ruinous marinara accident.
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/2014 Getty Images
WORST: Kendall Jenner in Fausto Puglisi We basically ignored Kim for this list because ... really, what is the point, anymore? She’s shown...
WORST: Kendall Jenner in Fausto Puglisi We basically ignored Kim for this list because ... really, what is the point, anymore? She’s shown us her cards, and then some. But we had hope for Kendall, the Kardashian/Jenner who’s actually trying to work in the trenches as something other than a Kardashian/Jenner. Maybe the Junior Jenners, a fresh wave, would get it right? And then, here, the apple fell from the tree and landed right on top of the others and crushed our spirits.
Photo: Sonia Recchia/2014 Getty Images
WORST: Anne Hathaway in Rodarte Anne deserves points for her sensitive homage to the life of the itinerant fisherman — that is what this i...
WORST: Anne Hathaway in Rodarte Anne deserves points for her sensitive homage to the life of the itinerant fisherman — that is what this is, right? — but no one ever made a best-dressed list wearing a net. At least, not one of ours. Case in point ...
Photo: Andrew H. Walker/2014 Getty Images
WORST: Cara Delevingne in Balmain She looks like the least-reliable employee at some extremely poncey Foot Locker in Milan. The only bright spot...
WORST: Cara Delevingne in Balmain She looks like the least-reliable employee at some extremely poncey Foot Locker in Milan. The only bright spot is that at least Balmain devotee Kim Kardashian didn't get to this sartorial scrap heap first.
Photo: Kristy Sparow/2014 Kristy Sparow
WORST: Lupita Nyong'o, Once Awards Season Ended Lupita’s awards season was so carefully classy and tasteful that it’s only natural she erupted w...
WORST: Lupita Nyong'o, Once Awards Season Ended Lupita’s awards season was so carefully classy and tasteful that it’s only natural she erupted when it was over — like the sartorial equivalent of letting out a long-suppressed scream. Sometimes this worked, but more often, we ended up with stuff like the heavy and unflattering Suno shorts ensemble, or some of what Prada saddled her with — like the boxy white number that employs gilded freaking bike shorts underneath, and the Met Gala ensemble that's more Disney Does Gatsby than Charles James. Fingers crossed that she's gotten it all out of her system.
Photo: Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images
WORST: Analeigh Tipton in Ulyana Sergeenko This is an unmitigated disaster from one of America’s Next Top Model’s greatest success stories: unfl...
WORST: Analeigh Tipton in Ulyana Sergeenko This is an unmitigated disaster from one of America’s Next Top Model’s greatest success stories: unflattering, confusing, and waaaaay TMI about the form of Analeigh’s Maidenform. Better luck next time, kid.
Photo: Frederick M. Brown/2014 Getty Images
WORST: Zoe Saldana in Prabal Gurung When asked about her custom Prabal on the red carpet, Zoe Saldana noted that the designer told her "onl...
WORST: Zoe Saldana in Prabal Gurung When asked about her custom Prabal on the red carpet, Zoe Saldana noted that the designer told her "only [she]" could wear it. Which is a huge vote of confidence in Zoe, but also a lie. The sad truth is that no one can wear this.
Photo: Kevin Winter/2014 Getty Images
WORST: Katie Holmes in Marchesa If Karolina Kurkova got the best of Marchesa at the Met Gala, the erstwhile Joey Potter pulled the short end of ...
WORST: Katie Holmes in Marchesa If Karolina Kurkova got the best of Marchesa at the Met Gala, the erstwhile Joey Potter pulled the short end of the stick, stuck with this mess of a dress that evokes Belle from Beauty and the Beast on a bender in the Heinz bottling factory. Can't we all agree that Katie Holmes has been through enough?
Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/2014 Getty Images
WORST: Beyoncé in Givenchy Couture We've been on the run from the Beygency since we saw this originally, so it surely can't hurt to reite...
WORST: Beyoncé in Givenchy Couture We've been on the run from the Beygency since we saw this originally, so it surely can't hurt to reiterate that — while she looks gorgeous from the shoulders up — we've seen the rest of this done before, and better. Surely even she would agree that Beyoncé, of all people, shouldn't phone it in to the Met Gala, of all events. In her defense, we now know there was some major family drama on the menu that night, so maybe she was distracted. But shouldn't Beyoncé have someone on payroll to be distracted for her? Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/2014 Getty Images
WORST: Li Bingbing in Erdem What is even happening here? That's not a rhetorical question. We cannot parse what this is. Is it hot pants underne...
WORST: Li Bingbing in Erdem What is even happening here? That's not a rhetorical question. We cannot parse what this is. Is it hot pants underneath a sheer-panted jumpsuit? And if so, does this mean that we're finally at the end-times? That actually would explain a lot.
Photo: Lintao Zhang/2014 Getty Images
WORST: Rosario Dawson in Vionnet She has a HEPA filter on her vagina, you guys.
Photo: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/2014 Getty Images
WORST: Lena Dunham in Giambattista Valli Both Hannah and Marnie wore this label to the Emmys this year and, honestly, this is exactly how the tw...
WORST: Lena Dunham in Giambattista Valli Both Hannah and Marnie wore this label to the Emmys this year and, honestly, this is exactly how the two of them wearing the same designer would have unfolded on Girls. Poor Hannah. She cannot win.
Photo: Frazer Harrison/2014 Getty Images
WORST: This Valentino Dress One wore it with the sheers, to Cannes; one added dark modesty panels for an Oscars party. Neither should have bothe...
WORST: This Valentino Dress One wore it with the sheers, to Cannes; one added dark modesty panels for an Oscars party. Neither should have bothered. Karlie Kloss is basically superhuman, and even she looks like a crazed urchin trapped at a disintegrating lace factory in this thing. If it’s too advanced for the pros, then Mamie Gummer never stood a chance.
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
WORST: Julianne Moore in Chanel On the pro side, at least this is a real conversation-starter. Unfortunately, all those conversations begin with...
WORST: Julianne Moore in Chanel On the pro side, at least this is a real conversation-starter. Unfortunately, all those conversations begin with screams.
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/2014 Getty Images
WORST: Jennifer Lopez's Legs No, we’re not casting aspersions on the legs themselves. We would kill to have those legs (and trying to get them w...
WORST: Jennifer Lopez's Legs No, we’re not casting aspersions on the legs themselves. We would kill to have those legs (and trying to get them would probably kill us). But nobody makes her assets a punch line quite like J.Lo does. This year, she forced those poor, shapely suckers into one-legged pants, a skirt-leotard hybrid, and super-tight, high-waisted marching-band castoffs. Your legs have been so good to you, Jennifer. Be nicer to them next year.
Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
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