Posts Tagged ‘Anna Kendrick’

The Oscars are over – yes, it’s hard to believe. All of awards season is over till the MTV Movie Awards in June. What? Three months with no awards shows? It’s hard to believe! But the awards season celebs are still flogging their big movies – now, it’s just overseas. “Up in the Air” will open in Tokyo and all of Japan this weekend, and while Vera Farmiga and George Clooney didn’t walk the carpet to promote the movie – we can imagine they’re a bit tired – young star Anna Kendrick did. In a pale blue silk organza bustier Alberta Ferretti dress to the press conference at Bluenote Tokyo in Tokyo. She matched it with the same shade pumps by Jimmy Choo, which were probably dyed to match. She’s the one star who’s stayed absolutely consistent to her style for many months now: pastel or pale silk or organza dresses, not too short – but not very long – that have waistlines, but are rounded, soft, pretty and feminine. She’s got a real “young lady” look that certain designers – like Alberta Ferretti – just love. Notice that she’s moved into a very spring 2010 look just as daylight savings time hits – that’s fashion bingo!!

Elie Saab, the Lebanese couturier who shows in Paris, really is an Oscar household name these days. It all started with him dressing Halle Berry when she won her Oscar all those years ago for “Monster’s Ball.” Since then, he’s gone on to dress many an A list celeb, and most often, Beyonce’, who’s also really helped to put him on the map. Other designers repeated themselves if they dressed two ladies at the Oscars: the two Versaces looked similar (Demi Moore and Elizabeth Banks), the two Armanis did too (Jennifer Lopez and Amanda Seyfriend). But the two Saab chiffon floaty gowns were wildly different, which is an achievement. Anna Kendrick’s pale blush or peach gown was as light as peach yogurt whip. The brilliant minds on E! thought it looked like a peignoir or fancy nightgown – but in fact, it’s very 1930’s old Hollywood, and the color really suits her. Yes, it’s a very soft floaty chiffon gown, very “flou,” as they say in French – a whisper of a gown. But she’s a young girl and can pull off this soft ethereal look very well. Great hair to go with it, and all and all, this is one of our favorite looks for her. It has a very Alberta Ferretti feeling – it looks like a Paolo Roversi photographic image. It’s SO opposite Anna’s image in “Up in the Air” – that tought brash navy jacket office girl. It could actually change the way casting people think of her – which is one of the purposes of Oscar fashion looks. They’re not just for the viewers at home – they’re messages for producers, whom these actresses want to see them in a different way.
Rachel McAdams’ Elie Saab is lovely, but honestly – we thought she was Elizabeth Banks when she walked onto the stage. Her hair color and makeup schemata change so much, we don’t recognize her lately. However, this pale blue and violet watery chiffon print was very flattering for the newly pale toned Rachel. It’s interesting that a lot of ladies did opt for large ballgown skirts, which IS an Oscar tradition – and is definitely the dressiest thing one could ever wear. We admire her nerve for going almost tie-dye, it’s different, and the corset work in the bodice is beautifully intricate and different with a printed fabric. You sure don’t expect a full skirted down to be in a print. Maggie’s Dries print was a slim column.
If Anna was a parfait, Rachel was a floating spring. And you’d never know the same designer made both gowns.

The 12th annual Costume Designers Guild Awards were held last night (Feb 25) at the Beverly Hilton, in this awards show gridlock of shows this week. Parker Posey hosted, and names as big and credible as Rob Marshall, Emily Blunt and Anna Kendrick all turned out – all very turned out, of course. The big tv costume guild awards went to Janie Bryant for “Mad Men” – no surprises there, the show has the best costumes EVER of any tv show – and Lou Eyrich for “Glee.” Catherine Marie Thomas, the costumer for HBO’s “Grey Gardens,” picked up the prize for the best tv movie costumes – and they were. The films where the costumes were lauded were “Crazy Heart” (hmmm . . . wasn’t that all dusty jeans and print blouses on Maggie?), “The Young Victoria” (its costumer, British Sandy Powell, is a true genius), and “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.”
Meanwhile, the way the actresses who turned up dressed was so ALL OVER THE MAP, it’s like they were all going to a different awards show. “Up in the Air’s” Anna Kendrick blew it, fashion-wise, for the first time this season. She’s done all these lovely chic little organza whimsical dresses – and this event, she looked like she was going to her own wedding with the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” as her bridesmaids – in curled hair extentions and a white lace Elie Saab gown with a train. She even looks heavy in this tight tight size 2 gown – and she’s not heavy. Meanwhile, Anna Paquin continued her run of wearing colorful minis and tough girl shoes to an awards show red carpet, something she caught heat for at the SAG Awards (in a wild Alexander McQueen mini, that was cool as hell – but wrong for the SAGS) – this multi color print was by Marios Schwab from fall 2009. It’s a cute dress and not at all inappropriate for THIS event, which is less formal than SAGS or GLOBES. Kristen Bell look chic in a chunky gold beaded cocktail sheath with a deep v in front – very flattering with her blondeness. Emily Blunt was the real grown up in the group, in a washed out blue, black and white dress with fun back detail and shoulder detail – very fashiony and right for costume designers to admire and fawn over. And Minka Kelly just looked god-awful in this fleshtone corset gown that looks like it’s straight out of Frederick’s of Hollywood. She wasn’t dressing for Derek Jeter here – but for costumers!!!!

Anna Kendrick has been sticking to her fashion guns and mostly wearing short frothy cocktail dresses in tulle and organza – very whispy and ethereal – to awards shows for “Up in the Air.” Her character was all no-nonsense and navy blazers, but she seems to favor wavy romantic hair and girlish frocks. And she took the look a little further in this yellow Emilio Pucci dress with gold detail from the Spring Summer 2010 collection. It IS a very summery dress to wear in London in late February – but seasons have little to do with function during awards season. This dress is amazing because of that deco detail going up the front of the dress – it certainly gives the dress some glamourous gravitas. And she’s one of the rare ladies who actually looks good in yellow. But how will be make this look work in a long length for the Oscars, pray tell?

Anna Kendrick, now an Oscar nominee for best supporting actress for “Up in the Air,” wore a chic chic chic ivory silk Gianfranco Ferre two piece spring summer ensemble to the Oscar nominees lunch at the Bev Hilton today – an organza top and a silk satin skirt. It was highly ethereal and chic – this is a good look for her, and did not overpower her. Maggie Gyllenhaal donned a green print long boho very summery looking dress – we know it was warm in LA today, but it looked like a mid July kind of dress. Okay, whatever. We did like her chic bob. And Sandra Bullock wore a fabulous pale grey dress that looked a great deal like an Alexander McQueen – with the highest heels we’ve ever seen her wear, in a pale grey suede. Looks like she finally figured out people are watching her! And Kathryn Bigelow wore her very best look yet – a fabulous white short sleeved dress. Let’s step outside the dark neutrals, Kathryn.

We have to admit, we expected that “Up in the Air” femmes Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick, both much nominated this awards season (and we’ll see what happens when the Oscar noms are announced Feb 2), were not the fashion standouts at the Golden Globes that we expected – or that they were hyped up to be. Vera Farmiga did wear a great black strapless fishtail Dolce & Gabbana gown, which was figure flattering – but it slid into the background when confronted with Drew Barrymore’s pink Versace or Kate Hudson’s white Marchesa creation. Anna Kendrick looked stunning leading up the Globes – at the Palm Springs Film Festival and other events. But at the Globes, she disappointed a bit in a big ruffly off-white frock that overwhelmed and dulled her. But leave it to the SAGS to pick up the fashion slack! Both Vera and Anna opted for real color – maybe they saw their photos online, and realized neither one popped. In a sea of bright strong color, black is backburner and prints look fussy. Anna’s SAG fuschia Alberta Ferretti gown is a fabulous choice for her – no one else has worn that shade, so she owns it – and it’s very flattering with her hair and skin. Some may call it purple – or orchid. To us, it was fuschia. A gorgeous fuschia. Vera Farmiga’s J. Mendal pale sky blue goddess gown from the J. Mendel spring 2010 collection in New York was one of our SAG favorites. We love that she paired that robin’s egg blue with cherry red lips – pale pastels with red lips (Drew Barrymore at Globes) really pops out of photos! It reminds us of the 1930’s, the Golden Age of Hollywood. Her wavy hair is very 1930’s, too. And of course, Vera’s NY based stylist, Amanda Ross, has been best friends with Gilles Mendel from J. Mendel for years. J. Mendel makes some of the best American eveningwear around. It never looks too fussy or overdone – or too tight. Sometimes, it takes two awards shows to get it!

The red carpet live for the SAG Awards is online as of 3:15 pm today (go to ScreenActorsGuildAwards.com for more info), and the show will start at 7:30 on TBS and TNT tonight, but we at Fashionrules already have some predictions!!! Anna Kendrick, Holly Hunter (to be dressed by the divine Maryam Malakpour) and Jane Krakowski are expected to wear gowns by Alberta Ferretti. And since the sun is out, they should look rather divine. Here are some spring looks by the ethereal Milanese designer we could see at the SAGS – her gowns are always Grecian looking, delicate, and often chiffony. Holly Hunter is expected to wear the jewels of New York based jeweler Kimberly McDonald (www.kimberlymcdonald.com), whose diamond and geode based jewels were on Halle Berry, Jane Krakowski and Kathryn Biglow at the Golden Globes – and whose jewels will also be seen at the Grammy’s next weekend! She’s the new IT jeweler for the red carpet, clearly.

As if there weren’t enough awards events going on around town this week, the American Film Institute had a cocktail party at the Four Seasons on Doheny, with an opportunity for some ladies to show up and look chic – since Sunday night’s Globes will be red carpet gridlock to be sure! “Man Men’s” Christina Hendricks broke the “no redheads in red” rule, and made it look more like the rule to wear red as a redhead! “Up in the Air’s” Anna Kendricks continued on her streak of greys and violets with this dusty lavender strapless dress and cool grey shoes. Tom Ford, Julianne Moore, and Gabourey Sidibe of “Precious” were also in the crowd.

We still haven’t figured out who’s dressing newcomer Anna Kendrick from “Up in the Air” for the Golden Globes – we know the skinny on everybody else – but we’ve been admiring her style this week, as a red carpet novice. We love the white double breasted chic little coat she wore to the Palm Springs Film Festival Gala – but even more so, this amazing dress by Parisian house Paule Ke to the National Board of Review in NY. We have to admit, we hadn’t heard of this French company before, designed by Serge Cajfinger who opened the house in Paris in 1987. This is a brand that’s now well known to most Americans, that’s for sure, and not sold in major American stores. How Anna came across this dress, we can’t imagine. It’s a grey organza layered strapless pouf that still manages to be flattering – and it’s so New York that she paired the pale dress with black opaque stockings! Super cool. We’re expected great things on Sunday!