Pizza, selfies and Leonardo DiCaprio—part of a junior high sleepover or the 86th Academy Awards? Surprisingly, the answer is both.
However, that is where the similarities stop. Sunday’s Oscars replaced pink pajamas with Dior and Prada dresses and swapped makeovers featuring braids and Cotton Candy Lip Smackers for hours in hair and make-up.
Last year’s Oscars undoubtedly belonged to J-Law, her win and, of course, the famous trip.
Ellen referenced her fall in a hilarious opening monologue: “If you win tonight, I think we should bring you the Oscar.” She also gave her some props for last year’s win, saying “I don’t want you to think of this as any kind of a competition. It’s a celebration. Although who are we kidding? It’s The Hunger Games. I mean, there are cameras everywhere. You’re starving. Jennifer Lawrence won last year. It is The Hunger Games.”
At times I was unsure if I was watching The Oscars because it seemed to be “The Ellen Show.”
Despite another trip by Jennifer Lawerence (who I love, but does anyone else ever wonder if she’s Katniss-ing us with the relatable, awkward stunts?) and Ellen’s jokes, this year was all about Lupita Nyong’o.
Lupita Nyong’o, originally from Kenya and a Yale graduate, took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, beating out Lawrence, for her role in “12 Years A Slave.” Lupita has been a staple in the fashion world this year, and she is known for wearing bold colors and taking risks.
Her Oscars look did not disappoint. Lupita donned an ethereal ice blue Prada gown with a plunging neckline and a diamond-emblazoned headband that Blair Waldorf would most definitely approve of. The look evoked images of Cinderella, the headband working as a modern tiara. She said the color reminded her of Nairobi, Kenya’s capital city, and she “wanted to have a little bit of home.”
Lupita looked flawless and her articulate, emotional acceptance speech, appearance in Ellen’s #EpicSelfie (which garnered over 2 million retweets, breaking records as the most popular tweet ever) and shimmy with Pharrell confirmed her presence as the new “It Girl” of Hollywood.
Lupita’s dress played on one of spring’s upcoming trends: pastels. Another prevalent spring trend was seen on Kate Hudson, Camila Alves, Penelope Cruz and Kelly Osbourne: the cape. I know you’re used to Christian Bale being the only star to rock a cape, but the trend is here for now — it remains to be seen if it dies a hero or lives long enough to become a villain.
Jennifer Lawrence sported a backwards necklace for the second year in a row. This trend is not only doable, but also affordable. Just drape a long chain or pearl necklace down your back, preferably with a backless dress or shirt to accentuate your shoulders, and voila, fashion. Warning: be prepared for worried comments from the fashionably challenged about how your necklace is “twisted” or “on wrong.”
Another accessory trend seen on the red carpet was the ear cuff. Emma Watson has been a known proponent of this trend, and she and Sandra Bullock both brought it to the Oscars. The ear cuff is essentially an oversized earring and usually is emblazoned with diamonds. Since my motto is “emulate Emma,” I bought an ear cuff to try out myself ... it looked like a bedazzled Bluetooth earpiece. This may be a trend to leave to the stars.
Perhaps the most notable accessory of the Oscars was Pharrell’s black version of his famed Grammys hat. It is rumored that his placement into Gryffindor by the hat was the inspiration behind his Oscar nominated song “Happy.” Which reminds me: the Oscars featured the sorting hat, Harry Potter theme music at commercial breaks, a salute to Harry as a hero and Emma Watson — was The Academy they kept talking about Hogwarts?
This was not Pharrell’s only fashion faux-pas of the night as he “pedal pushed” the limits further by wearing knee-length tuxedo pants on the red carpet. The sight almost had me wishing for the return of Bieber’s hammer pants, almost.
This year’s Oscars featured fantastic fashion, sentimental speeches and an entertaining Ellen, as I would know since I photoshopped myself into the #EpicSelfie.
