2023 Critic's Choice Awards Fashion Review
*yawn*
I almost skipped over this, because it was so boring. However, there are still some looks I want to discuss and there’s too many to put into the weekly newsletter. It’s the Critic’s Choice Awards, I don’t think anyone is expecting all that much.
This is a really ugly dress and Amanda is making it work the best that she can. This fabric is just not great and I’m really not sure what’s happening at the top where it knots. There seem to be strips of fabric connection it all in a square shape, and I just want to snip them.
The shoe is definitely a choice! I appreciate that it’s not a black shoe, since we have this full tan moment happening, but, a choice! I like the color of the suit and it fits relatively well. I like that the shirt is in a bit of a lighter shade and has some pleating in order to break up the suit, but it’s not my favorite Andrew Garfield moment.
Since it’s Christian Siriano, it could be worse, but it could also just be Schiaparelli instead.
I love Acne Studios, and I hope that we start to see more of them. I really enjoy this dress. I think it’s fit beautifully and I like the lining. Not only does it feel like a bit of a pattern, but kind of makes me feel like I’m looking at a cargo pant. You already know how I feel about panniers, bustles, and crinolines, so I won’t drag on.
Everyone said that this dress washed her out, and I would actually argue that the color is one of the only things that I like about this; she pulls it off. I think it fits her well, and I like the scalloping, especially since it is a Christian Dior reference. However, I wish the scalloping had been a bit tighter at the bottom like it was at the top. I also don’t enjoy how we can see multiple linings in the skirt. ALSO, why are her toes on the ground?
There was quite a few custom Louis Vuitton looks this night, but Aubrey’s is the only one I’d say I liked. It’s nothing crazy, but the sequining is really beautiful, and I’m not mad at a sexy high slit. That ombré effect on the neckline is really beautiful and calls back to the most recent collection, I believe.
My fave fashion girly in Thom Browne is always most pleasing to me. There’s a lot of Thom Browne signatures here, like the plays on suiting, the four striped sock, the shrunken jacket, etc. What I really love is how the jacket has this deconstructed element and plays on coat tails by creating this bustled train in the back. I like that the shirt peaks out from under the skirt a bit to show that it’s a mini, and I like how the socks look like sheer tights. This red velvet corset is a beautiful color and she had a bag to match, but I’m not obsessed with it. Overall, I do still think it’s a great look.
I have never met Busy Philipps in my life, by my sixth sense makes think we’d be besties and her energy makes me feel safe. Anyway, since this is a custom look, I would love for there to be less puckering in the dress; that’s a little disappointing. However, I do think this is an interesting fabric to make an evening gown in, because I feel like we’d associate this wool(?) with a suiting moment or an outerwear piece. I like that the shawl is in the same fabric, and that the lining matches the color of the dress.
She said safari at 8AM, Critic’s Choice Awards at 8PM. All jokes aside, other than linen being almost impossible to prevent from wrinkling, I do think this is a fun fabric to create an evening look with. I think the shape of the skirt is quite nice and I like how the hem frays at the bottom. On the runway, the shirt was unbuttoned, which I think was chicer, because the way Cate is wearing it feels a bit stuffy, but I don’t hate this.
Here we have the host of the evening, and I need to know, who did my girl so dirty? This color is stunning, but the intentional folding at the waist does not feel intentional enough, and the one shoulder situation is pointless. It’s also too long, which makes it feel like it has no room to go and therefore is being pushed up to the waist. I can also, literally, see a crease in the skirt that makes it look like it was folded beforehand.
This is a custom piece based off of the Spring 2023 collection that referenced the Spring 2004 collection, where pieces were tie-dyed in a way that left some of the fabric un-dyed. I think this is really lovely. I like the floral print and the draped fabric on the sides. It’s this very sweet little moment that feels like it’s been distorted.
This is a rough Gucci look. While it fits her really nicely, there’s just so much design elements happening, and that fabric is really difficult to make look good. I know Gucci has that bit of intentional ugliness about it, but it’s pushing it’s own limits here. Daisy also very rarely sells me on a look, and when she’s wearing something that is a whole lot of look, I need a bit more attitude.
And so the rough Louis Vuitton looks began. It’s really unfortunate, because they all have elements that are wonderful, but that is overshadowed by all of the bad. The heavy sequining is delicious, as is the fit of the torso, and the embroidered rope detail of the neckline and straps. At first I though she had two slits in the front, which I could have found in myself to accept, but then I realized I could see the background through her legs, and noticed that the whole skirt is slashed. For what?
This is a great dress. Anya Taylor-Joy once wore a dress from Dior that had a mini crinoline with fabric draped over top, but that didn’t work. Here it makes sense, because the fabric doesn’t go straight down. It’s draped and slashed in a deconstructive way that makes the mini crinoline make sense. The one off-the-shoulder moment also adds to the deconstruction and the Hieronymus Bosch print we saw throughout this collection is nice. I really like I can feel Lee’s style here, but at the same time it’s evidently Sarah.
I’m not often impressed by a Vera Wang moment, but this is really good. it’s simple, but it’s simple done well. The ruching is great, I like the high neckline, and the subtle little hip cutouts are done perfectly. I think the undergarment chosen is also really smart and doesn’t interfere with the look at all.
Babe, remember when the gays were trying to kill you? Well these gays are trying to do it again! Who keeps putting her in Dolce & Gabbana, I would like to fight you. I’m mad because it’s Dolce and I’m mad because it’s not the worst thing I’ve ever seen. Anyway, Jennifer Coolidge in Schiaparelli, when?
With his most recent collections, Olivier Theyskens has been putting out 12, one of a kind looks made of repurposed fabrics, so it’s always fun to see one of them! I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to assemble all these different fabrics in a patchwork style, AND on the bias! Given that they are one of a kind, I understand why they’re probably worn as is, but I do think this could fit Jenny a bit better, and I think one of the red or blue ones would have looked nicer on her. Regardless, I appreciate this.
Well, I like a brown. If you’re going to wear a simple suit, it has to fit perfectly, and this does not, at all. It’s also disappointing that this is Armani.
I think this is a hot little Ferragamo number in the signature red, but I think there were better evening wear options in this collection. The sheer panel in the front is nice and I like how one side is open while the other has an opaque fabric. The bateau neckline is lovely and I like the the bra is also red instead of some insane, random color.
This is definitely on the simpler side for Schiaparelli, but that’s fine. Daniel can do more than just surrealism. I also think the sunburst sequin embroidery is something we’ve seen in Elsa’s work and have also seen Daniel reference, so I like it.
This definitely plays into the naked dress that Oscar de la Renta has been doing and evolving, and that dégradé is really lovely, but I think it would have been better as a mini. I don’t like how bare the bottom is and how I can just see a full tulip.
I have been WAITING for someone to wear this dress. Here’s the thing, the floral/paisley motif is not groundbreaking and I could take it or leave it, but the way those sequins are placed is PERFECTION. I can’t imagine how long it took to make this, especially since it’s done by hand. I also can’t imagine how heavy it is. The colors are really lovely and I like that the dress goes all the way to the floor instead of stopping at the ankle like it did on the runway. Stunning.
This is very Oscar de la Renta in the sense that it’s a beautifully bouffant dress. I think the structure of that organza in the skirt is really beautiful and I think the lines going around are nice. However, the bow is giving me heartburn, and if we’re going to let the girls be seen, let’s not make it look like they are being smashed face first against a screen. We need to let them breathe.
I like that we didn’t go with a boring black suit, but we did still miss the mark. The shirt not being the same black as the lapels of the jacket and the pants is sending me into orbit. I do like the loose take on a pussy bow blouse though. Or maybe it’s just a skinny scarf, I don’t know, but I’m not mad at it.
While not the most offensive Louis Vuitton look of the night, it’s still not great. There’s a lot of bunchiness happening around the torso, and it’s just kind or boring.
This right after that stunning Armani Privé moment? No! I mean, it’s not god awful, but it could be so much better and so much more interesting. I also hate those shoes.
Not a great night for Gucci! I really love the sheen of this and the extended hips, but the bottom looks like someone took a pair of scissors and just freehanded some squiggles.
Niecy really goes to fittings and says, if it’s not SNATCHEDT, I don’t want it. I love the neckline and this really does fit her beautifully. The color is a lovely light yellow, and I think it’s really great how it’s fully sequined, train and all.
I LOVED these Saint Laurent looks on the runway, and barely anyone has sold me on one of them. There’s puckering and I’m underwhelmed.
Robert posted a photo of this on his Instagram where it looked a lot better, so I’m going to reference that in my mind. Anyway, I love the shapes Robert created with tulle and the inspirations he takes from nation. I love how it outlines her body and also sprouts out of the back. This shimmery fabric is difficult, but it’s doing the best it can. I lover Robert Wun for Quinta and I really hope her fashion journey keeps going in this direction.
It is Chanel, so it could be far worse. I do think the skirt has a really lovely shape. I’m not really into the embroidered bandeau with cutout. I understand that this collection referenced Constructivist Era in Russia, and that’s what this embroidery is doing, but I don’t care.
Where’s the Tommy Lee drag, honestly. At this point I rather you be intentionally obnoxious, you know? It would hurt less than the sight of those pants.
We know I love a brown, but this isn’t my favorite Seth Rogan look. I also wish he’d worn a brown shoe instead a black once, I feel like that’s very doable. Eddie Redmayne literally just did it at the Golden Globes.
This is just a really nice gown. That orange color is stunning and it fits them so well. and I love these Fortuny style micro pleats at the center of the dress. The neckline is interesting and I like the train. The hem of this dress had a really lovely scallop, which I feel lis lost here, but regardless, I think Stephanie looks great.
Like with Danielle’s look, I’m really into the heavy sequining, and I love the way the fabric crosses the chest. The skirt is not great. If we really wanted to make it black, why not put sequins on it as well?
This custom look is based on pieces from the most recent collection, and I think it’s beautiful. The subtle pleating that’s done at the top, ON THE BIAS, is really fantastic. I like a cape moment, I love a full sequin, and I’m drooling over this brown color. I do wish the sleeve had been the same on both sides, but either way, I’m here for it.
So that was the Critic’s Choice Awards! What did we think? For me, best dressed goes to Kerry Washington, Elle Fanning, and Janelle Monáe. Worst goes to Sebastian Stan, Chelsea Handler, and Daisy Edgar Jones.
TTYL!!!
xx