Thanks for this - I managed to miss the BAFTAs this year so wondered what Thandie and co would turn up in!

I'm not keen on animal print dresses myself, and my favourite from this page is Tang Wei's gorgeous dress. So very Elizabeth Taylor as you say! Beautiful print and fabric and shape.

I totally agree with you about Keira Knightly. She has no chest at all and can really only be described as gamine but she doesn't do herself any favours if she wants to look more curvy.

Alys,
" I managed to miss the BAFTAs this year so wondered what Thandie and co would turn up in!"

Oh well...wait until you see the Worst Dresses - there are some absolute corkers !!!
I don't know Tang Wei, ( who some papers manages to call Wei Tang, not realising that in China, the surname comes first !! )however, the dress she chose gives me hope that there are some new and interersting actresses with taste out there...Jason Wu is very well known as a designer, of course, here in London, but I haven't ever seen anything by him on a Red carpet, so he must have been chuffed to bits...

Emily Blunt's is my favourite :-)

I agree on Keira - she may be comfortable with her body but with outfits like that my reaction to her is always "someone feed that girl!"

Loreley se,
Yes, that's right - Keira always looks underfed with that classic Lollipop Head Look she has, but she swears blind that she is just naturally thin, and will never be anything else !! Honey, down below, is right - there is room in this World for all body types, and we should celebrate our diversity instead of demonising people who don't conform...even though our Society goes for a slimmer body type, it seem that if one is deemed to be too far the other way, then you are doomed !!
However, she would do herself a million favours if she took to wearing the dresses that curvy women couldn't get away with, like high-necked halter necks for instance, or 60s style cut-away dresses maybe...

I don't get Thandie's pink belt. At all. Why does it need to be such an eyecatching color? Can you hear the two brain cells knocking about in my cranium as I shake my head, from way over there across the pond?

I am so sorry to see the return of the one shouldered dress. The ugliest thing ever. Tell me when it's safe to come out for another twenty years, (these things going in cycles as they do.)

I love Emma Griffiths dress. I always love seeing needlework traditions recast in unexpected ways. And I adore the vaguely gothy thing.

I also love Tang Wei's dress. Love the fifties look of it, and the print, and the pretty-but-not-too-reavealing neckline. A classic.

I think Keira looks adorable. Some men really go for that body type. There is room for all shapes in the greater category of "beauty." H_D thinks Keira's All That (bought him the recent Interview issue in which Ms. Knightley appeared in Not Much, and heard no complaints other than the quality of the paper, and the ridiculous interview questions! Ha ha!) He thinks Elijah's GF, Ms. Racine, is a "Total Babe," and she's also quite the opposite of 'curvy' without being 'skinny'.

Sign me,

"a formerly flat-chested woman."

Honey,
Thandie's dress is very 80s style indeed, and if you didn't do the bright belt with black thing at the time, then you certainly aren't going to like it this time around...it's a sort of "You're Addicted to Love" Video thing - remember the model-height women dressed in identikit black dresss with red belts all playing their guitars...

Tang Wie's dress is just fantastic, and it's just a shame that she isn't really built perfectly for it - it's hanging off her a tad !! Catherine Zeta-Jones could wear this well, or maybe, someone like Scarlett Johanssen,,,

Love Emma Griffith's dress, and LOVE Tang Wei's! Agreed, it would be nice to see it on someone who could fill it out a bit more.

I don't mind Kiera's dress, apart from the bandages on her chest. She's thin, but not unhealthily so... at least her arms don't look like knotted string anymore. I thought she was lovely in 'Atonement' - the wardrobe department certainly knew what they were doing when they put her in that green dress! She had the perfect figure for that era's fashion.

Thanks, Wendy! :)

Scarlet,
"the wardrobe department certainly knew what they were doing when they put her in that green dress! She had the perfect figure for that era's fashion."

Yes, she certainly does do the languid 1930s /1940s Look very well...in fact she would probably do most historical eras well really - she has that ethereal look that can be translated into any era's fashion trends quite well, I think !! The green dress in 'Atonement' was really lovely, and will be copied by manufacturers the World over, you mark my words...

'Tis a pity she doesn't wear that sort of thing on the Red Carpet too - she would cause a right kerfuffle amongst us Fashionistas if she did !!

ADORED Emma Griffith's dress. Thought Tang Wei looked sensational, too. Kate Hudson very glam.

Did I say I adored Emma Griffith's dress?

Mech,
Emma's dress is very unusual isn't it...I love the smocked bodice and the slightly see-through, but wide, straps !!

In fact, I loved all these dresses very much, and it was nice to see some quite original stuff going on here for once !!

I watched the BAFTAs and it's almost automatic now that I think of you and the review of what everyone is wearing!

I didn't know that Jane Fallon was Ricky Gervais' partner. And her dress is gorgeous, as is Tang Wei's.

I noticed that during the actual awards program Keira was wearing a black jacket. I wonder if this was part of the ensemble (in which case, I'm curious about why it didn't feature in any of the photos), or whether she borrowed it because she was cold. I like her choice for this event much more than I have others (she has made some really very curious decisions about what to wear to some of the movie premieres), but it's a relative thing.

Sam,
"I watched the BAFTAs and it's almost automatic now that I think of you and the review of what everyone is wearing!
"

Why thank you - that's the nicest thing anyone's said to me in ages - and now that this Journal is up in the spotlight, you can reckon on seeing some more opinions going down in here in the future ...

As for Keira wearing a black jacket, I don't know...possibly she was actually cold - it's been a bit bitter out, here for the last few weeks - being sunny during the day, it is very cold at night, and therefore, I wouldn't be surpried if she wore a jacket going there, then took it off for the press, and then put it back on to go in to the Opera House for the ceremony!!

My "vote" goes to Emily Blunt as well :)...

Nimaku, welcome...

Yes, Emily's beautiful dress is certainly getting huge amounts of positive comments in here...this will herald a return to the 1980s style, one-shouldered column dress - very elegant indeed !!

Sienna wins in my book, I adore open-back styles! Georgina would have tied, but I don't like how hers looks in the front.

Love Kiera, hate her dress. I never dig the tiered skirts. Not on slim girls, not on curvy girls, not on mannequins.

Tang's is adorable, but I might have done it a bit shorter - who can walk in a dress so long!?

Anna,
Yes, I absolutely LOVE Sienna's dress, especially the open-back style with all those fabulous beaded strings...quite desirable really !!

Keira is one who knows her own mind when it comes to her Red carpet choices...and I say that because no stylist in her right mind would have recommended some of the things she has worn in the recent past - at least this dress is structured, which gives her a figure anyway !! Not everyone likes the Tiered Look that Valentino was so fond of - I personally find his stuff a little too pretty-pretty sometimes - especially the tiered dresses that look like 1970s negligees...

As for Tang Wei's dress being a little too long, it's funny you should say that, because when I saw it, the picture I saw was cut off before the hem of the dress, and so, what with the large roses print, the v-shaped neckline with the big skirt, it looked so 1950s that I automaticaly assumed that it would stop at around mid-calf, like a true Dior "New Look" dress...wouldn't it have been fab if it had been ?!!

I love, love, love Tang Wei's dress. Sienna Miller did look gorgeous as well. I like splashes of colour, so Thandie Newton's dress spoke to me as well.

Unusualmusic,
Welcome...
You are, I think, the only one, so far, who has commented favourably, on Thandie's dress - I think that the dress itself is nice enough, but people don't know what the pink belt has to do with it !! I see the 80s reference, but other people don't get it - depends on how much you liked 1980s style, I guess...

Glassrenata,
Welcome to you too...( Fabulous username by the way !! )

I'll have to see "Lust/Caution" as so many people have said how good she is in it !!

Your wonderful fashion recaps are on LJ's spotlight!! Go you :)

I love the Emily blunt dress. The color is very unique and I love the style. Keira...she really doesn't do herself justice. She needs a stylist (or a new one!) badly to not only flatter her shape but also her makeup and hairstyling don't seem to do justice to her beauty.

Some really gorgeous dresses on the red carpet this year.

Peri,
Yes, exciting isn't it ?!!...

I wonder how I will keep up with replying to comments, although the comment count isn't nearly as big as the New Friends count - I have had over fifty people add this journal to their F-list, just overnight, and the hit counter has gone up by 3000 !!

Emily's dress is the second most popular dress in here after Tang Wei's lovely 1950s print extravaganza !! I love the sea-green colour and the sequins / beading ( I can't quite tell which it is )must make it so heavy...

"Keira...she really doesn't do herself justice. She needs a stylist (or a new one!) badly to not only flatter her shape but also her makeup and hairstyling don't seem to do justice to her beauty.
"
Well, I'd do it for a fee...

My vote goes to Tang Wei. Stunning dress.

Armandii,
This appears to be everyone's favourite, in here anyway !! It is lovely, and Jason Wu is a newcomer to these pages - although I have heard of him as a designer, he isn't known for Red Carpet dressing !! Now he'll be sought after, I should think...

Diabo Cody isn't her birth name, it's her stripper name. She legally changed it to that.

Nederlandergirl,
Oh really ?!! That explains it then...no parents in their right minds would choose that as a name...it is amusing though !!

I loved Tang Wei and her dress too, but..
It's a shade too lose on her up top. She looks a like a pre-teen wearing her mother's Sunday dress.
She could have benefited from a differently styled bodice or the dress could have benefited from a differently built actress.

Chasing willow,
Hi there and welcome...
I agree - Tang Wei's dress is a little big, although I think it's really a case of her not filling it out as well as she could have - it's such a cleavage-demanding dress, don't you think ?!!
I thought of Elizabeth Taylor as soon as I saw it !!

Lovely review.. Totally Liked it!

Why, thank you Arelente,
Welcome to my journal too !!

I have just posted the second part to this review..."The Worst Dresses", because - you know - it has to be done !!

Kiera's dress is a truly fabulous design, however, I can see what you mean about it not being particularly flattering to her. I don't think the problem lies with her body - there are many other actresses out there who are tall and very skinny, I think it is the dress that is drawing people's attention to all the wrong things.
I can see an easy way of fixing this. Imagine, if the waist wasn't straight across, but dipped to a point. This would provide the optical illusion that her hips were fuller than they are, and also draw the eye away from the small bust area.
Whoever designed this dress, might have been going for simple lines, but this one small alteration would have improved it a hundredfold.

Xothique,
Well, the problem is that the dress isn't right for Keira's slender frame and flat chest, and you are perfectly correct to say that this doesn't mean that there is anything actually wrong with either - rather it is a case of a mismatch !!

This dress was designed by Valentino, from the Great Coutourier's very last Collection for Spring / Summer 2008, before he retired...here it is on the runway :-



Rather than altering this dress, which is a perfect little piece of art in its own right, I would prefer to dress Keira in something else - perhaps this one, from the same Collection :-



The bodice is shaped, rather than straight across, and doesn't resemble wrapped bandages, which was part of the problem, and gives her some semblance of shape up top, whilst being quite a similar tiered shape down below...

I love Valentino, and I think Keira does too, and so many women will be wearing dresses from his last Collection because it really was a fantastic piece of work...I'll be looking at this Collection next up, in my series of Runway Reviews of the Couture Collections, after all the Fashion Weeks are done...

Emily Blunt is so beautiful, and that dress suited her to perfection. And I did love Sienna Miller's dress too. Fabulous.

Mews,
Yes, me too !! Both of these dresses were definitely winners, in my opinion ...

The second part of this is now up, looking at all the Worst Dresses, although it has to be said there weren't that many really awful outfits, for a change !!

I am just in love with the looks of Diablo and Kate Hudson! Both of them just look glowing and like their gowns really complement their personalities. Diablo particularly looks like she's having fun :)

Spyanide,
Welcome to my Journal...

Yes, you are right, they both look like they are enjoying themselves immensely, don't they ?!!
I reckon that is the essence of a Good Look on a Red Carpet - if you are confident in what you are wearing, and how you look, with all the World's Press clicking away at you, then you will enjoy it so mch more, which in turn, gives you that extra sparkle...

Omg, Sienna and Georgina!!
Both so stunning: the best frocks of the evening!

Kate's dress isn't half bad, though, personally, I'm not that fond of that kind of material-
it's too shiny to my taste,
but I have to admit she does look stunning.

I do love Tang Wei's dress, but a one strand necklace to go with that would have been better, methinks.

I'm not that crazy about Diablo's dress: for one, I don't think leopard print is that glamourous,
plus it totally clashes with her tattoo...
and second: it's too tight around her hips, and the resulting crinkles are not very becoming.

Now Keira... and remember I just got here after having enjoyed your worst dresses post...
I cheer the young lady for being flat chested and obviously not giving a damn about it; it's so refreshing!
I shudder at the thought she'd get a Victoria boob job (or a Tori Spelling, to name another awful one..)
She wouldn't have looked half as gorgeous in that green dress in Atonement if she had one!

I do agree though that this dress wasn't the best one for her: strapless and small boobies don't go that well together; spaghetti straps and a flowing, many layered long dress (in, yes, that Atonement green colour) would have been much more gorgeous...

Heh, thank you again, Wendy- I always love your posts (though I have been known to miss some on a regular basis... bad me)!

And- points at icon: here's another example of a gorgeous flat chested lady...

Hobbitlove,
Hi there...I've been busy with all the new people taking an interest in here, as you can guess !!

"I do love Tang Wei's dress, but a one strand necklace to go with that would have been better, methinks."

Oh yes - totally !! This is something I forgot to say on the actual post...why, oh why, didn't she wear a shorter necklace, just a diamond pendant would have been so much better than two strands of pearls, ( I think ) which are too long, and interfere with the neckline of the dress...

As for the dress Keira wore in the film "Atonement", here it is, in all its glory :-



Ain't it just fab ?!! Yes, she should wear stuff like this all the time, to these Award ceremonies, and maybe then she wouldn't get all the negative things being written about weight, and her shape...it is so much more flattering !!

And God Forbid, she should ever get herself an atrocious boob job like a few other stars I could mention !!

Nice pictures; is it just me or does 'Mrs. Gervais" blend into the carpet??? I love red, but not for posing on acres of RED CARPET! :)

Sm255,
Welcome indeed...

I agree...red isn't the best colour for Red Carpet dressing, and if I were lucky enough to be invited ( as if !! ) it is probably the last colour I would pick, for exactyly that reason...however, whenever someone does choose red, which not everyone can wear successfully either, they invariably look absolutely fabulous !!

I love all of these! Especially the ones worn by Tang Wei and Diablo.

Bettle,
Yes, Tang Wei's dress is proving to be the most popular, possibly because it is a style you don't see very often any more, and unusual dresses are often what stays in your mind after a Red Carpet Event like this...

The other thing that Keira invariably does to sabotage herself is that she's excessively minimalist in her hairdos. The limp, hanging tresses thing doesn't suit her. An updo would've been a better counterpoint to the dress anyway, but at least brushing it or pulling it back or something would've helped.

Kalieris,
Hi and welcome...

Yes, you are perfectly correct - why, oh why, doesn't she do something more interesting with it - the Languid Hippy Look is all very well if you are going shopping in Chelsea or Hampstead, but it really doesn't cut the mustard when it comes to an Awards Ceremony does it ?!! A stunning Grecian-style swept-up hairdo, with lots of whispy curly bits would look fab !!

Personally, I think Emily Blunt's dress is hideous. While the material is pretty, it doesn't accentuate anything, and makes her shoulders seem impossibly broad and her arms fairly unnatractive. She could have done much better.

The dangly earings aren't my favorite, either...

Etre hereux,
Hey-ho... you win some, you lose some !!!

I like it, and would wear it myself if given half a chance, although it could have been a tad more fitted maybe ...the colour would be fab on me, and the beading all glittery, which is always a Good Thing !!

Welcome to my Journal, btw...

Oh my god, Diablo Cody looks like an absolute nightmare! She's got a pancake-face, her dress is slutty rather than elegant and that tattoo is so overdone. This look's been done by Jennifer Tilly, Rose McGowan and Courtney Love too many times to count...except they all managed it a bit better, I think.

What a douche.

Faelhach,
Hmmmm...that's a bit harsh - I wouldn't say she looks like a nightmare really - however, I do agree about the tattoo - I'm not a great tattoo fan, although I like tattoos to be smaller, arty and creative, and a little bit witty, if poss - hers looks like something a sailor from the 1940s would choose !!
I think she looks great and it's so nice to see something other than a Identikit blonde actress on the Red Carpet for a change...

Anyway, you are very welcome here...I like a bit of contention now and then !! Disagreement is a Good Thing, especially if you can change my mind about something...but in this instance, I'm afraid you haven't !!

I really don't like most of these at all. Some are simply bland -- Emily Blunt, Myleene Klass and Jane Fallon have all chosen dresses that seem no better than reliable. Of the three I probably like Jane's best -- I think the unusual neckline redeems it -- but Myleene's is awful. Tight satin around the hips is something I really wish I won't ever see again. It didn't even look good on Marilyn, I don't know why it keeps coming back.

I loved Juno but I hate Diablo Cody's dress. I'm a little prejudiced against leopard print though, so maybe I'll let it go -- in any other print I think the dress would be okay.

Thandie Newton and Tang Wei's dresses are okay, and seem to suit them, but I don't love them either. I can't make up my mind about the print on Tang Wei's -- I like the style of the print but I think I'd prefer if it were birds or leaves or something; flowers make it seem too girly.

Now to the ones I like ... I'm not crazy about Kate Hudson's dress but it looks great on her, and seems fitting for how the public sees her. From these pictures I like the back more than the front.

The same goes for Sienna, Kiera and Georgina's dresses -- all better from the back than the front. Of the three I like Georgina's best. I agree with what you say about Kiera and the tight bodice. I'd love to see her in something long and soft. I think she could do a lot better than this dress, and the same goes for Sienna. Though I guess they have to glam up so often that they can't ace it every time :)

But I love Emma Griffiths' dress. I've been seeing a lot of Grecian-style stuff around, and empire waists, and often it's done really badly so that even the slimmest women look pregnant. But this is simple and lovely. I love the pattern over the bust and the wide sheer straps, and it seems really comfortable. I don't think it would look nearly as good in a lighter colour, or if it were shorter, but as I think it's perfect.

Estrangler,
You are very welcome to this journal...discussion and opinions are defintely what we need !!

"Sienna, Kiera and Georgina's dresses -- all better from the back than the front."

Yes, there is a definite trend at the moment for back-interest dresses, and they often feature very litle at the front, other than a graceful neckline...
I like this because itis very often the case that a star on the Red Carpet is actually walking away from you, rather than walkibng towardsyou, and so something great to look at, at the back is good, n'est ce pas ??

Emma's dress was a winner for me as I really quite like folksy, ethnic styling, and smocking is so rare nowadays that it looks really quite unusual here...and I love it for that !! I love the Empire-line style, and think it makes a great alternative to the more usual slinky, fishtail-shape dress...however, you're so right about it being prone to making you loook pregnant if you're not careful...

Tang Wei's dress isn't being filled out as much as it should be really, which is a shame because it is a very beautiful 50s style print and the neckline is just fab !!...it would have been wonderful for Elizabeth Taylor in her heyday, don't you think ?!! Only thing is that it should really be mid-calf length, with some really gorgeous pointy-toed stilletoes