Why I Don’t Give a Shit About Award Show Fashion

With every award show, the Interactions feed on my Twitter account fill up with friends wanting to know what I think of the red carpet fashion. It’s a valid inquiry. I write about fashion, and I LOVE television and film. And I even sometimes cover the looks on my blog. But really, the truth is that I don’t give a shit about award show fashion. Here’s why:

1. It’s over stylized. From the hair and makeup to the jewelry on loan, everything about the Hollywood red carpet look is so over stylized and disingenuous. I’m not interested in seeing my favorite TV actor in a dress she borrowed from Marchesa. I want to see her in and hear the story about how she went shopping for the perfect look and found it in the form of a vintage Chanel gown that she purchased herself. Want to know my all-time favorite Oscar look? It’s a tie between the time Sharon Stone wore a Gap turtleneck with Valentino and the other time she wore her husband’s Gap button down with a Vera Wang skirt. These were items she owned herself. Maybe she had the help of a stylist put it all together, but regardless, she looked effortless and authentic in both looks.
2. Celebrities are doing it wrong. I think that more often than not, celebrities are seduced by luxury labels and wind up selecting and wearing the wrong dress for their complexion or figure. The only ones who nail it every single time are Kerry Washington and Sofia Vergara. Most everyone else is hit or miss. And I’m one of those weird people who cringes when other people look bad and don’t know it. Like, it actually affects me emotionally.
3. It’s all far too extravagant for the average person. We’re in a day and age where we’ve stopped celebrating the rich. Look at how much we all love seeing the First Lady in J. Crew or Kate Middleton in TOPSHOP. I want to see my favorite celebrities in fashion (and jewelry) that I can actually access and afford. I want to be inspired by celebrity fashion, not feel excluded.