The 84th annual Academy Awards are this Sunday night. And while we know we we’ll be tuning in to see who takes home the Oscar for best leading actress, the coveted title of best-dressed is also up for grabs. And with a crop of both new and experieced actresses to grace the red carpet at the Kodak Theatre, we thought we’d have a look at what they might be wearing. While rumours swirl that Victoria Beckham’s dresses will be popular for the red carpet, we see these ladies wearing something a bit different.
Michelle Williams for My Week With Marilyn
Red Carpet Track Record: At the Golden Globes her velveteen Jason Wu paired with a headband turned heads. While at the Screen Actors Guild Awards Williams wore a red, vintage-looking Valentino gown. Williams tends to wear figure flattering, ultra-feminine dresses, so we expect her to wear something similar to the Oscars.
Prediction: Michelle’s stylist Kate Young put Natalie Portman in Rodarte at the 2011 Oscars. Kate has worked with Karl Lagerfeld in the past, so maybe she’ll put Michelle in Chanel. But this season’s Elie Saab Spring Couture collection was made for Michelle. The colour of this dress would look amazing with Michelle’s skin and new strawberry blonde do. Plus it seems Williams has never met a sleeve she didn’t like.
Beauty Looks: For both the SAGs and the Globes, Williams wore a very fine liner on her lower waterline, and subtle pink lipstick. With this dress, we’d like to see her play with peachy tones in her blush and lipstick.
Glen Close for Albert Nobbs
Red Carpet Track Record: Close wore a navy Zac Posen to the SAGs and a black Armani to the Golden Globes this year. But they weren’t basic black dresses, each structured gown featured a few extra details.
Prediction: Her stylist Chuck Thomas has previously worked for Giorgio Armani, who she wore to the Globes, to we think she’ll wear equally as big a name to the Oscars. We’d love to see her in this black Dior gown, with a wrap perhaps.
Beauty Looks: Close has been keeping her beauty routine simple on the red carpet, so we expect much of the same. A little blush, eyeliner and a blowout and she’s ready for the camera.
Viola Davis for The Help
Red Carpet Track Record: Davis is prone to figure flattering (but not too tight) dresses on the red carpet. She wore a white Marchesa gown to the SAGs and a one-shoulded Pucci to the Globes.
Prediction: Davis has been styled by Elizabeth Stewart for years. Stewart is the stylist behind Cate Blanchett’s beaded breastplate Givenchy dress from the 2011 Oscars that landed her on both best and worst dressed lists. She may play it a little safer this year, and put Davis in a dress from Giambattista Valli’s Spring couture collection that features some fun details up top like Davis’s previous red carpet choices.
Beauty Looks: Davis has gorgeous big, brown eyes that a brown smoky eye and dewy skin would compliment perfectly.
Rooney Mara for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Red Carpet Track Record: Mara wore Nina Ricci to the Golden Globes and Michael Kors to the Berlin premiere of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
Prediction: Mara frequently opts for a black and white colour palate, during public appearances. So we expect stylist Ryan Hastings to continue that trend. Mara was front row at the Calvin Klein show at New York Fashion Week, so maybe we’ll see her in this black and white Donna Karen gown.
Beauty Looks: It will be interesting to see how Mara has been styling her hair for the red carpet. For the Academy Awards luncheon she kept her signature bangs and wore little makeup. For the Oscars we’d like to see the slicked hair she wore to the Tokyo premiere of her movie with a little red lipstick.
Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady
Red Carpet Track Record: Streep won her category at the Golden Globes in a Western-inspired shirt-dress proving she’s not afraid of a little embesllishment. She also wore wore Vivienne Westwood to SAGs.
Prediction: For the Oscars we see stylist Zoe Buck putting Meryl in a traditional and classy gown. Like this Carolina Herrera from the Fall/Winter 2012 collection, with a classy wrap or jacket, as she is accustomed to wearing on the read carpet.
Beauty Looks: On the red carpet Meryl keeps things fresh and plain, with all the focus on her talent, rather than makeup risks. We see her keeping things simple again with a chignon up do, black liner and a rosy pink lipstick.
