Dreaming in Gold

The 88th Academy Award will go down in history as the year that Leonardo DiCaprio finally nabbed the once very elusive gold statuette, after 25 years in the industry and 5 previous nominations, our favorite guy trumped the competition & we all felt like we won alongside him, call it the DiCaprio Effect!

Fantastic Four: Big winners of the night!

Girl Talk: Brie Larson, Cate Blanchett & Kate Winslet gathered before the ceremony for a quick chat

Cookie Time: Girl Scouts brought out cookies to sell

Leo & Kate

What’s in the Label: Kate seemed ready to devour some cookie

Chris Rock: the host rocked the show with his quit witted humor

Spy: Mark Rylance surprise everyone as the triumphant Supporting Actor winner

Princesses: newly-minted Oscar winners had a surreal moment

88th Academy Awards winners list: 

Best Picture: “Spotlight”

Direction: “The Revenant,” Alejandro G. Ińarritu

Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Revenant”

Actress: Brie Larson, “Room”

Supporting Actor: Mark Rylance, “Bridge of Spies”

Supporting Actress: Alicia Vikander, “The Danish Girl”

Adapted Screenplay: “The Big Short,” Charles Randolph and Adam McKay

Original Screenplay: “Spotlight,” Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy

Cinematography: “The Revenant,” Emmanuel Lubezki

Production Design: “Mad Max: Fury Road,” Colin Gibson and Lisa Thompson (set decoration)

Film Editing: “Mad Max: Fury Road,” Margaret Sixel

Visual Effects: “Ex Machina,” Andrew Whitehurst, Paul Norris, Mark Ardington and Sara Bennett

Costume Design: “Mad Max: Fury Road,” Jenny Beavan

Makeup: “Mad Max: Fury Road,” Lesley Vanderwalt, Elka Wardega and Damian Martin

Sound Editing: “Mad Max: Fury Road,” Mark Mangini and David White

Sound Mixing: “Mad Max: Fury Road,” Chris Jenkins, Gregg Rudloff and Ben Osmo

Score: “The Hateful Eight,” Ennio Morricone

Song: “Writing’s on the Wall,” from “Spectre,” Jimmy Napes and Sam Smith

Foreign Language Film: “Son of Saul” (Hungary)

Animated Feature: “Inside Out”

Documentary Feature: “Amy”

*For more updates, follow @thefword.co on Instagram

-F

Best Dressed: Academy Awards 2016

And it’s finally here! After months and months of press tours, movie premieres and award shows, the hottest ticket in town and the grand finale of the season, the Academy Awards is upon us and with it comes a parade of couture pieces fresh off the runway and some, even custom made just for the event. Many have dubbed the ceremony as the Superbowl, the World Series, the Olympics if you will of the film industry with the most genetically-gifted participants with the most glorious gowns! Now that’s one hell of an Olympics!

Jennifer Lawrence in Dior (a look I predicted she’ll wear btw 😉

Rooney Mara in custom Givenchy Haute Couture with Fred Leighton jewels

Julianne Moore in Chanel Couture with Chopard earrings

Brie Larson in Gucci

The stars always save their best looks for this event, pulling all the stops with their dresses, shoes and jewels and this year’s eminent trends are pastel-hued creations, with flowing silhouettes, dainty details adorned with dripping diamonds and sky high stilettos! This year’s red carpet was a big step-up from last year which was a little more subdued and classic in nature, this year is a little more fun, girly but still very old Hollywood.

Let’s kick things off with Star Wars heroine, Daisy Ridley who made quite the impression in a powdered blue Chanel couture dress which features a tea length and intricate beadwork that’s perfect for her because it’s fun, delicate and certainly a “rising star look”. 

 

Another young actress and nominee, Saoirse Ronan has been killing it lately with one fabulous gown to another but this one is surprisingly different from the other looks we’ve seen her in. She wore a custom Calvin Klein creation that is a bit risqué and features strategic cutouts  which she paired with mismatched Chopard accessories, a smokey make-up and finger-combed tresses (accdg to @hairbyadir who did her hair). 

Maternity fashion never looked so good! Emily Blunt debuted her baby bump in a pastel pink Prada number with crystal details and an empire waist silhouette that accentuated her bump well. You would think that Emily would keep it safe with a column gown but she wasn’t afraid to add a bit of a train in the mix,  now this is how you dress for the Oscars if you’re expecting! 

Emily’s costar in the upcoming The Hunstman, Charlize Theron also showed up in a major fashion moment with a daring Dior Haute Couture dress that fit her statuesque frame flawlessly. Did I mention that she’s dripping in a total of 3.75million worth of Harry Winston diamonds? Because she totally is! This is a showstopper, this is what a movie star looks like!  

Another jaw-dropping style moment and runner-up for my best dressed is courtesy of Cate Blanchett – I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again,  if there’s someone who can deliver drama to the red carpet it’s going to be Cate and she delivered! Elsa definitely would want to steal this seafoam-colored custom Armani Privé work of art that featured floral adornments and accessorised with Tiffany & Co. jewels. Wow! 

For my best dressed of them all and the night’s belle (pun intended) of the ball, Alicia Vikander stunned everyone with in her own words “a dusty yellow” custom Louis Vuitton high-low ball gown. This is a departure from her usually more structured and edgy looks from the last weeks, this time she embraced her inner Belle, had a princess moment and won the night! Beautiful! 

Stay tuned for more on the actual ceremony coming up next on the blog.

*For more updates, follow @thefword.co on Instagram

-F

 

 

Runway to Red Carpet

It’s been a long road leading to the Oscars and on three days, the long wait will be over and all our questions will be answered – will Leonardo DiCaprio finally be able to snatch that elusive honor, will Alejandro G. Iñarritu pull a back-to-back win, what film will take home Best Picture and most importantly, what will our favorite stars be wearing? Lol let’s face it, we’re all excited to see how Chris Rock will do as a 2nd-time host and who the winners will be but with a roster of nominees as stylish as this year, I’m talking Blanchett! Lawrence! Mara! Vikander! etc. it’s always the most fun to see what glorious gowns these ladies will wear on the biggest night in Hollywood so… allow me to indulge and share which gowns from the different fashion weeks I’d like to see on the red carpet. *PLEASE BEAR WITH MY PHOTOSHOP SKILLS(?)*

ALICIA VIKANDER: This is her first awards season plus she’s the face of Louis Vuitton so  naturally, she’ll wear a gown by the brand but there’s no way of telling what it will look like as it will most likely be a custom one made especially for her for the occasion. Her style is very ladylike but always with a little bit of edge so I chose for her a red lacey Rodarte (left) number which is right up her alley and an off the shoulder Oscar Dela Renta (right) look which is a little vampy but she could totally pull it off and I totally could see her winning an Oscar in this look. I’m hoping Vuitton could make her something that’s close to either of this two!  

JENNIFER LAWRENCE: Like Alicia, JLaw’s dress would also be tricky to put together as she is the face of Dior and it’s almost 100% sure that she will wear something custom and something we’ve never seen on the runway but if their recent show is any indication, we could be looking at a sexier, more daring Jennifer on the red carpet come Oscar night. Just add the extra length and insert some linings and voila, both of these could be an Oscar-worthy look!

SAOIRSE RONAN: She isn’t new to the scene but this is her first season as a full fledged leading lady and it’s only fitting to look the part, Saoirse is young and a splash of color really suits her especially the canary cutout Valentino (left) gown which is also reminiscent of a greek goddess look, in a good way of course! She could also play up her ethereal good looks and embrace the nature theme with a Zuhair Murad (right) work of art. 

RACHEL MCADAMS: Another Supporting Actress nominee, Rachel often favors girly frocks with a free-flowing silhouette and she’s often seen wearing Elie Saab creations so for the Oscars, you would think that I’d want her to experiment more but no, I want her to stick to what she does best because If it ain’t broke, right? I can already imagine her wearing either the intricately beaded Elie Saab (left) or the floral and lace combination from Oscar Dela Renta (right).

CATE BLANCHETT: There’s nothing more fun for an avid onlooker like myself than to witness “brave fashion”, pushing the style envelope by experimenting and being unafraid to wear just about anything and pulling it off effortlessly. Cate is a designer’s dream because she wears clothes with ease but never boring and if anyone’s going to bring drama to the red carpet it would be her, that’s why I’d like to see her in a caped Chanel couture gown (left) or a fiery Marchesa (right) dress with a form-fitting silhouette. 

ROONEY MARA: It’s true that Rooney almost always sticks with black and white but she always keeps it interesting by donning silhouettes only she could get away with and looks that on someone else could look a bit costume-y , she makes it work. She has a long standing relationship with Alexander McQueen so it’s safe to bet that the fashion house could lend her this magical caped creation (left), just add a lining and this could instantly be an iconic Oscar moment. I could also see her going the romantic route with Marchesa (right) and it’d also be magical! 

BRIE LARSON: As the one to beat and the favorite to win, Brie will need a princess moment and I want her to have that so to her stylist, please put her in a full skirt or better yet a ball gown! Just a quick call to Mr. Valentino to make it floor length could make this look (left) a winner in its own right or if she wants to go the more subtle princess moment, I also can imagine her in this delicate blush Carolina Herrera (right) look.

*for more updates follow @thefword.co on Instagram

-F

 

 

Brooklyn

 

“…and one day the sun will come out and you’ll realize that this is where your life is.”

Saoirse Ronan (Atonement, The Lovely Bones) stars in this charming tale as Eilis, a 20-something Irish immigrant who came to Brooklyn for a better life – helmed by acclaimed theatre director John Crowley with a screenplay by Nick Hornby (An Education, Wild)  the story is set against the backdrop of 50s New York, based on Colm Toibin’s book of the same name .

The film tells a simple yet poignant story about love. Eilis, an Irish immigrant who is stricken with feelings of loneliness and alienation having been away from home and all that she holds dear; finds herself falling for the city once strange to her and falling for a guy who taught her that “home” isn’t really a place but a feeling.

Ronan gave the performance of her career and years from now, this is one of the roles that history will use when they trace the steps by which Ronan became a great actor – she is alive and heartbreaking, she has the ability to make the audience care for her and make them feel what she feels. That’s why when Tony (Emory Cohen) comes along, I was just glad and was smitten alongside her. Speaking of Tony, the casting of this film is something that’s very commendable too not only for the main roles but also the supporting cast around them (Dohmnall Gleeson, Jim Broadbent, Julie Walters) even the girls at her boarding house were sublime as they exchange witty banters during their dinner scenes.

Aside from the cast, the direction and dialogue were impeccable; Crowley and Hornby conveyed a poignant narrative with subtle yet impactful transitions and exchange of thought, both of which served the film really well in telling a universal feeling of love and longing thus making this gem of a film an instant classic. Brooklyn is one of the year’s finest and I will even go so far as to say that this, for me is the best of 2015. What can I say? It’s a film for the ages!

 

I can’t wait to see it again! So please, do yourself a favor and watch it – Brooklyn opens on select theatres starting today.

 

 

 

*Disclaimer: I haven’t seen The Revenant & Spotlight yet so there’s a SLIM chance that Brooklyn will move to 2nd or 3rd best film of 2015 for me. I’ll be sure to update it if ever! 🙂 

 

-F

Fashion Spotlight: Rooney Mara

Since her memorable turn as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo back in 2011, Rooney Mara (Side Effects, Her) has become one of Hollywood’s new generation’s most recognizable face with her classic good looks, her gamine figure and crazy talent to boot; yet despite her astronomical rise to fame, she managed to remain a mystery and keeps us guessing on what she’ll do next.

Her best red carpet looks in (L-R) Givenchy & Michael Kors

 

On the red carpet however, Rooney wears almost exclusively black and white with occasional splashes of blush tones favoring fashion houses like Givenchy, Chanel and Alexander McQueen. Although she doesn’t experiment much on her color of choice, she still keeps it interesting by playing with the silhouette of her dress – she’s been seen rocking frilly frocks, cut-out couture, structured straight-from-the-runway looks etc.

My 3 favorite LBDs among her many! (L-R Givenchy, Balenciaga, Michael Kors)

Her uniform: LBDs!

Black is the new black

Her best LBDs this season (L-R Lanvin, Alexander McQueen & Chanel)

 

True to her “fashion girl” status, she pulled all the stops during her press tour for her new film Carol (more on this soon) opposite Cate Blanchett (another fashion girl) so imagine the parade of glorious dresses they wore – from Cannes, London to New York, Los Angeles and all the stops in between. And with the buzz that the film generated, it can be said that there’s still so much to come this awards season!

McQueen! McQueen! McQueen!

Black and White!

Whiteout: Balenciaga, Giambattista Valli & Alexander McQueen

On anybody else, these would look “bridal” but Rooney rocks white like no one else, no wonder why she favors it! (L-R Givenchy, Lanvin, Givenchy)

Can’t wait to see what she wears next week during the SAG awards, then the BAFTA’s and finally, the Oscars!

*She can be seen next on Kubo and the Two Strings, Una, The Secret Scripture, Lion and an  Untitled Terence Malick film all coming out this year! And here’s hoping that we get to see the long-overdue sequel to the Dragon Tattoo! 

 

-F

Academy Awards 2013 Best Dressed

The Academy Awards also known as the Oscars is known to attract the most famous and most powerful actors in the industry, that is why I’m so excited to see what everyone’s going to wear! Since this is the hottest ticket in Tinseltown, the stars flocked together and made sure to bring their A-games in the red carpet! There’s gonna be a lot of nude/white! It seems that nude/white is the new black and I love it!

Here are my top ten best dressed! Shall we?

Let’s begin with big winner, Ben Affleck’s ladylove… Jennifer Garner who brought some much needed color in a plum Gucci creation, which I’d like to call as very “Moulin Rouge-y”! She completed the look with that dazzling Neil Lane necklace and Roger Vivier clutch. Can I just say, beautiful!

From one fabulous gown to another, America’s Sweetheart and Oscar winner Sandra Bullock looked ravishing in an intricately beaded creation by Marchesa which showed off her amazing frame! Now, Sandra is one of those ladies who doesn’t always gets it right but this year, she’s right on target!

Hollywood veteran Jane Fonda puts actresses half her age to shame with this head-turning Versace number! She’s 75 but doesn’t look a day over 50! Way to go, Jane!

For the next one, she is no Hollywood leading lady BUT hey, she’s George Clooney’s leading lady! Stacy Keibler towered in a Naeem Khan dress which hugged her in all the right places – she accessorized with Giuseppe Zanotti heels and Lorraine Schwartz jewels, stunning!

From one statuesque stunner to another, Zoe Saldana looks incredible in an Alexis Mabille couture! She’s a mix of both classy and trendy especially with those Neil Lane jewels and Roger Vivier peep-toes and that touch of black at the end of her gown!
PS. Ex-boyfriend Bradley Cooper was a nominee…Awkward?

One of the industry’s “girl of the moment” made her presence known by wearing a CUSTOM Alexander McQueen! Amanda Seyfried was breathtaking as she walked down the red carpet in a number made especially for her and some Lorraine Schwartz jewels! What I love about her look is that it’s classy but really fresh and young! Who else can say they have an Alexander McQueen made just for them?

All cameras were on her when she stepped on the red carpet, Naomi Watts always knows how to make heads turn! She sparkled quite literally in a gorgeous Armani Prive creation! And as if she hasn’t got enough sparkle, she added Neil Lane jewels! Now, that’s how you show up to the Oscars!

Best Supporting Actress nominee for her work in The Master, Amy Adams looks every bit a Hollywood royalty in an Oscar de la Renta ball gown! And I love that her hair was worn in an updo, giving the glorious gown all the attention it rightfully needs!

On to the best dressed runner-up! Best Actress nominee Jessica Chastain was mind-boggling in this Armani Prive stunner! She oozes old Hollywood glamour which I adore and those fiery locks were the perfect accents for this monotone creation! I’m so elated at how glamorous she looks! She may not be this year’s oscar winner but she’s definitely ravishing! PS. Does she remind you of a modern day Jessica Rabbit? I do!

Unfortunately for Jessica Chastain, it seems like It girl Jennifer Lawrence also managed to upstage her in the best dressed category! JLaw blew everyone away when she showed up wearing this impeccable creation from her favorite, Dior Haute Couture. JLaw pulled off the white ball gown by accentuating it with Chopard earring and necklace which she wore backwards! her elegant updo also did the trick by putting her face the main attraction! She definitely saved the best for last! Beautiful.

Oh, did I mention she won the Oscar for Lead Actress? Could she be more perfect?

Before I end, I just want to express my disappointment with regards to Charlize Theron’s red carpet choice; I mean, she’s gorgeous but she could have worn a more dramatic look which she always does! And probably the biggest disappointment, Anne Hathaway in Prada was a faux pas, it wasn’t chic at all! She should have worn something more classy at the same time dramatic for her big night. Aside from these, it was all good! And probably the most glamorous and sublte red carpet of the season!

Stay tuned for more about the ceremony later!

-F

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all photos are from Google