Trend Report - 2011 Academy Awards

Once again, it's award season! A time to honour the great thespians of our time, commend directors and producers, shower the successful with praise and admiration and ultimately... a time to love (and love to hate) the masterpieces of

Dior, Chanel, Dolce and Gabbana, Elie Saab and Vera Wang to name the least, walking the red carpet on Hollywood's night of nights.

Like myself, some would dare to claim the fashion more entertaining than the awards and the anticipation of witnessing some of Hollywood's fashion triumphs and biggest mistakes the highlight of the evening!

Trends have been owning the red carpet this season! Below of some of the nights leading ladies, proving that at any age and size, style remains a state of mind.


TREND: Colour Bomb

This season, the colour bomb trend has been taking the runway by storm with an explosion of breathtaking brights. Likewise to the autumn collections of Pucci, Valentino, Stella McCartney and Balenciaga, the 2011 red carpet has seen a revolution of the colour bomb trend, a more youthful presentation of the years finest talent.

Jennifer Hudson in Atelier Versace

Jennifer Lawrence in Calvin Klein

TREND: Purple Purple Purple!

Purple was a HUGE trend at the Oscars this year seen on A-listers in shades from lavender to plum. The vastly versatile purple trend saw risk taking beauties such as Scarlett Johansson in a daring, sheer Dolce and Gabbana dress and more conservatively, a pregnant Natalie Portman glowing in a plum, off shoulder Rodarte gown proving the purple trend can be worn conservatively and femininely or audaciously daring! This season, the purple trend is definitely a must have this season in your wardrobe!

Scarlett Johansson in Dolce and Gabbana

Mila Kunis in Elie Saab

Natalie Portman in Rodarte

TREND: Sleeves
The Oscars saw a trend in choosing sleeve over strapless. The cap sleeve, proved popular this season by Michelle Williams in Chanel, Amy Adams in L'Wren Scott and Melissa Leo in Marc Bouwer brought understated elegance to the night of course, an Oscar worthy contemporary finish. 
Alternatively, long sleeve worn by Celine Dion is suffering some mixed reviews (some say she dressed AS an Oscar award!) but who can judge that body only 4 months after giving birth to twins! 

Amy Adams in L'Wren Scott

Michelle Williams in Chanel

Celine Dion in Armani Prive

TREND: Red Hot Dresses

With red hot dresses comes the oozing sex appeal they possess - the red hot dress stops traffic. 

Worn by Sandra Bullock (Vera Wang), Anne Hathaway (Valentino) and Penelope Cruz (L'Wren Scott), it was impossible for these starlets to stay out of the spotlight, edging out the nights other huge trend; purple. 

Perfectly complemented by these brunette beauties, red dresses ruled the red carpet. 

Call it a hollywood cameo to match the carpet but this season, red dresses ruled.

Anne Hathaway in Valentino

Sandra Bullock in Vera Wang

Penelope Cruz in L'Wren Scott

Just fake it.

When Heidi Montag revealed her newly vamped, Barbie like body to People Magazine (above, January 2010), she was circled by our judgement and criticism
One of many queries being, what would drive a twenty –three year old to such drastic surgery*?
The world’s primary accusation: the reality star- come- pop singer was fake!
But is she? Besides becoming subject to Hollywood’s drastic vanity standards, misguided or not, Heidi believed she was being true to herself, creating a “different, improved version” of herself.

While Heidi’s transformation is to say the least, excessive, one could argue that many other women, globally, are faking it – subtly and secretly.
We work in jobs we loathe; whilst putting on a smile, we go for that evening run; when we’d rather be eating chocolate, we meet with the men that bore us senseless when we'd rather be at home with Hugh Jackman or Ryan Reynolds at the press of the play button. Is this not ...fake?
We find ourselves judging others for their superficial pursuits but in reality, their just less subtle than our own.

Is it that we crave love, attention, and acceptance so extensively that through playing a part they become achieveable? Is it that we believe the real us doesn’t belong?
We spend so much time, money, effort and energy trying to be more ideal versions of ourselves that we end up feeding ourselves more aprehension and pressure than before, as ourselves.
Has our hunger for acceptance become this drastic?

So how do we strip away the falseness? Regain our individuality over our conformity?
What parts do we remove and what parts do we keep? And, after testing the prototype, how do we know we’ve found our real selves?
Trust your initial instinct. If what you’re doing feels wrong, then it’s not the real you.
However, if you feel at peace with how you’re living and how you’re acting then Voila! – You’ve found yourself. If only it was that easy to find who we truly are, let alone build up the courage to let our real selves loose!

In today’s society, when everything private seems so public, to just fake it deems protection from hurt and rejection.
As time rolls on and maturity is unleashed, the importance of the outer is replaced by the importance of the inner life and investing yourself in that.
The more we fake it, the more we move away from who we really are.

... I dare to wonder what Miss Montag would say?


*Montag underwent ten plastic surgery procedures in one operation

What Makes a Real Woman?

Iconic German designer, Karl Lagerfeld describes the fashion world as about "dreams and illusions" but does this world deem to be a nightmare for some over the magnificence its moguls describe?
For decades, the debate of whether the fashion industry promotes unhealthy body image has prevailed runway after runway.
Would using larger models decrease the prevalence of eating disorders? In contrast, would it be promoting obesity? The representation of "real women"on the runway continues to become one of contemporary society's most controversial debate and yet... we are no closer to an answer.

Within modern fashion history, designers have made global headlines, promoting their stance on the weighty debate. From the brutal oppose of Lagerfeld, daring size twenty campaign of Gaultier to upcoming plus size collections by Marc Jacobs, designers have heeded the demand for larger models.
While the plus size model remains a rarity on the catwalk, they are appearing more frequently within mainstream society - magazines and ad campaigns promoting "real women" and "real beauty" has prompted a wave of both criticism and admiration.

Saying this, what is a real woman? What is real beauty? What represents the ideal woman?
These terms are now so recklessly abused they've lost their emphasis.
As for a real woman, does that mean to have large hips or breasts? If not, is she somehow fake or unnatural? If models aren't real, then what are they?

Rather than marginalising women based upon their body shape or dress size, the diversity should be celebrated!
It is in the hands of the media and fashion world to lead the change. For now, we stop looking for answers and embrace the truth that beauty truly does come at all sizes.