Saturday, June 12, 2010

Award Shows- Not Just For Famous People

My fabulous friend Jen is going to the Tony Awards tomorrow night. How exciting is that? She said she'll be calling me for some fashion advice, but I thought it would be fun to write a whole post about it.

The thing about awards shows is that they are all unique not only in terms of their purpose, but also in the attendees fashion approach. For example, the Oscars tend to be very glamorous, but the fashions tend to be fairly approachable. Some celebrities will take a fashion risk, but for the most part, the gowns are just really beautiful. It's a veritable who's who of the design world on that red carpet.
The Grammy's on the other hand are all about being edgy and youthful. The music industry event tends to be a lot more colorful and outlandish in terms of the fashions:
I like to think of the Tony's as an opportunity to be fashionably dramatic like the Grammy's, but combined with the elegance of the Oscar's. Dramatic elegance:

Of course, there are all sorts of other things to take into consideration when dressing for an Awards Show:
What are the current trends and which trends are appropriate for this event?
Am I attending as a nominee or as a presenter or both?
If a nominee, will I also be performing at some point throughout the night?
Will I be attending an after-party in the same attire?

And these are just a few things to consider. Dressing for an event is never quite as simple as picking a pretty dress and shoes. If only...

If I were in Jen's position, I'd be pretty excited to figure out what to wear as she is neither a presenter nor a nominee. But despite not having the notoriety of some other attendees, since it is the Tony Awards, I'd go bold. Something like this:


This gown has a sophisticated silhouette, but it is also deceptively simple. At first glance, it's just a pale pink gown with lovely draping, but upon closer inspection, it has a dramatic, embellished, asymetrical shoulder. It's a fabulous starting point, but considering the glamour-factor of an event like the Tony's, I would definitely pair it with a sparkly clutch and jewelry Maybe earrings and a cuff bracelet, but definitely NO necklace. A necklace would compete with the detail of the neckline.

Another Tony's-worthy option:


I'm a bit in love with this particular dress- the ombre effect is simply stunning, particularly because of the color combination. Deep plum fading to lavender and then to peach- it's unexpected and dramatic. The neckline on this dress could definitely handle a statement piece, however, it should be chosen carefully since the eye is naturally drawn down to the ombre shading in the skirt. Once again, I would skip a necklace and instead choose a pair of long, dangling earrings (sparkly, of course). Shoes should be neutral to once again allow the beautiful ombre effect to be the star of the look.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with a short evening dress:


When choosing a dress with an interesting detail like the dramatic ruffle on the front of this otherwise simple strapless sheath, it's important to let that one dramatic element be the star of the outfit. If this dress were also a dramatic color like a jewel tone, it would be a lot of look. But since the color is a subdued silver, it works. That doesn't mean you should wear bold accessories, you should. It helps elevate the look and make it more special. I would personally wear this dress with a bold statement necklace- one that is short enough that it stays above the neckline. A necklace that drapes down past the bustline would be inappropriate because of how it would compete with the ruffle detail.

Maybe Jen will be nice enough to send me some pictures of whatever she decides to wear so that she can be featured on the blog (hint, hint)! And in the meantime, if any of you have a style dilemma and would like some advice, feel free to email me or leave a comment and I'll be happy to offer some advice!

Happy Saturday, everyone!

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