Crazy Rich Asians only came out six months ago and since then it seems that CRA has been represented on every major carpet, capping off their run at the Oscars last night. We’ve already talked about Michelle Yeoh and Gemma Chan, and Constance Wu, with Jon M Chu, and Henry Golding were also invited.
Constance was an early arrival. It gave her time to take her time at the photo wall and with the press. This is the point. When you’ve had the year she’s had, you want to build upon the opportunity - in this case, being invited to present at the Oscars which is a year-end bonus as she’s capitalising on the new opportunities that have come as a result of the success of CRA, like the upcoming film she’s working on with Jennifer Lopez based on the Hustlers at Scores. Based on a true story, she and JLo play strippers who steal from gross ass clients. Apparently JLo already has a pole installed at her house for training. It’s an interesting transition here for Constance, in a less “wholesome” role than she’s used to but not totally dissimilar from both Jessica on Fresh Off the Boat and Rachel in Crazy Rich Asians – the common thread being that these are all women who are underestimated. Fresh Off the Boat is currently in its fifth season and in syndication. Last year, before ABC renewed it, there was some talk that it could have been cancelled. It might be too soon to tell if the same conversations are happening this year but five – or may be six – years is also a good run for her and the timing sets up nicely for her to pivot to another phase in her career. The movie with JLo is part of that plan – and showing up the Oscars, in a glow-up dress, supports that plan too.
This is Versace. In Marigold. It’s gorgeous, with the small pleats and the embellishment across the chest and, yes, evocative of one of the best Oscar dresses of all time: Michelle Williams in Vera Wang.
That dress, obviously, has aged well. It’s timeless…but it’s also of its time. The way the skirt gathers in a front-knot like that was very mid-2000s. Constance’s is also of its time – the asymmetrical ruffling is firmly from this decade and instead of tapering to below the hips, this Versace gathers inward at the waist. I don’t know if it’ll hold up as well as Michelle’s (probably not) but it’s a stunning colour on her and even a little bit Disney princess which I feel like is what she’s leaning into for her first Oscars, like Cinderella at the ball. I’m not mad at it. She also wore Versace at the Vanity Fair party, her second time going, and that was a deliberate switch from princess look to club vibes. I’m not mad at that styling decision either.
As for Henry Golding… well…don’t keep reading if he’s your thing because he was my thing until Duana pulled my own move on me. I am an accomplished crush killer and I’ve deliberately killed so many celebrity crushes for my unsuspecting friends so, I guess, this is revenge. She played it really smoothly too. While we were putting together today’s lineup, I said I wanted to write Constance and she suggested that I throw Henry in the post with her, casually dropping that sometimes he looks a little cheesy. That last night he looked a little cheesy. And now, f-ck, I can’t unsee it. He did look a little cheesy. I don’t know how she nailed it like that but she’s not wrong – it’s the combination of his classic old Hollywood suit and the hair combed back like that and, I dunno, it felt a little Clark Gable cosplay-ish, didn’t it? Henry hooked up later at Vanity Fair with his wife, Liv Lo. When you’re not a presenter, you don’t get a plus one.
