The Oscars are less than two weeks away. The suspense this year is in the Best Picture and Director races. All the acting categories are pretty much locked up: Renee Zellweger for Best Actress, Joaquin Phoenix for Best Actor, Laura Dern for Best Supporting Actress, and Brad Pitt for Best Supporting Actor. Voting doesn’t begin until Thursday but there really isn’t much chance for a surprise.
If you’re Cynthia Erivo and Charlize Theron, then, the nomination is the win and it’s all parties from here, zero pressure. For Cynthia, she’s celebrating her first nomination. Charlize is getting credit for producing Bombshell and delivering a solid performance as Megyn Kelly. So you know what that means? They can get a little more creative with the fashion.
Being the favourite limits your choices – because, of course, those photos are forever; the key is to choose something that can be replayed over and over again, a piece that will be timeless, so that when people cut to you 50 years from now holding the trophy, you’re still into what you wore. Cynthia and Charlize don’t have that restriction which means I hope they bring it on Oscar night. It’s been underwhelming on the carpets so far this season, right? Cynthia’s been one of the few who’s consistently given us the excitement. And her outfit at the Nominees Luncheon yesterday stayed with that theme.
This green coat dress is not for everyone, but she knew it. She wanted to stand out. And she knows that colour is great on her. It pops off of her in a way that is unmistakable in a group photo – which, I think, was the point. If you’re there as a first-time nominee, you want to stand out in the class photo. I love it. And I love the whimsy and playfulness of the glasses and the weirdness of that black brooch on her shoulder that leans right into the yeah-I-know-this-isn’t-safe-but-all-that-matters-is-that-I-like-it attitude.
As for Charlize – I mean, sh-t, this is classic tailoring. It’s a clean, crisp white shirt, short sleeved button-down, unusually wide at the arms, over a pinstriped skirt that’s pleated interestingly to look like culottes, especially considering where it falls to below the knee. A great appetizer for February 9.
