Yeah, I said it. And I mean it. Hear me out – hear me out, I said!
Some Best Dressed-s are obvious, and some take a minute. When I thought about all the outfits, the one I kept coming back to (before we saw Vanity Fair, because WHHYYYY were all the best looks at the after party?) was this odd little Schiapparelli Haute Couture number. Odd, but DELIGHTFUL – honestly!
Okay, I know. The shoulders. They freak people out. But let’s start here. And – it’s unusual, but as an exercise, let’s start from the bottom:
It’s a gorgeous, classic column. An Oscar dress. I take a bit of issue with outlets that are calling it ‘white’ – to me this is a buttercream yellow, which is what makes the silver bathing suit bottom so striking! And yes, I thought it was supposed to approximate an old-timey one-piece swimsuit – what they used to call a “maillot”. Maybe I don’t spend enough time really thinking about tighty-whitey Y-front underwear, but – it just wasn’t the image that came to mind.
The waist sits at her waist, the bodice is fitted perfectly but she doesn’t look like she’s holding her breath or straining to move. The train – did you know there was a train? Elegant but doesn’t get in her way. And then –
Okay. Let’s talk about the shoulders. But let’s do it in the pleasant-est way possible:
#Oppenheimer star Emily Blunt and #Barbie star Ryan Gosling give digs at each other about #Barbenheimer at the 2024 #Oscars pic.twitter.com/iaGqlGcfOL
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) March 11, 2024
Remember this? Another moment where Ryan Gosling was the MVP of the night, because he and Emily are having SO much fun. Again, per my essay earlier – is there anyone who doesn’t enjoy working with this man?
But we’re here for the dress. And specifically, those shoulders.
I think it should be clear that this is not a tailoring error. They don’t move. They stay in the same place whether she’s standing or sitting, regardless of whether she sways (as she does with Ryan) or not – and they’re obviously meant to balance out her Tiffany & Co. necklace – I’d even buy it if someone said the raised arcs let the light hit the diamonds more directly.
I kept thinking that she wouldn’t have those painful strap marks you can get from sequins. And that she wouldn’t be itchy. And even though this reaction from John Krasinski is almost inexcusably cheesy (as were his heartfelt squeezing-her-hand moments inside the Dolby theatre), I kind of think the dress is worthy of it:
John Krasinski being in awe of Academy Award nominee Emily Blunt. #Oscars pic.twitter.com/0VsbHyRYe9
— best of emily blunt (@badpostblunt) March 11, 2024
In short, I kept thinking about it. And that’s what Best Dressed is – it makes you think about it and remember it. We’ll call back to this dress in later years because it all works together, and it’s an intentional choice – whereas the other dress with this style element, Florence Pugh’s, is more chaotic (but then, that works with her vibe).
On a night when she probably didn’t expect to win, her job was to look like a million bucks and like she didn’t have a care in the world, and this dress pulls it off in spades. I’m here for it, and I look forward to her strange choices in future awards season runs...
(N.B. - The author of this article would like to point out that the assignment was ‘best dressed’, not ‘best hair’ – in which case this would be a rather different piece.)
