There’s nothing wrong, really, with Margot Robbie’s Oscar 2020 dress. It’s fine. It’s black. It’s strapless. There’s chiffon wrapped around her forearms leaving a trail down the length of her body. And I suppose that’s a pretty-ish effect, but also not really all that special? 

And that’s been the great mystery (at least to me) about her partnership with Chanel. Ever since it started a couple of years ago, during her I, Tonya Oscar run, almost every choice has been kinda underwhelming. And this is Chanel. Chanel sends down some showstoppers down the runway every season. See also Kristen Stewart. So why is it that Margot + Chanel is so… insipid? Don’t tell me it’s because she’s not interested in making the best dressed list. Because what’s the point of signing a deal with Chanel, the most exclusive fashion house, if you don’t care about style? 

Sure, it doesn’t take away from the great work she’s been doing in front and behind the camera as a producer. Margot Robbie is super talented. She’ll be back to the Oscars some time soon. She’s invited to everything because she’s good at most things that are related to the profession of being an actor. So, maybe, style doesn’t have to be her thing? Maybe where style is concerned, she lives in “a pretty but not super memorable” lane… and that’s OK? 

I should say that this dress is vintage, which would fall under the “sustainable” fashion push that was one of the themes of the red carpet last night. Opting for a re-wear shouldn’t be a limitation. In fact, it might even be more fun – reinterpreting a well-known dress and seeing how it translates on someone else. You know what I would choose for Margot? Here’s a Chanel dress that Sarah Jessica Parker wore to the Oscars in 2010. 

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Vintage that on Margot Robbie. How would you update it? Right?! It’s an amazing game. And across the board, at all the fashion houses, there are thousands upon thousands of options. We could do this for a long, long time.