Nicole Kidman is a beautiful woman, no question. She’s tall and striking, no question. Is it absolutely beyond the pale for me to suggest that has nothing to do with why she looks so damn good all the time?
I mean yes, it’s preposterous. Of course it’s because she’s beautiful and statuesque and all the things. Buuuut, she also always plays to the clothes themselves, not to her attractiveness, per se. Not every woman rocks comically giant rosettes on various parts of her body and calls it high fashion. She’s doing it for the dress, more than for herself. But this has always been Nicole. May we never forget the parrots:
This is, maybe, one of the requirements of a successful Best Actress Campaign. Cate Blanchett, too, knows what she likes and – actually, maybe this is the key – how to transform peoples’ perception of you entirely. Had she been up onstage last night, her two piece ensemble would have reminded us faintly of Lydia Târ’s tailored outfits, and then we would never have seen anything like it again, as she takes us for a ride around wherever she’s taking us next.
So, by this metric, what about the someday-maybes?
Ana de Armas was nominated in this category for Blonde, a movie that is otherwise… not beloved, specifically because of how utterly she disappeared into Marilyn Monroe. But I don’t know if I feel the same way about this dress, in the sense that it’s kind of what you think Ana de Armas would wear to win a first Oscar – like, somewhere in the passed-down sorority journals of former winners, someone (Gwyneth) has written some pseudo-rule, like “you should win in a dress that makes them think of your spirit” or something, I don’t know. There’s nothing wrong with the dress, but there’s nothing to say from Ana, yet, that she’s willing to take the kind of fashion risks we’ve come to appreciate in our performers who come back year after year…
And – while we’re on the subject, speculate with me a little? If there was someone who hasn’t yet been in this category, but in all likelihood, will be sooner or later… we’re all voting for Elizabeth Olsen, right? Soon?
Elizabeth Olsen’s details pic.twitter.com/57cPKfpTz5
— Elizabeth Olsen News (@wandasolsen) March 12, 2023
She strikes me as someone who is determined not to take fashion too seriously, but also kind of really enjoys it. The fringe at the back of the neck so clearly says ‘I want to try stuff’, and it makes me wonder – if you hadn’t gotten that nomination, yet, but you found the kind of dress that wins and dreams and careers were made on, that looked made for you and did everything wonderful to everything you had … would you buy it? To have it for someday? Or would you assume it would jinx you forever?
P.S. – One more reason Nicole Kidman is such a beloved presence at awards shows? Not only does she put up with Jimmy Kimmel’s one-and-a-half-liners like a good sport even though she always makes it perfectly clear she doesn’t think he’s actually being funny, she also regularly provides moments like these.
Emily, our site manager, sent these to me, and I stopped in my tracks in the middle of the night.
I don’t know about you, but I have no trouble believing these are real…
