The Fashion Hits and Misses at the 2012 Met Ball

I feel like the last two weeks have been a fashion bonanza with the Correspondents Dinner and now the 2012 Met Ball.  The Met Ball is its own beast because people take serious fashion risks that sometimes are successful and other times, they are huge disasters.  Let's start out with the pretty first:

PRETTY:

1.  Amy Adams:  I cannot believe this lady is two-for-two with beautiful gowns.  She's still with the same stylist, but they are dressing her like the goddess she deserves to look like.   Dress by Giambasttista Valli. Jewels by Fred Leighton.  

2.  Cameron Diaz:  I have always loved the collaboration between Cameron and Rachel Zoe.  They work very successfully together and tonight was no different.  Dress by Stella McCartney.

3.  Dianna Agron:  Oh, we've seen our Glee star looking a little undressed in photos like these, but she's turning into quite the red carpet fashionista.  She looks young, fresh, but in command.  Dress by Carolina Herrara.

4. Diane Kruger:  I think the hair is a little messy for such a formal affair, but I couldn't resist this royal purple dress with the feathered train.  It is flowy and comfortable for such a stuffy night.  Dress and Clutch by Prada. 

5. Emma Stone:  Hollywood's It Girl looks great in this color and she wore it to the Oscars too.  She definitely took a risk with a shorter dress at the Met Ball and it pays off.  Dress by Lanvin.

6.  Gwyneth Paltrow: Her body looks flawless in The Avengers, it looked flawless at the Oscars, and it looks flawless here.  Enough said.  Dress by Prada.

7.  Nina Dobrev:  There is just nothing wrong with this photo:  beautiful dress, sublime train pooling behind her, and a complete red carpet look.  Dress by Donna Karan. (Kind of an unexpected look from Donna, no?  Love it.)

Now for the fun part, the really, really ugly that crossed that red carpet tonight at the Met Ball and, kids, there was a lot of ugly this year.  I didn't pick any of the models that attended.  Instead, I looked for celebs because seriously.....they know better to wear such ugliness on camera.  Let's take a look:

UGLY:
1.  Chloe Sevigny:  What was she thinking?  It doesn't even look like she tried. I think she just rolled out of bed and stumbled into the Met Ball.  Dress and clutch by Miu Miu.

 2.  Christina Ricci: This girl is so tiny in real life and she is so overwhelmed by the ugliness wrapping her body. Why? Why? Why?  Dress by Thakoon.

3. Florence Welch:  She wore a color similar to this to the 2010 Academy Awards.  This time around she has a ton of fabric and accoutrement on the dress to distract the eye from her Heidi braid on top of her head.  I know she's a musician and she wants to be edgy, but this wasn't it.  Dress by Alexander McQueen.

4.  Eva Mendes:  She is one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood and she comes dressed in this?  Was Rachel Zoe too busy dressing Cameron Diaz and Karolina Kurkova to pay attention to her other client?  What is up with that skirt of fabric covering her hips?  Dress and Clutch by Prada.  Jewelry by Fred Leighton.

5.  Elizabeth Banks: She's not known for fashion, so I think she should have stuck with a more safe gown.  What mirror did she look in and think "I look good"?  Shame on the stylist who put her in this.  Dress by Mary Katrantzou.  
       

 6.  Kristen Stewart:  She's always so miserable.  Why is she even there?  Dress by Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquiere.

7.  Sarah Jessica Parker:  What happened to our fashion icon from SATC?  She looks like my childhood bedroom drapes.  Dress by Valentino and Shoes by Manolo Blahnik.

8.  Julianne Hough:  She is going to be a huge star once Rock of Ages comes out, but this is not what a star wears to the Met Ball.  This is what a girl wears to her prom.  Dress by Carolina Herrara.

9.  January Jones:  Our girl is back from maternity leave and she is still dressing herself.  A worst-dressed list isn't complete without January.  Dress by Versace.  Jewelry by Cartier.

10.  Mary-Kate Olsen:  Ummmm, if you are wearing a dress from your fashion line, don't you want to look your best?  I guess not. She looks straight out of Tim Burton's Dark Shadows flick opening this weekend.  Dress by The Row. Jewels by Fred Leighton.

Do you agree with my fashion picks?  I would love to hear from you, so join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, or Google Plus.

Make sure to see my 2012 Stylist List so you are in the know about Hollywood stylists and who they dress.

All Photos by Getty Images.

The GQ/Glee Controversy

Well, the controversy of the week belongs to GQ Magazine and the cast of Glee.  Someone has to be a part of a media's salacious story of the week and I imagine Lea Michele and Dianna Agron are wishing it would go away or that the cast of Hellcats would do something tabloid-worthy.  If you missed all of the controversy, the Parents Television Council "denounced the makers of the TV show 'Glee' for a hyper-sexualized GQ photo shoot that will be featured in the November issue.”  Words like "pedophilia" have been thrown around in the press and Dianna Agron took to her blog and apologized to those that are offended by the shoot. 

Many people have weighed in on the photos adding that the cast members involved in the shoot are all in their 20's and that Glee really isn't a show for the young set.  I think what people are failing to realize is that they are missing the real point of this controversy.  We get it:  GQ is a men's magazine, Glee is a hot, and sometimes racy, show, and parents to need monitor what their kids are watching on TV or reading in magazines.  The real tragedy is the handlers for these young stars.  I am sure there was a network publicist or an agent/assistant/manager to one of these young stars on set that day.  Who decided that Lea Michele posing with her crotch open to the camera in white panties would be great for her career?  I realize at 24 years of age, she is an adult, but she has been thrust into the spotlight and things are happening around her quickly.  That is when you need a strong advocate on your team and they failed the young stars of Glee that day.  

Look, I think that the Dianna Agron pictures aren't that bad. She is dressed like every video vixen from the 1980's and Cory Monteith gets off easy because he is a guy.  It's Lea Michele who really gets stuck.  Her body looks amazing, but she really needed someone in her corner that day.  Unless you have a contract to pose for Playboy or Penthouse, you should never spread eagle in front of the camera.  I actually feel bad for her.  If you want to know what happens to young Hollywood, it starts with all of the handlers saying "yes" to everything for fear jeopardizing their young star's career and the cash flow that is coming in so quickly.  When people learn to say "no", you have a career like Anne Hathaway, not Lindsay Lohan.  The bottom line, young actors have to start understanding show business is just that:  a business that is dying for you to put on a show.  

Take a look at more of the photos from the November issue of GQ.  Weigh in. I want to know what you think:

**All photos are property of GQ Magazine.