The 25 Best Red-Carpet Moments This Year
Photo: Getty Images
When it comes to unforgettably unfortunate fashion moments, 2012 didn’t disappoint — from Beyoncé’s see-through Met Gala getup, to Kristen and Charlize sporting matching hot messes to the Snow White and the Huntsman premieres, to the whips-and-chains-flavored boots Anne Hathaway busted out on Monday night for Les Miserables (apparently this year wants to go out with a bang). But for every fashion tragedy, there are triumphs, and for a change we want to applaud the best: Herein, we’re paying tribute to the 25 red-carpet looks we loved the most in 2012. Might as well ride out on a wave of positivity. We assume the unlucky numerology of 2013 portends a period of fashion insanity, and we want to enjoy it — and we will — with a clear conscience.
Tilda Swinton at the Golden Globes Swinton is rarely a snore, but sometimes her innate, enviable weirdness veers toward the off-putting. Frankly,...
Tilda Swinton at the Golden Globes Swinton is rarely a snore, but sometimes her innate, enviable weirdness veers toward the off-putting. Frankly, at times, it seems like a challenge to find a look that both flatters her and lets Tilda be Tilda. She found that perfect marriage at the Globes, with the impeccable cut of her Haider Ackermann suit and that awesome pompadour. Basically, this look is our spirit animal. Or at the very least, it’s the spirit animal that our spirit animals keep trying to ask out for cocktails.
Photo: Jason Merritt/2012 Getty Images
Viola Davis at the BAFTAs We love to see people making good use of their custom gowns. This Valentino not only fits Viola like a glove — clearly ...
Viola Davis at the BAFTAs We love to see people making good use of their custom gowns. This Valentino not only fits Viola like a glove — clearly her collaborators took extra time to make sure she would be satisfied — but the shade is spectacular on her. In an industry where fashion plates sometimes treat color like the enemy, Viola embraces it fearlessly, and for that reason alone we want to see more of her. So please, everyone, invite her to everything. Even your office holiday parties. You never know.
Photo: Gareth Cattermole/2012 Getty Images
Jessica Chastain at the Oscars That sound you hear is us cheering — still — about how hard Chastain nailed it on her biggest stage. This is...
Jessica Chastain at the Oscars That sound you hear is us cheering — still — about how hard Chastain nailed it on her biggest stage. This is a woman who is inarguably stunning but has been habitually plagued by the almosts: Gowns almost flatter, hair and makeup almost shine, shoes almost work. But this gilded black McQueen is, like gum to Chandler Bing, perfection.
Photo: Ethan Miller/2012 Getty Images
Evan Rachel Wood at the Golden Globes
Initially, we were startled by this potent Gucci cocktail of feathers and netting and sequins and paille...
Evan Rachel Wood at the Golden Globes
Initially, we were startled by this potent Gucci cocktail of feathers and netting and sequins and paillettes. That’s a long ingredient list. But this look is so visually arresting that it became unforgettable, bringing everything we adore to the table (short of actual food): rich color; a flattering cut; smart restraint with makeup and accessories; and above all, major impact. Suddenly it makes sense that Wood recently ran off and got secret-married to Jamie Bell. Girlfriend clearly has a nose for drama.
Photo: Frazer Harrison/2012 Getty Images
Kate Hudson at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Did anybody see this Jenny Packham dress and not immediately sign up for Pilates?
Photo: S...
Kate Hudson at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Did anybody see this Jenny Packham dress and not immediately sign up for Pilates?
Photo: Stephen Lovekin/2012 Getty Images
Emma Stone at the Golden Globes This girl has a great history at the Globes: As a nominee for Easy A, she wore a fabulous Calvin Klein mang...
Emma Stone at the Golden Globes This girl has a great history at the Globes: As a nominee for Easy A, she wore a fabulous Calvin Klein mango sheath (only marred by an overzealous fake tan). And this year, in support of The Help, her custom plum-and-pink Lanvin elevated Emma’s game even further. It’s romantic, it’s graceful, and it’s flattering — without losing any of the sexy edge supported by the auburn hair and rimmed eyes. Has anyone ever been this universally admired for this long? Call it Girl Crush, Uninterrupted.
Photo: Frazer Harrison/2012 Getty Images
Rihanna at the Grammys Generally, Rihanna's wardrobe — and life, honestly — is perplexing at best. In both instances, she'd be best served ...
Rihanna at the Grammys Generally, Rihanna's wardrobe — and life, honestly — is perplexing at best. In both instances, she'd be best served by looking to this outfit for inspiration: Just keep it simple (and send Mr. Armani a thank-you note).
Photo: Jason Merritt/2012 Getty Images
Jennifer Lopez at the
Vanity Fair Oscars Party J.Lo wears everything in her arsenal with admirable, impenetrable confidence, as if to say, “If y...
Jennifer Lopez at the
Vanity Fair Oscars Party J.Lo wears everything in her arsenal with admirable, impenetrable confidence, as if to say, “If you do not like this, it is YOUR PROBLEM.” Fortunately, we don’t have one here: The gown’s simplicity allows that cleavage plunge to be as deep and gutsy as it is, and the color and texture are home-run-caliber. In fact, until a minute ago, we’d forgotten that this was actually Lopez's second outfit of Oscar night. Her first, a terrible white-and-nude-netted Zuhair Murad, with oddball elbow cutouts, looked like a repurposed circus tent; in comparison, this dress is even more divine. Well played, J.Lo. You win again.
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/2012 Getty Images
Zooey Deschanel at the Golden Globes Isn't it refreshing to see Deschanel pop up somewhere looking sleek, polished, and quirky — but not &q...
Zooey Deschanel at the Golden Globes Isn't it refreshing to see Deschanel pop up somewhere looking sleek, polished, and quirky — but not "adorkable" in any sense of that non-word? This custom Prada was sophisticated without being sacrificing any of her charm, a fine line she ought to walk more often.
Photo: Getty Images
Coco Rocha at the Met Ball Okay, technically it’s not a gown — it’s a vintage Givenchy pantsuit, complete with authentic red-wine stain, which Co...
Coco Rocha at the Met Ball Okay, technically it’s not a gown — it’s a vintage Givenchy pantsuit, complete with authentic red-wine stain, which Coco Rocha wore to the Met Ball after purchasing it from an auction of Elizabeth Taylor’s things. Had Coco worn it, say, to a movie premiere or to a party honoring some random new smartphone, we might feel differently. But this outfit has two places in time: on Elizabeth in its era, and on Rocha here, as a nod to the “Impossible Conversation” between a deceased superstar and a living supermodel. We loved it as a clever nod to the night’s theme, and Coco wore the hell out of it — no mean feat when you try to imagine if Lindsay Lohan, in full Taylor regalia, had worn it in Liz & Dick. We are clutching our phantom pearls in very real horror.
Photo: Larry Busacca/2012 Getty Images
Gwyneth Paltrow at the Oscars We are still waiting for the GOOP missive detailing how to best wear a cape to your own formal event. Pre...
Gwyneth Paltrow at the Oscars We are still waiting for the GOOP missive detailing how to best wear a cape to your own formal event. Presumably, the big hint is to talk Tom Ford into sending you one, but we wouldn't know. We're coming up on a year now since she dazzled us with this unexpected treat — could anyone else do this and make it look like a grand idea? — and, unlike the best place to buy Himalayan sea salt, this is something we are actually interesting in learning. Get to work, Gwyneth.
Photo: Ethan Miller/2012 Getty Images
Nicole Kidman at Cannes Nicole occasionally tends to the severe, favoring relentlessly ironed hair and structured dresses that can make her look ...
Nicole Kidman at Cannes Nicole occasionally tends to the severe, favoring relentlessly ironed hair and structured dresses that can make her look a bit brittle. Which is why we were so delighted by this unexpected rose Lanvin she sported at Cannes. The hue and cut of the dress, plus her soft makeup and graceful strawberry updo, give her real warmth and softness. We heard The Paperboy was awful, but if this is what starring in a movie with a comparative whippersnapper like Zac Efron yields, is it wrong to root for a sequel?
Photo: George Pimentel/2012 George Pimentel
Octavia Spencer at the Oscars Spencer spent the entire 2012 awards circuit looking pitch perfect — classic, sophisticated, and perfectly ta...
Octavia Spencer at the Oscars Spencer spent the entire 2012 awards circuit looking pitch perfect — classic, sophisticated, and perfectly tailored — and the high point was, appropriately, at the Academy Awards. She'll never look back at photos of her win and wonder, What was I thinking? Bonus points to Tadashi Shoji for proving once and for all that it's eminently possible to dress a woman who isn’t a size four, and do it beautifully. Now please go help Christina Hendricks. Thanks.
Photo: Michael Buckner/2012 Getty Images
Elizabeth Banks at Two
Hunger Games Premieres It had to be unnerving for Banks to head out on a press junket knowing she'd be spending the ...
Elizabeth Banks at Two
Hunger Games Premieres It had to be unnerving for Banks to head out on a press junket knowing she'd be spending the entire time standing next to the fabulous Jennifer Lawrence. But girlfriend nailed it in a series of colorful, glitzy gowns — none better than these two from Bill Blass and Elie Saab. Which one was the girl on fire, again?
Photo: Getty Images
Solange Knowles at the Met Ball It must be hard being Beyoncé’s sister, because you’re constantly going to get lost in the shadow of Mr. a...
Solange Knowles at the Met Ball It must be hard being Beyoncé’s sister, because you’re constantly going to get lost in the shadow of Mr. and Mrs. Music Royalty. But at the Met Ball, while Beyoncé tried to steal the show in a see-through Givenchy with a furry train — it was basically just a fancy curtain for her birth canal — Solange won the night in this classic, simple Rachel Roy in a striking yellow that let her natural beauty shine. Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/2012 Getty Images
Kate Middleton at a Pre-Olympics Concert In the last two years, Kate Middleton has worn a lot of truly dreamy things, but this teal Jenny Packham...
Kate Middleton at a Pre-Olympics Concert In the last two years, Kate Middleton has worn a lot of truly dreamy things, but this teal Jenny Packham confection has to top our wish list. It’s perfect on her. Forget her actual title; this is the very picture of what a princess should look like. If she and Wills have a little girl brewing in there, that child is going to inherit one seriously epic, enviable closet (that, we assume, she can spend the next 50 years swapping with the sartorial inheritance of her obvious best pal, Miss Harper Seven Beckham).
Photo: Chris Jackson/2012 Getty Images
Reese Witherspoon at Cannes Take note, Kate Middleton.
Photo: Andreas Rentz/2012 Getty Images
Jessica Pare at the Emmys Pare had a tough row to hoe this past year, thanks to a mountain of Internet scorn (her new-ish character o...
Jessica Pare at the Emmys Pare had a tough row to hoe this past year, thanks to a mountain of Internet scorn (her new-ish character on Mad Men was pilloried for, the loudest critics claim, snatching too much face time from show's old guard) that too often crosses into being personal and ugly. But, if we may bastardize a cliché, dressing well is the best revenge, and that is exactly what she served in this elegant Jason Wu. She's regal, calm, and classy — everything we wish we could be. Photo: Frazer Harrison/2012 Getty Images
Blake Lively at the
Savages Premiere Until this year, Blake suffered from the truly tragic problem of having great boobs and great legs, an...
Blake Lively at the
Savages Premiere Until this year, Blake suffered from the truly tragic problem of having great boobs and great legs, and thus, the desire to flash both at once. But this Zuhair Murad is a dreamy marriage of fit and styling, turning a girl who made her name playing an Upper East Side celebutante with perpetual bedhead into a glossy-looking Old Hollywood homage. In other words, our little Serena Van Der Woodsen grew up. Sniffle.
Photo: Michael Buckner/2012 Getty Images
Leslie Mann at the Emmys
From the sunny yellow skirt of this Naeem Khan number, to the pop of turquoise in Leslie's accessories, this may have...
Leslie Mann at the Emmys
From the sunny yellow skirt of this Naeem Khan number, to the pop of turquoise in Leslie's accessories, this may have been the happiest gown of the entire year. Yeah, yeah, fashion is serious business, we get it — but sometimes you just want to smile.
Photo: Frazer Harrison/2012 Getty Images
Ginnifer Goodwin at the Emmys Speaking of smiling, when we saw Ginnifer at the Emmys, she was beaming adorably until she was asked for photos, at...
Ginnifer Goodwin at the Emmys Speaking of smiling, when we saw Ginnifer at the Emmys, she was beaming adorably until she was asked for photos, at which point she snapped back into her standard Cranky Face, like it’s a business uniform (say, the antithesis of Pieces of Flair from Office Space). Such a shame, because this sunny Monique Lhuillier is cheerful, it’s flattering, and that orange is deliciously vivid. If this isn’t enough to give her the perma-grins, what will?
Photo: Frazer Harrison/2012 Getty Images
Charlize Theron at the Premiere of
Prometheus Charlize might be the world's most perfect human being, but here she's getting a hand from a perf...
Charlize Theron at the Premiere of
Prometheus Charlize might be the world's most perfect human being, but here she's getting a hand from a perfect dress. Dreamy —almost starlit — but also beautifully uncomplicated, this Christian Dior Couture creation illustrates that sometimes, especially when your raw material is this ideal, less is more.
Photo: Stuart Wilson/2012 Getty Images
Diane Kruger at Cannes And then sometimes, more is awesome. Cannes has a more playful fashion atmosphere than Hollywood’s red carpets, so we full...
Diane Kruger at Cannes And then sometimes, more is awesome. Cannes has a more playful fashion atmosphere than Hollywood’s red carpets, so we fully applaud Kruger's sense of occasion. Somehow she makes something so enormous and structured look breezy and cool, which is a Nobel-worthy achievement in physics. Full marks to Diane for knowing herself well enough to realize that she can pull this off without being mistaken for a parade float — although for the rest of us mortals it probably falls under “don’t try this at home.”
Photo: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/2012 Getty Images
Keira Knightley at the Premiere of
Anna Karenina That we liked this Erdem piece caught us by surprise, because one could accurately refer to it ...
Keira Knightley at the Premiere of
Anna Karenina That we liked this Erdem piece caught us by surprise, because one could accurately refer to it — and in fact we just did, to each other — as “Keira’s fancy duvet.” But like Diane’s megalith before it, the gown is deliciously unusual, from the way the minty green color complements the blue flower detail, to the fact that she somehow doesn’t get lost in all that volume. It's a brave choice, but for once we're not using "brave" as a euphemism for "hideous."
Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/2012 Getty Images
Kristin Stewart at a Premiere of
Breaking Dawn Part 2 Coming out of a major scandal involving one of her co-stars, it would have been understan...
Kristin Stewart at a Premiere of
Breaking Dawn Part 2 Coming out of a major scandal involving one of her co-stars, it would have been understandable if Stewart had given in to the urge to dress down on this press junket, or call in sick with one of those suspiciously vague Hollywood ailments (“exhaustion,” we’re looking at you). We're glad Kristen is ballsier than we apparently are. Her Elie Saab is major-movie-star-worthy, and say what you will about Twilight, she's earned it. How great to go out on a high note after years of slouchy ups and downs; hopefully this will push her into 2013 feeling confident enough to keep on leaving those red-carpet Converse at home.
Photo: Anita Bugge/2012 Anita Bugge
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