By FEDERICA NARANCIO
Observer Staff
Feb. 20, 2008

The Oscar red carpet has become the ultimate fashion show, where celebrities are scrutinized not only for their acting abilities but also for what they wear. The so-called fashion police of style magazines and TV shows are not merciful, and they will come down hard on those actors that get it wrong and rank as the worst dressed of the night.

This is why weeks and even months ahead, actors work with their stylists to choose the perfect dress, makeup and hairstyle.

“There is little left to chance these days, the stakes are too high,” said Jayne Mountford, director of trend reporting at Stylesight.com. “Most often, the actors look impeccable having spent hours and days with their stylists choosing the perfect dress from a wide selection.”

But even that doesn’t guarantee that actors won’t make mistakes, Mountford said. She cited Jennifer Hudson as an example, who wore a dress to the Oscars in 2007 that was criticized by fashion experts for its shape, color, and for the silver bolero that accompanied it.

“First, the bolero went and by the time the show was over she had gone through a complete wardrobe change,” Mountford said.

For the 2008 edition of the Oscars, the expectations are even higher, according to celebrity stylists and fashion designers interviewed by the Observer, because it was uncertain if there would be a ceremony due to the writer’s strike.

The excitement people are feeling in Hollywood will translate to what they wear, experts said, and bold colors will be a signature trend in this year’s dresses.

“I think this year there will be a big show because there were no Golden Globes,” said Neva Lindner, owner of the elite clothes rental salon, Wardrobe, which is based in New York and Los Angeles.

“There will be many shades of blues and pinks. We will see more than the usual red, black and white.”

“Purples, greens, long gowns and beautiful party dresses and the glamour of the ‘40s and the ‘50s is what we will see this year,” Allan Schwartz, design director of A.B.S. store said.

After every edition of the Oscars, Schwartz designs pieces inspired by the dresses he saw and he said many customers come to his store asking for dresses they liked at the ceremony.

“The Oscars are very directional and they usually show the upcoming trends,” he said.
Mountford considered that the collections for fall and winter ‘08-‘09 that were shown in New York and Europe will likely influence the celebrity’s choices for dresses.

“Actresses are most likely being shipped gowns straight from the runways. New York was showing flowing gowns often in metallic tones, gold, silver, burgundy, bronze, plunging necklines or open backs,” she said.

All experts agreed, however, that regardless of the latest fashion trends that celebrities adopt, they will likely choose sophisticated, elegant and glamorous clothes that don’t go over the top because the Oscars are a more formal and traditional ceremony. The red carpet is not the place to take big risks, according to designers and stylists, even though celebrities’ outfits have to fit their personalities as well.

“My position towards this is that they should choose clean, simple and rich fabrics that fit them well,” Lisa Freede, a designer celebrity stylist said. “Leave the feathers at the door and wear gorgeous jewelry. If you do this, you can’t go wrong.”

Celebrities that have worn Freede’s designs include Angelina Jolie, Paris Hilton, Mariah Carey, Usher, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Aniston, according to her Web site, http://celebstylist.com/.
Neva Lindner also considered that the Oscars are not an event to “experiment and be loud.”

“Critic-wise it is best to stick to the old guard: the European designers that have been doing this the longest like Galliano, Dior and Valentino. When you see what they do, it is art,” she said.

The actors and actresses that usually pull it off, according to stylists and designers, are George Clooney, Nicole Kidman, Renee Zellweger, Salma Hayek and Halle Berry. Other experts mentioned actresses such as Scarlett Johansson, Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Debra Messing, Gwyneth Paltrow and Julia Roberts.

“It is critically important for celebrities to dress well at the Oscars, but unfortunately, a lot of mistakes are made,” Freede said. “And sometimes it is not their fault but what their stylist chose for them.”
Whether it’s their choice or their stylists’ choice, actors face a lot of pressure when it comes to fashion during award seasons.

“An actress can define her career by wearing a great dress,” Schwartz said.
Other stylists, such as Freede, wouldn’t go as far as to say actors can boost or destroy their careers depending on what they wear for the Oscars.

“Look at Meryl Streep, for example,” she said.

Freede does consider, however, that what celebrities wear at the ceremony “definitely” affects their image.

This is why, according to the experts interviewed, most actors will go through the effort to look their best at the red carpet and try to make fashion history at the Oscars.