Last night, Elle hosted its 20th annual Women in Hollywood Celebration, an event that does the very important and necessary job of celebrating women in Hollywood (as you could likely infer from the evening’s title). Many amazing, smart, talented, and inspiring women were in attendance; looking through the guest list is enough to give even the most cynical heart hope for the future of women in the entertainment industry.
Let’s take a look at what they were wearing on the red carpet:
Let’s start with some good: sleek white ensembles with cutouts were a good thing tonight. Scandal‘s Darby Stanchfield looked very elegant; Lea Michele stunned in a Calvin Klein experimental-bustier-cum-cutout-dress, and Naya Rivera sported a low cut Pamella Roland suit with beaded honeycomb-pattern sleeves.
Radiant in red: Reese Witherspoon oozed understated glamor in a Calvin Klein collection dress; Emmy Rossum opted for an embroidered halter gown, which is maybe too much — especially with the red shoes; and Jessica Pare also went the way of “understated glamor in a Calvin Klein collection dress.”
Doing white right: Caitlin Fitzgerald in ornate white embroidery; Deception‘s Meagan Good drips with fringe; and Kat Graham from the Vampire Diaries pairs a white crop top with lucite heels and a slinky around her neck. I really like it.
Some of the more daring looks of the evening:in spite of everything, I really like Marion Cotillard‘s bedazzled sack (it’s by Christian Dior, ok??); I also like Joy Bryant‘s formal lounge wear; and Lake Bell continues to be the Queen of Dramatic Silhouettes.
Some men in suits: here we have James Marsden lookin’ suave; Adam Scott also lookin’ suave; and Chord Overstreet rocking what appears to be a man bun.
Onto blander territories: Naomie Harris in a shredded-up birch tree; Ashley Madekwe from revenge in a cute tailored dress by Thakoon; and Brooke Anderson doing maternity wear very well.
Brie Larson in zzzzzzzzzz; Emilia Clarke trapped in a loose condom; and Scandal‘s Katie Lowes looking glamorous in a little lace collar.
Look of the night: Cybill Shepherd in sneakers. End of discussion. Film director Nancy Meyers donned a powersuit; and Gia Coppola looks very composed in some formal trousers.
Ladies in leathers! Melissa McCarthy looks great in her leathers + cloak + bouffant combo; Whitney Cummings‘ outfit is pretty hideous; and Busy Phillipps‘ skirt looks like a plaid bat — in a good way.
Eva Marie Saint and Chelsea Handler both in suits (I like Eva’s better); Kathy Bates just Kathy Bates-ing in a silk top and floral scarf.
The bad: Parenthood‘s Erika Christensen in a blurry tapestry; Melonie Diaz in a sequined tea cozy; Eva Amurri (actress and daughter of Susan Sarandon) in a couch cover.
The ugly: Shailene Woodley in some boring rug samples that somehow got stitched together; Ahna O’Reilly of The Help wearing an oceanic lampshade; Julianne Nicholson borrowing the dress I bought to wear to Bat Mitzvahs in 2003.
Couples! Shailene Woodley hugging Laura Dern very tenderly; Andy Samberg and his wife, the lovely ethereal musician Joanna Newsom looking like my grandpa’s conception of what a hipster is and a fairy, respectively; and Sebastian Roche and Alicia Hannah.
Images via Getty.