Sunday night, the 25th annual Critics’ Choice Awards took place in Santa Monica, California. Of all the award shows that kickoff each calendar year, this is the one everyone should care the least about: it doesn’t have the glitz of the Oscars or the carousing of the Golden Globes, but judging by the red carpet, it does have one thing going for it: capital-L Looks.
Billy Porter’s fit aside—whose butterfly sleeves and gigantic pantsuit was much too glorious to share a blog with the rest of the celebrities who’ve not yet learned his trick to dressing for the year 2045, so we gave him his own—Zendaya’s boob-molded Tom Ford crop top is the best fit I’ve seen on any carpet in a minute. And that fuchsia? It is so bright I’m sure if you stare into it long enough, you see through time. I am equally obsessed if not confounded by Cynthia Ervio’s mosaic ball gown by Fendi. It is breathtaking.
Lupita Nyong’o always stuns, but this deep chocolate brown Michael Kors frock is a real winner. I hope she single-handedly brings this shade into vogue, because I want to climb inside of it.
Ava Duvernay’s floor-length ice queen gown, by Michael Cinco, is something out of Frozen 2 and I’m not mad about it. She wears it with… an intimidating grace? I’m not sure if I can compute what’s happening here, but I think it is perfect?
And even though there were so many daring outfits on display, there were also some really mediocre ones: I love all things black and Victorian but Kelly Clarkson’s Alessandra Rich gown is trying to do so much at once, it almost looks cheap. Nicole Kidman’s Armani gown is snooze city (no wonder she’s posed as if bored herself) and Renee Zellweger’s Dior Haute Couture is, well, fine. But isn’t apathy the kiss of death in the fashion world? And this is coming from someone whose wardrobe is made up primarily of boring black dresses…
Until next year, folks!