And the Award Goes To..........
Do we really care anymore? Of course I do and lots of you guys and gals do.. but has the general excitement and anticipation associated with red carpet events gone out with the nineties? Not simply that it has become more about fashion than acting, but are even the fashion pack beginning to tire? Slipping and sliding ratings in past years has led the Academy to introducing many of the younger faces on Hollywood to this years show such as Taylor Lautner, Kristen Stewart, Zac Efron and Miley Cyrus in a bid to increase the ratings. But has it worked? Well, the glamour event of the year took place at the weekend and yes fashion critics like myself are on overdrive talking about who got it right and who got it wrong at this year’s Academy Awards, but these days it seems that the thought of ‘yet another awards show’ (even if it is the Oscars) doesn’t have the same appeal as it once had. I remember as a youngster, eagerly waiting up to watch the Oscar’s – to ooh and aah over what Glen Close or Sigourney Weaver had donned as they posed for photos and, to gush over Sean Connery and Michael Douglas; our minds full of Hollywood glamour and dreams of future acting glory.
Now, however, with Jan, Feb and March simply overrun by awards ceremonies, we are experiencing definite ‘red carpet overkill’. From the Peoples Choice Awards, the Grammy’s, the Oscars, the BAFTA’s, the BRITS, The TV NOW Awards and even the Meteor’s, IFTA’s and the VIP Style awards here at home, there are so many fashion events and red carpet ceremonies that people are rapidly becoming desensitised and more than a little bored with the concept. The Oscars (the Academy Awards) really meant something to us years ago – not just a chance to see our idols get duly recognised, but to watch what the ‘beautiful people’ were wearing and to get a rare glimpse of the lives that our idols were living. These were the days when cinema meant much more; the days predating dvd’s, when the VCR was the best thing since sliced pan and the man who drove around with a van full of the latest video releases for us to choose from, was akin to God in our house.
These days the phenomenon that is ‘youtube’ – as well as revolutionising our view of film - has also somewhat destroyed that element of the unattainable, the inaccessible, the unachievable, meaning that the magic and allure of celebrity, has been somewhat drained away.
This, of course, is a double edged sword. The mystery may be somewhat diminished but we feel closer to the stars and perhaps in fact, relate to them a bit more. But the end result of this and indeed our endless fashion shows and award ceremonies, is that we are not as unfamiliar with the kind of fashionable, red carpet gracing, world that they inhabit. I, as a fashion writer, have to accept some culpability too, as I help to continuously highlight articles on ‘how to achieve the superstar look’. The downside is not only that a night out in any relatively upmarket club will find you surrounded by girls who have mastered the superstar look and all look relatively the same, but also, …..,that we don’t get as excited about the Oscars as we should.
Pictured: Our Best Dressed selection was Kate Winslet but coming a close second for us was Sandra Bullock in this stunning beaded Marchesa gown.
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