Jose here. There's only a handful of things we can lock up for the upcoming Academy Awards and Cate Blanchett getting a Best Actress nod for Blue Jasmine is one of them.
The Australian goddess has been getting career-best reviews for her work in Woody Allen's latest, and considering she's played Bob Dylan, Kate Hepburn and Queen Elizabeth to perfection, she's been doing the right kind of press by being modest and saying she owes her success to Woody.
Tomorrow she's even getting a tribute at the New York Film Festival (read our festival coverage here)! Tributes are a key strategy in many Oscar campaign; she might finally win her second gold man. But let's not jump ahead of ourselves with that tricky Oscar fella and let's predict the other thing we can pretty much be assured will happen: Cate will be the best dressed woman on Oscar night. Doing the press rounds for Blue Jasmine donning everyone from Alexander McQueen to vintage Balenciaga, she has been on a roll (even when she goes for statements instead of "dresses"). Which forces us to wonder if she'll be out of ideas by spring!
HER TEN BEST LOOKS OF THE SEASON
after the jump
10. This plum Roksanda Ilincic is Cate's version of a t-shirt and jeans. Here's a Vionett dress she wore just "out on the town".
9. The delicateness of this Armani Privé seems to wash her out a little, but on a closer look she really highlights the dress' simplicity by going for subtly dramatic makeup. The color of the lace and the style of the skirt made me think this is a less formal version of Nicole Kidman's breathtaking Valentino from the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.
8. Am I alone in thinking she's channeling Audrey Hepburn in this column Alexander McQueen?
7. 6. I can see why these two are some of her most controversial looks ever. The first one is a Christopher Kane illusion dress with cobweb patterns and a black tulle skirt. If you're thinking Cate turned into Rooney Mara, you're not that wrong given she wore this around the time it was announced they would be working together. The second dress is a Dior couture gown that a lot of people downright hated, however it was never meant to be taken at face value. The gown, if nothing else, is Dior's interpretation of Takashi Murakami's prints, which combine darkness with ironic patterns of flowers and happy faces.
5. Cate's LBD from Altuzarra = the sexiest she has ever looked.
4. Cate's wearing a dramatic Givenchy Couture halter dress with a cape. You might notice how the fabric seems to restrict her arms and this is precisely the point. People obsessed with couture know that there is no such thing as being comfortable at the service of a gown meant to be seen as art.
3. This red and white Prabal Gurung is like Cate playing Katniss Everdeen, the later years, and what's not to love about that?
2. Cate is channeling Kate in this classic Roksanda Ilincic with a boy collar and simple hair and makeup. She was on a high of pinks, pastels and corals and this look might be the one most universally loved by critics and fans alike.
1. Let's say you're Cate Blanchett and you need something to wear to the New York premiere of your new movie at the Museum of Modern Art. Do you go out shopping for clothes? Do you call your stylist and ask him/her to bring some options to your suite? No. If you're Cate Blanchett you pick up the phone (or whatever style goddesses use to communicate), call the folks at Balenciaga and tell them you want a recreation of one of their vintage looks. The result is a walking work of art made out of two parts: a simple dress with falling flower appliqués and a structured cape that adds the illusion of being a full on ball gown. My jaw dropped the second I saw this look and I've still to pick it up from the floor.
It's your turn, dear readers! What were your favorite Cate looks this season? How will she ever be able to top these at the Globes or Oscars?