Best of '15: Red Carpet Beauty
Tuesday, December 22, 2015 at 10:45AM 
Jose reporting for red carpet duty. One of the most significant things that happened in fashion in 2015, was the end of Raf Simons' short reign at Dior. With that we saw what I like to think was the "theme of the year", a return to form for starlets, and Best Actress Oscar winners, who seemed constrained under the requirements of their contracts. Not that they were crying about getting paid millions to dress in expensive couture, and sell perfumes mind you. Still, it was refreshing to see people like J.Law go back to the All-American goodness she first embodied in that red Calvin Klein dress at the Oscars.
We also saw perennial favorites find new ways to astound us (Cate, Nicole and Diane are indeed the holy trinity for fashion lovers), and usually lackluster people finally find their unique sartorial voice, thanks to the work of magician stylists (thank you for existing, Petra Flannery). I hope you're surprised by some of the inclusions in the list, but overall I hope they manage to put some beauty into your day (even when the dresses in question aren't necessarily "pretty"...)
The 15 Best Looks of '15
continues after the jump
15) Anne Hathaway in Ralph Lauren
Channeling Kate Hepburn in Bringing Up Baby, Anne proved that you can wear a hoodie to the Met Gala and still look positively regal.
14) Julianne Moore in Chanel
I didn't always love Juli's dress, even if she looked radiant and boasted Karl Lagerfeld had made it especially for her. There is something almost too bridal about it and the horizontal details weren't alwatys flattering, but she proved everything is about accesories and made it shine with her smile and a little golden fella.
13) Jennifer Lawrence in Ralph Lauren
J.Law has rarely looked sexier than in this lace Ralph Lauren dress. Her tan is also to die for. It's so exciting to see her in non-Dior looks, because they instantly make her look younger and fresh.
12) Charlize Theron in Dior
If it ain't broke...strangely enough, Charlize has never been let down by Dior (except maybe for that time in 2006, and also 2010...so nevermind), the point was that this beautiful canary yellow gown seems to be an homage to the flirty Dior she wore to the Golden Globes in 2004.
11) Fan Bingbing in Ralph & Russo
Sometimes there are no words other than: how does she do this every time?
10) Carey Mulligan in Chanel
All it took Carey, was to find a new stylist and she's been hitting them out of the park nonstop. This bold Chanel always made her look like she was near a wind machine (the movement was delightful), plus she also looked her age for once!
09) Emily Blunt in Stella McCartney
Gwyneth might have already worn this exact same dress, but Blunt was a knockout at the Sicario premiere in Cannes. Her un-fussy styling and tasteful jewels make her the likeliest red carpet heir to Jane Fonda.
08) Rosamund Pike in Givenchy
After a lackluster awards run, Miss Pike saved the best for last. Her Oscar dress was an incredible work of craftmanship, and perfectly encompassed the sexily dangerous performance she gave in Gone Girl.
07) Felicity Jones in Dior
Sometimes a simple ball gown is all you need to steal people's breaths. No prints, no cleavage, no prominent jewels...just a clean, classy look. Jones should have saved this one for the Oscars though...
05) Diane Kruger in BOSS
We get it, she's a gift to fashion lovers everywhere, perhaps she doesn't need to rub it in our faces with the bow. But fine...Bonus points: Only Kruger can pull off bed hair on the red carpet.
04) Emma Stone in Elie Saab
The first time you're nominated for an Oscar, you better make sure people take notice. Stone had an incredible awards season run (pants at the Globes! Sheer at SAG!) and this chartreuse confection was fit for a princess. Her bold, bright lipstick was a stroke of genius.
03) Nicole Kidman in Alexander McQueen
We discussed this dress recently, but it's only fitting we include it here. Particularly because it's so magnificent, it made Vogue listen to me (Style Editor Edward Barsamian was very sweet about it)...they suggested Cate should wear it, and I had to point them out to Nicole doing it first.
@voguemagazine fail, they're suggesting Cate Blanchett should wear a dress Nicole Kidman *just* wore... #tisktisk pic.twitter.com/cPnnNOsuap
— Jose Solís (@josesolismayen) December 10, 2015
03) Cate Blanchett in Gilles
The two next looks are divisive because they, by no means, fall under "pretty". Many people assume that couture needs to be form-fitting, or "highlight the woman's figure", when instead, fashion, like any other art should challenge our perceptions and worldview. Cate wearing a ballgown made out of fax prints, made by a punk designer, is certainly such a case...
02) Joanna Newsom in Delpozo
...and Joanna wearing a structural, gravity defying gown is another. Still, this dress seems odder than it actually is (it reminded me of Cate's very own Givenchy from the 2011 Oscars) but captured in movement it was otherworldly!
01) Léa Seydoux in Prada
Quite simply no one had a better fashion year than Léa. She aced the Spectre tour, perfected her festival appearances and became Prada's golden girl, getting first dibs from all the other spokeswomen. The mustard gown she wore to the BAFTAs, might very well be the best she's ever looked. The color compliments her porcelain skin, the lipstick (like in Emma Stone's case is perfection) and best of all, and quite subtle, are the cutouts on the sides. It's peek-a-boo with restraint, and it was the one gown that made me gasp every time I saw it.
What were your favorite looks of 2015?
More Year in Review
Animals | Worst of the Year | Co-Star Chemistry | Biggest Hits | Music Videos | Oscar Submission Foreign Film Coverage | Most Popular Tweets
Reader Comments (16)
Of all of these, I only really love Blanchett's. I like Fan's and Kidman's a lot. Elsewhere I am so at sea I thought J.Law was Sienna Miller.
Charlize and Lea...I'm completely smitten over the yellow. And I LOVE Blanchett's dress! Great choices!
Question: If Cate, Nicole and Diane are the trinity for fashion lovers, what is Tilda (strangely absent here)?
I think Emma Stone wins this, easily.
Great write-up as usual, Jose!
I don't pay a ton of attention to fashion but the best thing I saw all year was Fan Bingbing's gold dress under that gorgeous stained-glass-ish cape that she wore to the Met Gala -- I could (and Have) just stare at pictures of it for hours.
I love how subjective fashion is. I thought, and still think, that Emma Stone's Oscars dress was hideous. Bad color and very 80s.
Adored Felicity Jones' and Rosamund Pke's dresses.
Julianne did better on her big night than she usually does, but I maintain that pale white women should never wear white.
Jennifer Lawrence looks pedestrian to me, as usual.
Personal favorite of 2015 was Jessica Chastain at the Golden Globes. Hair, makeup, jewelry, dress...everything came together. She looked like a goddess.
Paul: She's the gentle, but powerful, goddess that rules over them?
I must confess I don't remember any of her looks this year for that matter. She's been playing it too safe with Haider Ackermann recently in my opinion.
Jason: YES! But Nathaniel only allows me one look per lady, otherwise it'd all be Fan Bingbing, Cate, Nicole and Diane.
It's true, fashion *is* subjective, but that's why I think Emma Stone is the undisputed style winner of 2015. The woman takes *risks* with color – chartreuse! – and shape – satin, bustled trousers! – (not unlike Tilda Swinton, incidentally), and from the Globes to the Oscars to Cannes, she just brought it and served it.
I also thought Léa Seydoux was a big, big winner, with her mixed-metallic sequined number being a true showstopper. Anne Hathaway may never top her 2011 Armani Privé, Julianne Moore (whose Oscar dress was, sadly, like amateur hour) her 2013 Tom Ford, Jennifer Lawrence her 2011 Calvin Klein. Charlize Theron, however, looked sensational, nearly besting her instantly-iconic gold embroidered Dior mini dress from last year. And Emily Blunt absolutely nailed it, head to toe, at Cannes. Well done.
One i thought might be on here but isnt is Helen Mirren's red Dolce from the Met Gala... just perfect.
I'm just going to reorder these correctly:
1. Kruger
2. Seydoux
3. Hathaway
4. Pike
5. Blanchett
6. Fan
7. Blunt
8. Moore
9. Stone
10. Kidman
11. Jones
12. Lawrence
13. Theron
14. Newsom
15. Mulligan
I don't know about any of these looks, but I was written up in several legitimate women's magazines.
Jessica -- there's always next year. You work a lot!
I'm all about the Hathaway, the Mulligan, the Kidman and the Blanchett. I like Lawrence's look there, too, although I was a fan of what Raf was doing to her, too, which I realize is not a popular opinion.
And I hated the Stone dress. I was shocked the next day not to see her on worst-dressed lists.
Of this list my faves were:
- Hathaway (she usually plays much safer, no? This one is classy but there is a little edge to it, I like it);
- Fan Bing Bing (she looks great too on the link Jason posted in the comments);
- Rosamund Pike (my favorite of the lot, quite a sexy dress, I wish her career had had the Post Gone Girlm bump ot deserved, but alas, it seems to have not! Bummer);
- Of course, Cate, the Great (the tireless perfection of this woman ♡♡).
I don't really go for Emma Stone's Oscar dress (and I would have nominated Naomi Watts for Birdman before her), but I give her mad props for not playing it safe and going for divisive shots. She SAG look would totally have made my Top 10 list. It was classy, sexy, unusual and brought thrills to the red carpet, which is exactly what you must go for when you're wearing black and don't have the benefit of color.
I need to get high before I can fairly assess #02, though. It doesn't strike me as a dress designed for a context of sobriety.
Lea Sedoux's dress is TOO long! How about hemming the dress?
Very nice post , sometime I wonder who is the owner of that company who provides red carpet haha, like in Pakistan film industry of Pakistan they can purchase red carpet from nayyer industries pvt ltd as it is the best carpet manufacturer and industry in Pakistan.