Yay! I get so giddy whenever I get to write about Cate Blanchett. I’m just excited to see her, and there’s so much pleasurable anticipation for months of Blanchett photo-ops ahead of us. She will get an Oscar nomination for Blue Jasmine, I’m sure. Whether she will win, that’s still up in the air. But won’t it be fun to see her campaign? We haven’t had a good Blanchett fashion show/Oscar campaign in several years now. She hasn’t had any major nominations since 2008, maybe a little into 2009 with The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Yay!
Anyway, these are some photos of Blanchett at last night’ UK premiere of Blue Jasmine. As you can see, Cate wore this completely… odd… Givenchy. It’s Givenchy Fall 2012, so it’s a few seasons old already, yet I don’t remember seeing this on anyone before now. Think of it this way – this would look terrible on every one of the girls who wear Givenchy these days (Kim Kardashian, Beyonce). But on Cate… it sort of works? It has some kind of weird, built-in cape that seems bejeweled. Cate’s shoulders are beautiful. And her face is exquisite.
While she was promoting Blue Jasmine in London, Cate discussed the state of politics, specifically women in politics and the politicization of women:
Cate Blanchett has told Sky News she has ruled out going into politics, although she is concerned that a “wave of conservatism sweeping the globe” is affecting the role of women in society.
The Australian is in London to promote her new film, Blue Jasmine, directed by Woody Allen. He is famous for making muses of his leading ladies but Blanchett, who describes herself as a feminist, believes equality for women has yet to be achieved.
“I’m reading a book by Ann Summers called The Misogyny Factor, and I feel that all of the steps forward that we’ve made … a lot of those have been rescinded,” she said. “Conservatism is affecting the way women perceive who they are in the world.”
When asked about the sexism scandal involving Australia’s former prime minister Julia Gillard, the actress said: “Whether you admire her as a politician or not, as a woman and out of respect for the office of the Prime Minister, how she was treated was quite shocking.”
Has a “wave of conservatism” really swept the globe? Eh. With issues of feminism, it often feels like one step forward, two steps back, but is the world more radically conservation and/or radically anti-woman right at this moment than, say, five years ago? Ten years ago? There are cracks in the glass ceiling and I’m hopeful. That being said, now I kind of want to read The Misogyny Factor. Maybe that will be our second Celebitchy Book Club Selection after we finish reading A Visit From the Goon Squad? (By the way, we’ll be reviewing and discussing our first selection on October 6th.)
Here’s a photo of Cate in Tom Ford, leaving the Tom Ford show during London Fashion Week a few days ago.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Always interested to see the clothing choices coming from this woman! Whenever I see just her head on the main page of this website I ALWAYS need to click to see what she’s wearing – the outfits are RARELY boring!
I usually really like her interesting fashion choices but I can’t get with this one because it’s so unflattering. It makes her look pregnant. And the “cape” sort of looks like she’s wearing a straitjacket. But her skin looks beautiful as always, and at least she continues to make an effort to be daring. I like that about her.
Agreed – I love that she’s a real fashion chick who goes for it. Whether I like the look or not, I always appreciate her bold choices. She has the confidence, face and body that were made for interesting/couture designs.
By “wave of conservatism”, she might mean the way the parties of the left in many Western democracies have moved to the right? (Although they were always to the right in the US comparatively, they weren’t in Europe and Australasia).
Probably specific policies, too, like the abortion/women’s health restrictions throughout the US, or anti-gay laws in Russia (under the same government that was way more tolerant for 12 years).
Given the context (Anne Summers focuses heavily on female representation in politics), I think “wave of conservatism” simply means that there’s been a swing towards the right-leaning political parties (in 1st world nations).
US is the obvious exception, since you guys have the Dems in power. Australia just voted in Tony Abbot and the Liberals (who are centre-right … yes, I know the name is confusing), Britain has David Cameron and the Tories, Canada has Steven Harper and the Conservative Party, New Zealand has John Key and the National Party. All centre-right parties. There are certainly more examples, just those are the only ones I know off the top of my head.
Centre-right parties tend to have fewer ranking female members. So conservative swing = fewer female politicians = fewer role models and less focus on female-centric issues.
Because of our structure, although we have a Democratic president, we can be, and are, severely impacted by conservative lawmakers at the state and national level. Texas, for example, just passed abortion restrictions that are out-fking-rageous, and many states are following suit. The conservative Christian base has aligned with the rich white folks, and they are very vocal, and have successfully brainwashed many women into believing that they benefit from the platform. That, plus gerrymandering, is how they keep winning elections. It’s a disgrace.
I used to be a fiscal conservative-when I still wore rosy glasses and believed people gave a damn and got into public service to serve. I believed that fiscal responsibility would allow our government programs to be properly administered, and that a more equitable tax system would allow care for the elderly and the poor to go back to the local levels and away from national programs that are rife with corruption and opportunities for fraud. Now I’ve decided that basically, everyone is out for number one, and therefore those who can’t look out for themselves, need some damn help-IE healthcare and support.
Conservatism is a nightmare for women. You can be liberal and moral at the same time, but the Republican Party is doing a great job of screaming otherwise. I saw a sign on a church in east TN a few years ago that said, “You can’t be a Christian and pro-choice.” Another one that actually spelled out, “You can’t be a Christian and vote Democrat.” It’s a disaster.
PrettyTarheelFan (?), the extremes of either side aren’t all that different.
Many feminists claim you can’t be a feminist and be “pro-life”, talk of “appropriation” is just a hop and a skip from segregation, and there are fat activists who believe obese people are as healthy as their more normally-proportioned peers. There’s stupid on both sides.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseshoe_theory
Only on Cate
she would look elegant in a garbage bag. I’m so in love with her
Most gorgeous woman ever. I cannot get over just how glowing and happy and beautiful she looks. Wow.
I think there’s a reason it’s a few seasons old & this is the first time we’re seeing it… it’s ill-fitting and borderline ugly. I think it would look better if she flipped that flap over her shoulders & then we’d get to see the beading, which is sort of hiding in shame.
Um, I think that this woman is beautiful but I don’t like her hair long…it makes her look sort of plain and like Naomi Watts, who I don’t think is attractive at all.
I like both dress and like that she’s not afraid to try anything. I wish she would have worn her hair up in the cape dress though.
GODDESS!
WTF is she wearing! It doesn’t flatter her. She has good skin
I don’t know that there has been a wave of conservatism over the past 5 or 10 years, but looking at the trajectory of things in the 60’s and 70’s, I would have expected progress in the future. Whereas the reality since that time has more often been one step forward, two steps back, not just for women, but other issues as well (the environment; awareness and activism; in the US abortion, the teaching of evolution in public schools, etc.)
I love the black suit, for the dress it’s interesting, but does nothing for her chest or tummy area though I like the gold brocade on the front.
I like her, but that dress is in the dictionary under “hot mess”, unflattering and ugly on it’s own. It’s a saggy boob making straight jacket, for crissakes.
Thank God someone is wearing stockings in the movie industry again. So tired of bare legs and sprat tans.
… how does one move their elbows up there?
On anyone else, I would hate it. On Cate, it’s beautiful!
This is the first “fail” I’ve seen on Cate, with lank hair, uncomfortable looking neckline, and movements constricted. Fire this stylist!
The dress suits her… they’re both oddly beautiful and unique looking.
I love the neckline and beading on that dress. The colors are gorgeous. The “cape” portion seems a little….gimmicky, but that’s on the designer. Still, she looks smashing in it.
And I LOVE the suit with dark trim. She really knows how to look elegant, age-appropriate and sexy all at once!
I don’t think it’s that bad. And wtf is asking if it’s ‘budget’ suppose to mean?!!!! How insulting!!
I completely agree with her, although I can’t comment much for the whole world. But here in the States, look at some things that have happened: birth control and the right to choose have been under a ridiculous amount of assault (birth control! I’m sorry if you sign up to be a pharmacist, you sign up to dispense prescriptions).
The book Enlightened Feminism, by Susan J Douglas, talks a lot too about how pressures to look a certain way, as well as media representation of women, have undercut a lot of feminist gains of forty years ago.
Cate Blanchett is so amazing.
Gross, both outfits, even on her. But absolutely correct on the right-ward political and economic move in the West.
I find it odd that she’d lament restrictions on women and then wear a dress that practically binds her arms to her side. Love her, don’t love this look.
She looks almost like she’s being held hostage by that dress. The arms look like they are bound. I really like the Tom Ford outfit, though.
And I really think the entire debate about women is a little ridiculous in first world countries. The focus really should be on women in countries where they are actually repressed, refused education, punished for the crimes that men commit against them and married off while still children.
There are women in some parts of the world who face often life-threatening issues of health, poverty, and discrimination on a critical level. It is important to be aware of those struggles and to find ways to empower women, even if all you can do is give a few dollars to an organization that promotes women’s rights abroad.
But that doesn’t change the fact that here at home I’m seeing more and more of my choices and decisions taken away. In the last few years my birth control costs have skyrocketed, and I now have to travel twice as far to renew my prescription because the pharmacist decided filling my prescription wasn’t part of his job. Is that equitable to genital mutilation or the crushing cycle of poverty in third world countries? No, but it’s also not unimportant.
I don’t think I’d recommend the Misogyny Factor for a non-Aussie, because it is extremely Aussie-centric.
It’s a bit like when I (as an Aussie) try to read stuff by Michael Moore … I’m pretty sure I’m missing half the references.
Just here to say that I can wait for the book club!!!!
She’s been making some disappointing fashion choices lately.
The only 3 people who could pull that dress off would be Cate/Charlize/Tilda Swinton. And Cate looks magnificient in it.
She is a queen! Of course she needs a cape.
Definitely weird, but she pulls it off as usual. She seems to treat fashion as wearable art, which on anyone else would seem terribly pretentious, but she makes it work.
she’s just gorgeous. she looks like she’s in her early 30s.
That woman is ethearal. Isn’t she Jennifer Aniston’s age ?
Look at that glowing young looking fresh skin !
She should be the one advertising for a skincare beauty line, not tannorexic leather skinned Aniston.
It’s like the dress was made exclusively for HER and no one else (like most of her other outfits). Love it!!!
i want to be like her when i grow up!! (and im 27!!!) jaja-haha i love her!
I don’t necessarily see a wave of conservatism negatively affecting growth. I do, however, see bright lights targeting old ideals with pointed fervor. The more hard right conservatives speak, the more damage is done to the party itself. They look, sound, act and behave ridiculous to the point of not even being relevant in current political and sociological landscapes. They’d LIKE to believe they’re making headway and plenty of sense, but nope. Not even close.
Only Cate could wear this and get away with it but I’m not too impressed with her hair in these photos.
I love the outfit in the last photo. It’s impeccable- just like her!
Gorgeous dress and she looks beautiful as always. What a lady!
Cate Blanchett is wearing the Hell out of that gown.
An Icon as an Actress. And an Icon in fashion.
it’s a runway look, not a red carpet look. I like it, but not in that setting.