CB hated Hayden Panettiere’s Golden Globes gown, but I sort of liked it. I agreed with CB that the styling kind of sucked, but I liked that Hayden went for such a simple, minimalist Tom Ford gown in black-and-white. When she proudly declared on E! that she was wearing Tom Ford, I was surprised too – Tom Ford usually doesn’t dress TV stars. He dresses MOVIE stars. Well, as it turns out, Tom Ford did NOT send Hayden this gown, nor did anyone affiliated with Tom Ford. Hayden went out and bought it off the rack.
Hayden Panettiere made a big fashion statement at Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards — not so much because of what she was wearing but because of how she got it. Celebs typically borrow red carpet gowns from the designers themselves, but Panettiere, 24, reportedly bought her black-and-white Tom Ford number off-the-rack, which many consider a fashion faux pas.
Ford is known for dressing just one woman per awards show, and on Sunday, Jan. 12, that woman was Naomi Watts, who donned a silver, beaded column dress by the designer. Panettiere is such a fan, however, that she apparently went out and purchased one of Ford’s gowns for herself.
Asked by Giuliana Rancic what she was wearing on the red carpet at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, the Nashville actress replied, “Tom Ford. It’s the first time I’ve ever worn him, because I’ve been begging…I feel sexy in it, I feel comfortable in it, and I’m in Tom Ford. I would wear a plastic bag if it was designed by him.”
Not long after, journalist Jim Shi tweeted, “Tom Ford confirms to me he ONLY dressed #NaomiWatts tonight. Hayden Panettiere BOUGHT her Tom Ford dress at RETAIL. Tsk, tsk.”
In any case, the Golden Globe nominee wore Ford’s gown well. And he seems to agree. On Tuesday, Jan. 14, Panettiere revealed on Twitter that she had received a bouquet of flowers from the designer, along with a sweet message thanking her for what she said on the red carpet.
“Such an honor to wear one of this man’s masterpieces! Thank you for my beautiful flowers!” the recently engaged star tweeted, along with a photo of what looks to be a couple dozen white roses. The card read, “Dear Hayden, You looked beautiful last night. Thank you for your kind words. Much love, Tom.”
I’m including Hayden’s Twitter photo of the flowers below – that was very classy of Tom Ford, wasn’t it? And you know what? I admire Hayden’s pluck at buying a Tom Ford dress off the rack and wearing it proudly to the Golden Globes. Think of it this way – she obviously loved the dress and now she’ll have it forever. She doesn’t have to send it back, and she’ll probably repeat it for some private occasions too. And it’s smart to do it with a Tom Ford piece – the gown will retain its value, like Tom Ford for Gucci has, like Chanel or Valentino or vintage Givenchy. And people get too fussy about “a designer should only dress ONE woman per event” and “a celebrity should never buy a gown off the rack.” If she loved it, I’m glad she bought it, and Tom Ford doesn’t mind.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Hayden’s Twitter.
I cant believe it was tom ford. it looked like the sale rack at contempo casual. awful awful dress.
It looks like a typical high school prom dress to me. She could’ve done better imo.
I think if her styling were better, it would have elevated the dress.
Having said that, I love that she went off the rack. Fashion people are such assholes for declaring that a faux pas. It just shows u how unreasonable and snooty they are. I think it’s tacky to borrow something you give advertising to on a world stage and have to return it. It’s like wearing a dress w the tag showing, right?
It is embarrassing how she harped on about the dress on the pre-show. The begging then knowing he never replied lol
What McCraw said.
Also, rich people constantly mooching things for free is the height of tacky. Why not just paste stickers across your gown, NASCAR-style.
I wasn’t nuts about her dress, but I didn’t hate it. Bottom line, anyone who rags on someone for NOT spending ridiculous, show-off money on a dress, especially when things are the way they are for so many, needs their head removed from their ass.
As far as this catty little Jim Shi goes…. If you admire Tom Ford so much, pull your claws in, kitty, and try behaving like him.
I think the dress is boring, boring, boring and doesn’t flatter her at all. For 10K I would expect something more than some poly fabric and 1990 styling.
But good for her for doing what she wants. I didn’t know that Tom Ford was such a snob.
Beautiful dress. What the hell did she do to her hair!
I like the dress for the most part, and Hayden for spending her own money to get it.
And at least Hayden was a nominee! I mean, she was there for a reason on her OWN merit! Unlike, say Amber Heard who presented an award along with 3 other people and basically was only there on the ticket of her midlife-crisis accessories-obsessed boyfriend. Hayden smiled and acted gracious. She dosen’t deserve derision just because she isn’t in the ‘cool’ set. (BTW, I don’t hate the dress, but the silver flower thing at the neck really lets it down).
I agree. Its a sad day when it’s hinted that it’s tacky for actually buying her own gown. Especially when you think about the amount of free shit that is thrown at these people before, during and after these award shows.
*her hair however was awful but that’s not Tom Ford’s fault*
Buying your own dress is now worthy of “tsk tsk?” That’s what’s tacky. If she liked it, I don’t see the big deal in buying it.
By the way, I agree with a previous poster (too lazy to scroll up to see who actually said it – sorry) that it’s weird that a designer would only want to dress ONE celebrity.
I agree. I like the dress (hate the hair – but I also hated Jessica Chastain’s similarly styled hair). Why is it a “tsk tsk” to BUY a freaking dress. Hollywood is ridiculous!
Good for her for buying and wearing what she likes.
I am assuming the “tsk, tsk” was just a jealous furball stuck in the “journalist’s” throat.
Tom’s gesture with the bouquet was elegantly perfect. This is why we love him, too.
Liberty-
Beautifully stated. Thank you.
Didn’t love the dress on her frame, but I also like that she went out and bought it. She liked him as a designer, and she bought a dress designed by him. The criticism somehow implied that she wasn’t allowed to wear a designer dress for fear that someone else was wearing that designed. What rubbish. What the heck was she supposed to do?
No – the implication was that Ford only dresses film actresses and actors, and only when he offers his clothes to them, so Panettiere’s dress wasn’t “sanctioned,” but just pret a porter, which is available to everyone and is not special. She also talked up the dress on the red carpet as if Ford actually designed it for her. He didn’t. That was sort of tacky, and a little desperate.
And really – we only have Panettiere’s word that the flowers and note came from Tom Ford – for all we know, they came from Tom the Limo Driver.
I actually LOVE this story. I hope it is true. I think it is a wonderful example to all of those rich folks out there that the rest of us (the 99% LOL!) have to PURCHASE our special event wear (or wear it with the tags attached and return, like the early 90’s).
Very cute that she is a fan and bought the dress, and nice of him to notice he got some awesome free press for it, and be gracious and appropriately grateful. I do not think a TV star buying a dress is gauche, no matter who else is wearing that designer at a specific event. And I agree, Tom Ford is hot.
Agreed. And it looks like she’s radiantly happy in it, so good for her!
Agree. Why is it a taboo to buy yourself a dress with your own money? I think its great. I may not particularly like the dress but it was her money, so her choice. And kudos to Tom Ford for being gracious and not snobby. I mean, he should be flattered that someone would go to such lengths to wear his dress.The only person seeming stupid in this situation is that journo who tweeted “tsk tsk”
Definitely. I think it’s great that she bought her own dress. Nothing tacky about that.
Tom Ford is hot. That is all.
Hell YES he is….oh, if i could just turn him for one night. Such naughtiness would ensue, oh my goodness…
Yes, Tom Ford is hot AND he’s a gentleman. The journalist, Jim Shi(t Head) is not.
Oooooohhhhh yesssss he is :).
First world problems 😀
LOL! So true. I thought my eyes were going to roll out of my head while reading this story.
hahaha, roll out of my head indeed. I think it’s freaking tacky that these rich ass bitches can’t buy their own dresses and borrow them instead.
excuse me while I pick up my eyes and put them back in.
Hahaha…that’s my favourite saying these days! Usually shuts the complainer up and puts their “problem” into perspective.
Super-classy of Tom to send the flowers. He seems like such a gentleman!
Ugh. Of course they’re first world problems. YOU ALL LIVE IN A FIRST WORLD COUNTRY…
Ummm…hence the saying??
I don’t like that saying either, way too overused and often in such mundane situations. And “first world” is an outdated Cold War term. It should be “developed world problems” haha ;).
It’s called satire Leigh, we’re actually poking fun at the vapid creatures who have heart palpitations because someone had the audacity to wear off-the-rack. Good for her, I think she looked cute.
*raises hand*
Agree 100% with the ‘it’s satire’ comment. Everyone play nice, y’all.
@ KLO
lmao! I thought the same thing.
She could have at least spent her money on something that made her look nice. That dress is not only horrible on her, but i bet it is on every single woman on this planet.
I totally agree! She looked pretty bad in it, but i can’t shade her for buying that dress herself with her own earned money. It’s depressing enough how celebrities make millions AND get to have anything for free. She spent money on her dress and no stupid rule should have prevented her from wearing it. Tom Ford is a class act and reacted to the whole story in a perfect way, he has gained a lot in terms of reputation and elegance!
I thought it was cool that she bought the dress ( just wished it was a great dress not this meh thing) and i bet next time Tom Ford won’t forget her, she’ll gain more than what she has spent on it. Maybe she’ll be the next testimonial for something in Tom Ford’s name. maybe eyewear, she has a gorgeous face.
Julianne Moore rocked it with a different neckline. I think it would look good on someone with a slimmer upper body – not that Hayden is fat, but she has a good set of shoulders. This dress needed someone more waif-like.
There is TV actresses and then there is a tier of Haydn P actresses. Kaley C falls in this category. Very, very difficult to have a major fashion house dress them.
They aren’t fashion girls. Their entire look is accessible and down to earth. They’d have to pull a Brad Pitt like Jen Aniston did to pull themselves out of that perception.
So good for her for buying the dress and pulling herself to the next level as opposed to dating a movie star to get there.
She’ll won’t have as much trouble pulling a dress next time. And she’ll probably be able to pull a stylist to help with the styling.
Seconded.
Yeah, I respect her more for this
Totally agree. It speaks to her self confidence and nature. IF you want it, go out and get it!
I second that!
Well said, LAK, and very true.
Yes- good for her!
Eighted. I don’t care if it’s not a word.
But she didn’t pull herself to the next level. Lot’s of starlets at Hayden’s level wear off the rack designer pieces, they just have the good sense not to name drop as though it was loaned and not bought at Bergdorf’s. Custom made is the next level, and she’s just taken herself even further away from that…she wasn’t a good advertisement for Tom Ford here at all.
Agreed. I just wish she had help in her styling. I think a slightly different neckline would have been more flattering. She is short and has the body of a gymnast, which is great, but you have to work with your body and not against it. And the styling overall was too prom like. She’s a beautiful girl with a great, fit looking body. Good on her for buying her own dress!
It’s so ridiculous that people made a fuss because she DARED to buy herself a dress which wasn’t approved by a designer. Hollywood problems.
I could see them having a fit about that neckline being sooooo unflattering on her (and likely most women) but not purchasing her own gown.
I agree and you should always be proud when you have come by something from hard work not just given to you because somebody decide you were important based on superficial things. However, during the interview she made it look like Tom Ford dressed her. At least that is how I saw it and in the article above it seems the same thing and that is misleading if not somewhat dishonest. I do wonder why more designers don’t complain how Kin Kartrashian brings down their clothing to a cheap and tacky level. I would rather Hayek. Wear my clothes that PMK and her robot child.
Absolutely. I had no idea it’s bad form to PAY for something you wear to an award show. Oh the horror! The girl loved the dress (I really don’t), she was super excited to wear it, and if a designer does not want people to show up at award shows in his/her dress, they need to not sell them. But apparently Tom Ford doesn’t think so. I’m glad, I really like the man. His interviews are really good.
That journalist’s tweet was super classy btw. What an a**.
That journalists comment was beyond elitist, what’s his deal? Who is he to be all judgey like that?
Seriously. And presumably he thought Tom Ford would agree. It was a smart move by Ford to respond with kindness to Hayden. I’m sure he sensed the potential for backlash.
The ‘tsk, tsk’ was because Hayden tried to play it as though Tom Ford had dressed her, which is basically like buying a jar of Jamie Oliver’s pasta sauce and trying to play it like Jamie’s catering for you. Not cool and pretty sad really.
@ Penny: Her wording does sound misleading but really, it’s everyone else who automatically assumed that the only way someone at an event like this could’ve gotten into a Tom Ford dress was by having it given to them. And when that wasn’t the case, it turned into a thing. THAT is pretty sad if you ask me. Maybe she was just excited.
If she’d just said she was wearing Tom Ford I’d agree, but the anecdote about begging for a dress for years and now here she is in Tom Ford…she knew exactly what she was implying. I don’t actually think anyone assumed Ford had actually dressed her, hence the people immediately reaching out for confirmation that he didn’t send an out of season, off the rack, poorly fitted dress down the GG red carpet on a B list TV actress. I mean, obviously Ford would never do that. No respected designer would. That’s what made it sad for me, that she thought people would buy into something so patently ridiculous. It would have been cool for her to just say she bought the dress, but she wanted people to think she was keeping company with Julianne Moore, Naomi Watts, Gwyneth Paltrow etc. which makes me feel bad for her.
I really don’t think we need to feel bad for her, if only because she IS wearing Tom Ford, no matter how fug I find the dress. She’s a successful TV actress, I honestly cannot bring myself to pity her for being overly excited.
And btw, I don’t think for a second she’s dumb enough to think she can get away with trying to act like TF dressed her, she’s been in this business long enough. Which is why I think it wasn’t anything planned or purposeful. As for the “everyone knew he would NEVAH dress her” argument … well that is where I find it gets too ridiculous on red carpets. I like the fashion part of award season but this whole class system of who dresses whom … yuck. Look how long it took that bitchy journalist to “tsk” at her. It’s gross and it’s where they lose me.
I don’t think it’s snobbery. It’s advertising.
These dresses cost money to make. The bigger designer, the more expensive the fabric and detailing, the more hours put in. If you’ve spent 100 hours and upwards of $50,000 making a dress, you’re going to want to get the most bang for your buck by putting it on someone who’ll get the dress lot’s of attention, and more importantly for a designer like Ford, the kind of attention you want. Mid level TV stars aren’t worth that kind of investment. It’s like buying an ad during the Superbowl vs. spending Superbowl ad money on a ad during a college game. Only an idiot would do the latter.
Good on her for doing it, if it made her feel terrific it’s all that matters.
+1
Tom Ford won’t dress TV stars? Oh, how stuck up! Glad he sent her flowers but seriously.
It does seem stuck up, yes, but on the other hand… if he’s only dressing one woman per major Hollywood event then it makes sense for that woman to be a movie star because those women typically have more ‘star appeal’ than TV stars do. It makes sense from a business perspective. I mean, if you could choose between Sandra Bullock or someone from CSI: Where ever, who would you pick? It’s all about keeping with a brand’s image.
Why is it stuck-up? Those dresses, even the ones that look simple, cost a fortune and take a lot of time to make. These designers have a budget for these things, just like they have a budget for regular advertising. Would you rather spend money advertising your extremely expensive, luxury goods on Kaley Cuoco or on Cate Blanchett? Which one do you think appeals more to a person who’s going to drop tend of thousands of dollars on a dress?
@Penny, aren’t you making assumptions? You assume that a person with money would look down upon Ms. Cuoco, and yet be mesmerized by Ms. Blanchett. Perhaps not every person with money is star-struck. Perhaps they care more about the designer and the clothing and less about who wears it at an awards show.
I’m not assuming a person with money would look down on Cuoco, I’m saying she doesn’t fit the aspirational image luxury brands present (and she’s not trying to anyway, her shtick is being a ‘normal’ woman). When designers lend these dresses they are advertising, and they treat it like any other advertising. They look into who appeals to their target market and who doesn’t and who fits in with the brands look and ethos and reputation and who doesn’t. It’s not about selling a particular dress, it’s about propping up an image. If you wanted to promote a fun, bright, slightly kooky, affordable clothing range, Cuoco would affirm that image. If you want to have your brand seen as sophisticated, elegant, the height of glamour…Cuoco will detract from that image.
Why do you think the A-list film actresses get the big cosmetics contracts and the B-list TV actresses get to be the face of a range of drug-store lipbalms? Why do you think Britney Spears advertises Candies and Nicole Kidman advertises Jimmy Choo. There’s nothing wrong with appealing to a less rarefied market, it can be more lucrative for one thing, just ask Jessica Simpson.
I don’t think any designer would be too keen on dressing this girl even if she were a movie star. Sorry to throw shade but she has a very awkward boy’s body. SHe’s tiny but broad with absolutely no waist. That type of body is difficult to showcase a dress on.
I see nothing wrong with a celeb buying their own clothes for a red carpet and don’t see why it would be tacky.
Me either! I guess some designers don’t want to be associated with certain “celebrities”, however. Like if reality stars like those oompa-loompa ferals from Jersey Shore started wearing designers like Dior or Gucci or Chanel to events, it would cheapen the brands’ image. Kind of like how Ed Hardy became a certified douche brand because people like Jon Gosselin were always spotted wearing it.
Good for her!
I’m tired of the red carpet being so merchandized. “My dress is TF and my shoes are Prada and despite being fabulously wealthy and having another primary occupation I have to perform like a wind-up mannequin on the carpet for the privilege of wearing this overpriced schmata.”
I don’t think it fits right at the top. For the money, they should have made sure it was fitted properly.
I’d wear a plastic bag if Tom Ford designed it. That’s the problem. Tom Ford’s latest designs are rather average but (some) people still fall ober themselves because it’s TF.
The hair is diabolical but the dress is lovely. Can’t believe I’m saying this about any dress on any red carpet ever but I (personally) feel like the slit needs to start a bit higher on her leg? She’s a tiny tiny girl and that much black can be quite oppressive on her frame so she needs to show a little more leg to balance it out. Doesn’t need to be Lady Sif (seriously, what is that actress’ name? I just know her as Red Carpet Vagina Girl now…) levels but just a little bit more leg could kick the overall styling up a notch.
I hated her hair, but loved the dress–it was good on her.
I don’t see how it’s tacky to buy off the rack–she obviously got it tailored (if it needed it), so it’s not ill fitting…..if I were a designer, I think that would be the highest compliment in the film industry (to buy the gown), simply because so many things are only borrowed.
And geez–celebs can’t win, in this case. We complain that they get so many freebies, especially when they can afford it, but then we complain when they actually pay the value of something….tsk, tsk indeed.
If I were Tom Ford I wouldn’t want a C-lister wearing my clothes, either.
Haha remember when Victoria Beckham was at her chav-est a few years back and he – allegedly – said “get that woman out of my dress!” or something…
I thought it was Alexander McQueen who hated Posh….she wouldn’t wear any of his stuff until after he died, right?
VC: that was McQueen. He apparently chased her from his stores. (not literally of course, but asked his people to remove her and also refused to sell her any of his clothes).
She swore she’d never wear Mcqueen, but soon after he died, she was spotted in one of his illusion bodycon dresses. I’ve always wondered if she purchased it online – less room for embarrassment!
She was such a chav back in the day. It’s really funny to see how she’s reinvented herself to extent that people don’t remember.
Unfortunately for her, the pics are online!!
To be fair to McQueen, he was an equal opportunity elitist. He would have been equally horrified that Kate is wearing his clothes.
No one wanted Posh wearing their clothes back in the day, even high street stores didn’t promote it when she wore something from them. Cavalli was just about the only name designer who’d touch her, but even he wouldn’t actually make or tailor anything for her.
The woman really should give Roland Mouret a stake in everything she does. Before he agreed to dress her her fashion sense was a joke, she made Jordan look classy at one stage. His dresses did wonders for her image, and then she ripped them off for her own fashion line.
I am someone who does not know much about fashion, just have my own personal taste–but McQueen’s designs were amazing and so beautiful…
BNS – exactly. Hayden is not what you would call a class act. She pulled an end game and ran around him but he’ll never forget the little TV ho who tried to act like he dressed her for the Globes. He may have sent flowers, but I’m quite sure the conversations behind the scene were NOT so nice! He was probably shitting bricks and had to send his real star 10 dozen flowers!
Then I guess he should stop selling retail and only give the dresses away to those he deems worthy. As a designer, you can’t prevent someone from buying a product you make available, or prevent them from saying who designed the dress. Ridiculous and awful. Ugh.
I like her more for declaring that she bought it herself (did the “off the rack” comment come from her too?). The dress is okay, and if she loves it so much, more power to her.
I also wish more celebrities publicly recycle their outfit. (Sorry this is quite random).
Good (PR) move from Tom Ford to send flowers to her.
She didn’t declare that she bought it, though. On the red carpet she implied that he finally agreed to dress her after she had been begging for years.
And that letter is so impersonal. An assistant probably typed it up. Whenever I’ve seen celebrities post pictures of notes from designers they’re always hand-written.
Good point about her implying that he dressed her. I think he had to send her flowers to kill the story that he was annoyed and after all of her a&& kissing, but he didn’t hand write the note because he wasn’t happy with being put in that situation.
@GoodNamesAllTaken
This is what I think, too.
She didn’t declare she bought it though, she had to admit it after Tom Ford’s press release came out and her name wasn’t mentioned.
And yes, Tom Ford didn’t send her flowers, this isn’t even coming from his assistant, because his assistant would have at least had him sign it or forged his signature, this is coming from his PR people. I doubt Tom is even aware ‘he’ sent her flowers.
Somehow I think he’s much more aware of his OWN business than that. I cannot believe that everyone is acting like she committed some sort of crime. He sells dresses. She wore one.
@Josephine
LOL no one is acting like she did anything wrong, it’s just embarrassing on her part. Oh well, though. She paid $10,000 for that dress and still didn’t pull it off.
It’s not at all tacky to buy it, but it’s extremely tacky to try and pretend Tom Ford dressed you, which is what she was implying with her ‘begging’ comment, that Tom Ford had given in and agreed to dress her. Funnily enough she would have gotten more press on the day if she’d just come right out and said she bought it off the rack, no one say’s that so it would have gotten her some favorable attention. Now it’s all just a bit pathetic and try-hard.
It’s clear why he would never want to dress her though. I’ve actually seen this dress worn in real life, and it looked spectacular, but the woman wearing it was about 6ft and all legs. Hayden makes it look like something you could buy in a chain store. Hayden’s a cute girl, she has a lovely figure, but it’s not a figure made for Tom Ford designs.
I agree with you / she wanted to leave the impression that TF “dressed” her a la Julianne Moore. Shame she evidently felt she couldn’t say “yes it’s my TF” or something along those lines. Good for TF on defusing the situation- the man is nothing if not media-savvy.
If TF’s designs depended on a 6ft tall straw to make them look good, he’s not much of a designer and he’d be out of business.
In fact, Hayden is much more the body type he actually dresses in real life than some dessicated twig of an Amazon. The flaw here, was that his store failed to tailor this dress for Hayden.
What is pathetic and try hard is the industry leech mean-girls who think their derisive comments and 7th grade snot makes them insiders.
I think the dress looks very good – she is tiny with an athletic build and the dress works on her. What doesn’t work is the styling – what the heck is that brooch doing at the neck? Slicked back hair can work, but it didn’t this time, mostly due to the color(s). I got sucked into watching Nashville and it’s really good (lightweight entertainment). I’m glad she got nominated and I’m impressed that she’s got the pluck to wear what she likes in a town full of sheeple.
It doesn’t bother me but in that quote she sounded like she was trying to imply he dressed her. That’s a little uncool. Also if she was going to do it she should have got a better dress- geez that looks bad on her.
Tom Ford was smart in sending her flowers and Hayden was smart to buy a dress off the rack even if she isn’t a big enough star to have her favourite designer send her a dress to wear. Any designer who would publicly state that they are offended that anyone – whether they be A-list, C-list, or a regular person – wore their dress, is just a jerk. Even if someone like Kim K. shoved herself into a Tom Ford, it would be very rude for a designer to come forward and tell the press that someone isn’t good enough to wear their clothes. Tom Ford probably just made a lot of fans. I personally did not like the dress Hayden wore, but it wasn’t awful. I bet that Tom Ford will probably send her a dress to wear at a future awards show. It’s a win-win for both of them. I don’t see how it is a fashion faux pas. Anyone with the money has the right to buy a gown and wear it to whatever function they’d like as long as it is appropriate for the occasion.
Nicely put, all around.
Funny you say this – we had just this situation in Denmark recently.
One of the judges on the Danish version of X Factor wore a baseball cap by Wood Wood, a local hipster brand, and the designer/owner actually Tweeted that she should take it off because he didn’t want people like her wearing his brand!
People laughed at him – who did he think he was? – and he did incalculable damage to his own brand.
Now it’s not a hipster brand any more – it’s a brand for insufferable snobs who think they’re better than everyone else.
People started doing internet memes with various historical monsters wearing Wood Wood baseball caps (ie Hitler, Hannibal Lecter), and everyone had a good laugh.
Except he had his reps tell everyone (while the red carpet arrivals were still going on) were going on that he ONLY dressed one person. Clearly he still wanted to make it clear he had nothing to do with that.
The flowers were a classy touch. Considering Tom Ford is a massive douche, I’m impressed he thought of that.
Oh, he probably didn’t think of it – it was probably a smart PR person on his team.
I would imagine he was insisting at the ceremony that he only dressed one person in order to avoid losing face with Naomi Watts and her team, who were probably having kittens and wondering if Ford had double-crossed them.
There’s no way in hell Tom Ford will send her a dress to wear next time. She’s nowhere near a big enough star to warrant a custom design and Ford really, really wouldn’t like his ready to wear range being worn like this, where it can be confused for being something more than it actually is. Plus he’s extremely picky, and he doesn’t like to dress more than one or two actresses per event.
The flowers are a PR move I doubt he even knows about.
Oh I agree. The flowers were a nice touch so TF doesn’t come off looking like a jerk, but the whole thing just seemed like PR.
What’s funny, though… and kind of ironic. I don’t even remember what dress Naomi Watts was wearing- I’m sure it was beautiful. But I SURE know what and WHO Hayden P was wearing.
Leah, the dress Naomi Watts was wearing was almost exactly the same as the dress Robin Wright was wearing. I thought it was funny. I also hated the chunky gold necklace on Naomi’s dress as well. The whole thing didn’t look styled very well IMO.
I’m not impressed with the dress. I think it’s cool that she bought the dress herself. I think it’s absurd that the richest people get things for free all the time, but I understand the promotion angle.
I think the dress is nice. Why is it tacky to buy your own dress? I don’t understand that.
I think only those who are A-list enough to be “dressed” by designers think it’s tacky.
Off the rack or off the back of a truck I still couldn’t afford it.
Way to go Hayden I’m sick of all these damn fashion designers trying to make one group of celebs feel superior over another group. They are all actors who were invited to attend a high profile awards ceremony. She deserves to be treated just as good as Naomi. At least Hayden was nominated. Either way their designs are being represented on the red carpet. Some people loved her dress and perhaps her young fans who can afford it might want to purchase that dress for prom or other events. Ford should be thanking Hayden.
He should be thanking Jay Z and R Kelly as well. A lot of my guy friends were asking who’s Tom Ford. They never heard of him until these two put his name in their songs.
On that note, Ford is still hot.
I think it is the least tacky thing done by a celebrity.
I get tired of the overly styled crap that most women run the red carpet with.
Celebs should buy their own clothes and wear them.
No shame in her game.
Her comments like “I’ve been begging” almost make it seem like Tom Ford had styled her, so I could see people giving that a bit of a side eye, but I see no problem with buying something off the rack and wearing it on the red carpet. However, I don’t know if it was the best choice for her, and I’d imagine on someone it was chosen for, it would have been tailored specifically to them.
” journalist Jim Shi tweeted, ‘Tom Ford confirms to me he ONLY dressed #NaomiWatts tonight. Hayden Panettiere BOUGHT her Tom Ford dress at RETAIL. Tsk, tsk.’”
Whoever this “journalist” is, could they be any further up their own a**?
… Not in the mood for pretentious people today I guess
otoh Tom Ford is such a hottie
It’s a pretty dress she looks good. Why can’t she buy her own dress? Tom Ford is a classy guy those roses are amazingly beautiful! Hollywood fashion people need to get their head outta of their arse! 😀
I love that she went out and bought the dress she wanted (and still said nice things about the designer even though she didn’t get the dress for free).
Does she have a stylist? It’s not the dress that’s bad. It is that is makes her look round shouldered with thick arms. Kudos to her for being normal and shopping off rack but she and her stylist need to take pictures before hand and select dresses which flatter her figure.
I agree with you. This is a dress for a tall, sophisticated, angular lady. Hayden has a softer, cuter body type. The dress was not the right choice for her.
Jeez. I’m not even going to try and understand this.
The only tacky thing (aside from the hair) was trying to imply that he dressed her. Other than that, whatever. She gives the impression that she wants the higher tier of celebrity…badly…and that can certainly rub some people the wrong way. Good publicity stunt though, I don’t give a damn about the girl and I am talking about her.
F*ck all the fashion people for shading her. This girl has a lot of money at this point and if she wanted to wear designer without begging some stylist to negotiate for her — good for her for just buying it! I would do that, too.
Agreed, including the ones popping up in this post!
Why on earth would purchasing a gown be tacky? That’s absolutely ridiculous.
Seriously, these designers (and that most definitely includes Tom Ford who sent a freakin’ thong down the runway during his days at Gucci) are petty tyrants. If you want to wear my dress, you’d better be A list and, oh, you need to starve yourself down to a size 0, and then, ONLY THEN, will I deem you good enough to receive one of my dresses? That’s BS. There’s no such thing as a free lunch, and what these people feel the need to do to themselves to be able to get a “free” dress is downright disgusting.
At least she paid for a dress that made her feel good, and that she wanted to wear. I thought she looked great—including her hair, which it seems everyone disagrees on. Her only mistake as far as I can see is that she told the world it was Tom Ford. If it were me, I’d say, “Guess” when asked which designer it was. She would have gotten a world full of publicity on that. He deserves no publicity.
Hayden seemed so off on the red carpet when she was talking. I thought she might be on drugs or something
I don’t hate, hate her hair. She has great hair so, I have seen it styled a LOT better in the past.
My bigger issue with her styling is actually her earrings. They don’t match the style of that brooch which appears(?) to be part of the dress. The whole look would have been more elegant if she had just worn classic platinum/ diamond stud earrings.
Ha. Agree with all above, the journalist is the tacky one. This story made me like Hayden more, and it seems Tom Ford is pretty classy.
Agree w/everyone saying good for her – seriously only in H’weird would it be gauche to buy a dress yourself rather than stuffing yourself into a loaner and not looking quite right in many cases (cough Kaley Cuoco). She looked good in it and it must be hard to find dresses for her tiny frame. Tom Ford is a class act too, imagine if creepy Uncle Karl were in the situation.
The dress looked awful on her body. The neckline is completely wrong for her shoulders and arms, this whole thing was a disaster for me. Nevertheless, I don’t blink twice about the fact that she bought it off the rack. Very classy of Tom.
I admire it too. She didn’t play by the celebrity red carpet fashion ‘rules’, she just bought what she wanted to wear.
On a sort-of side note, one of the small things I wouldn’t like about being famous is the fact that you’re not supposed to wear the same outfit again. I know they have enough money to never wear the same thing again, but that would annoy me a little, even if I was rich.
I dont see the problem. If I fell in love with a dress too while shopping, I would probably just buy it and wear it too.
I’m glad that Tom Ford was very nice about and sent her flowers.
That’s a Tom Ford dress? Yes indeed though, I wouldn’t want the cheerleader from a show that was popular 7 years ago to wear my exclusive designs either. Does she do anything else? Sorry, I don’t get it/why she’s still a thing.
She was there as a nominee for Nashville.
The dress is horrible but good for her for buying and wearing what she wants. Now if only she would have done something else with her hair.
Well, that was a quick answer to one of Enty’s GG blind items at CDAN on Monday!
Out of every industry I can think of, it’s the people in the fashion industry that are so far up their own asses they forget how truly irrelevant they are in the grand scheme of things. That’s what an “exclusive” celebrity bubble will do.
I don;t particularly like her, but this makes me like her more. I hate this “I can only wear something once, then it’s garbage” Good for her!
But I did seriously hate her hair, but liked the dress.
I don’t blame her for buying the dress; in fact, I admire it! But unfortunately, she doesn’t wear it well. This dress needs to be on someone tall (or at least someone not incredibly short).
No. She’s cool.
Not to nit-pick, but the word “purchased” in the headline is spelled wrong.
Loved the dress, just not on Haydn. Hair was awful, but she looks happy so good for her.
Why is it such a sin to buy and wear a dress because you like it? A lot of those special designer provided dresses are pretty ugly.
Oh, who cares? It’s even an ugly dress. Hayden does not have great style, she never has. But who cares that she bought it?
I LOVE her as Juliette on Nashville, I don’t understand why a “tv actress” is so “below” certain people/designers. So ridiculous.
It’s not tacky that she bought the dress off the rack. Well done, girl. What’s tacky is that she led the red carpet interviewers to believe that after begging (which is embarrassing to admit) he finally dressed her. She made it seem like her personally gave her the dress. She didn’t say how she got that dress. Not only tacky, but desperate too.
I kind of like her direction, maybe not the greatest dress in the world but by all means not a bad one. It shows you don’t need to have thousands and thousands spent by the designer the wearer or the combination of both to make a statement in the red carpet. I think it makes her more relatable. To me this the equivalent of driving a production car rather than a concept car to an event.
Tom Ford should be gracious, he’s selling a lot more retail than Couture, and that’s his name on the gown. Its pretty shameful that an actress is shamed for wearing a dress she paid her own money for, totally wrong values there. I didn’t love her hair but I actually admire her a great deal more for being so excited about her own dress…THAT SHE PAID FOR!
I feel 1,000% the same as you. That’s why I wish I had not read Lainey Gossip’s column today on Hayden and her dress. It completely boiled my blood. I agree with LG on many things, but not this. No, never ever this.
+1000
Right? Was she supposed to produce a receipt to some talentless tabloid commentator? Lainey is dead wrong. Who’s to tell me how far I can reach with my own money?
She’s not being shamed for buying and wearing it, she’s being shamed for attempting to lead people to believe Tom Ford had dressed her. She’s trying to gain prestige by dropping Tom Ford’s name, but in misleading people she messes around with his brand’s image.
If anyone actually believed he dressed her personally, they would naturally assume the dress was custom and not ready to wear, and no designer wants their ready to wear lines confused with their custom designs. They appeal to radically different markets. If people believed he dressed her but put her in a straight off the rack gown that didn’t fit or flatter her, a design that’s already done the rounds in editorials, a recycled design that Julianne Moore already wore to much greater effect in couture form at last year Globes, that hurts his reputation because it makes him seem exceptionally half-assed, which is the last thing he wants his brand to project.
Totally agree
Whatever, it’s her nomination her turn on the red carpet she can wear whatever she fancies IMO. If she wants Tom Ford and wants to buy it, why not? I’m glad TF is so classy and gracious about the whole situation, it just makes his brand look even more elegant than ever.
I don’t think there’s ANY problem at all with her purchasing. Anyone who suggests otherwise is perpetuating a kind of elite, snobbish, privileged attitude that they would would turn around and accuse others of in a different situation.
Is this really something we’re getting mad at celebrities for now? Buying their own clothes? C’mon.
The dress is not right for her body- she is very short and compact, and that particular neckline, cut, and fabric aren’t flattering to her size and shape. My understanding is that when a celeb is “dressed” by a major fashion house, they aren’t just loaned a gown. Often, the gown is specifically designed for them, fit to their body by the designer, and the designer works on the styling with them. Tom Ford dressed Julianne Moore in a version of this dress at last year’s Globes, and she looked amazing because he crafted the design to flatter her.
I think it’s perfectly fine that she wore a dress that she bought from a store. I completely understand that she is a huge fan of Tom Ford, loves his designs, asked to be dressed by the fashion house, and when turned down decided to buy a Tom Ford dress and wear it anyway. I think the problem is that while Hayden may love Tom Ford, Tom Ford might not design retail in a way that is flattering for her body (in the same way that I think Jennifer Lawrence looks amazing in Calvin Klein and is under-served by Dior). This didn’t look great on her. Her desire to wear a Tom Ford design is endearing to me, but I think other designers could have made something more flattering to her.
What is truly tacky is the assumption that everyone is in a borrowed dress and that is somehow admirable.
She looks great here! I wish most celebrities would dress themselves more often.
“Journalist” Jim Shi is a real ass.
The point of this story is getting lost because people are jumping to defend Hayden. Hayden is not a victim of snobbery here. What she did was intentional. She purposely mislead people into thinking Tom Ford personally dressed her for this event. She walked down the red carpet in a look that she made people believe Tom Ford crafted and gave his stamp of approval. Yes it his creation but it was not produced for this occasion. She was taking liberties with his name and brand. If she bought the dress she should have admitted it.
Plus I will add that Melissa John Hart on “Fashion Police” admitted to getting a dress for an event on a site called “Rent the Runway” and no one was up in arms because she was honest. This is going to blow back in a bad way on Hayden. Brand reputation is worth everything. You don’t mess with that it can cost millions.
The dress didn’t fit her well and she was horribly styled but…the fact that it is considered tacky for someone to actually buy a dress rather than borrow it from a designer is frankly, ridiculous. That all these rich people “borrow” dresses from designers and then promote said designer the whole way along the red carpet is tacky in my opinion. And frankly, the greed doesn’t stop with the dresses. The “baskets” the stars that present during these award shows are given are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Why is it that rich people never seem to pay for anything?
Finally, Tom Ford was pretty nasty at first in his “I didn’t dress her” comments. He should have sent the girl flowers. He was a snooty @ss.