It feels like old times, because I have to say… Cate Blanchett was the best-dressed of the BAFTAs. Cate has been doing promotion for what feels like five solid months, and her style journey has been all over the place. She’s been mixing up-and-coming designers with her favorites, like Valentino, Armani and Chanel, and the result has been that we can’t really pin her down this awards season. But this Alexander McQueen gown feels like a return to form, a return to the old Blanchett who ruled every red carpet she deigned to walk on. I love this. I love the black feathers combined with this multi-colored bodice. I love the structure of the top. I love that there are two kinds of feathers in the skirt. I love her styling, her hair, her jewelry. This look is SO GOOD.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, every single fashion-watcher can pin down Rooney Mara’s look. She’s going to wear something black, nude or white. Her hair will be severe. The look will be unflattering, but Professional Fashion People feel obligated to say that they love it because Rooney has to happen as a Fashion Girl for some reason. But tell me this: is her BAFTAs Givenchy really any better or worse than that McQueen disaster at the Globes? Ugh. So, yeah, I really don’t like this. And I don’t know why we have to keep pretending that she’s some kind of fashionista.
Photos credit WENN
YES. I loved this the second I saw it. Eccentric, rich and luscious gown. Best look of the night!
And omg, Cate wears it so well.
I agree. I adored this look. I think is simply brilliant but Cate is usually my “can’t wait to see what she is wearing” look
WOW! Blow me away with that McQueen – by far best of the night and IMHO all of awards season!
If I were Rooney Mara and saw Cate, I’d hang my head in shame at the God awful toddler attacked with scissors shower curtain creation she is wearing.
Rooney looks like a dirty, mesh drawstring laundry bag.
Cate was the best of the night and looked amazing.
Rooney is a fashionista and she usually looks fashion forward and interesting, but this dress looks like my grandam’s table cloth.
She relies very heavily on the same silhouettes and shapes, but they’re just fancy names like Valentino and Givenchy. I wouldn’t consider her a fashionista.
I’ve seen her in quite a few different dresses. Evene if she does, those siluetes and shapes are rarely worn by any other actress. And her pale skin/dark hair combo elevate every look. I also like that she rarely wears colour, but while white and black look good on her, nude does not.
Me neither. She always looks the same, as Kaiser said. She usually drab and dour. I’d like to see her let her wear her hair down sometime and wear something colorful for a change.
@locke I still politely disagree. Rooney tends toward a pretty basic, slinky shape, which half the time she doesn’t even get properly fitted for. Good for her for knowing what she likes, but the only way I’d ever describe her as a fashion girl is just for the way she hit it off with Tisci.
I liked Rooney’s style at first, after TGWTDT. I loved her cute short fringe and ponytail. I still like her hair… but the beige has got to go. This is really, really, really not your colour hon. White and black look great on you, stick with that if you must keep it so… consistent, I guess.
I’d love to see her with more rings and earrings and a punk hairstyle, this “romantic” look really washes her out. But then people would probably never stop snarking at how much she wants “The girl…” part 2. to happen. Which is stupid as she was amazing in it, the film was amazing, aand she got her first Oscar nom for that role. Why would she NOT want it to happen??
Gorgeous!
I actually love Rooneys dress! The fabric and especially the shoulders/sleeves look super cool.
Cate looks very beautiful too.
We have to pretend Rooney is a fashionista because she has the drowned mouse look that’s really popular with runway models. As long as she’s invited to the big award ceremonies, designers will use her as a convenient cloth hanger for their products, no matter if they do her any favours or not.
Cate is absolutely flawless in this. She can work SO many looks but if the dress actually is gorgeous they both shine twice as bright.
@ichsi, who wrote: “We have to pretend Rooney is a fashionista because ‘she has the drowned mouse look that’s really popular with runway models’.”
LOL! This is the best description ever of the ‘singular’ look a majority of runway models (and many teen and pre-teen girls) aspire to obtain. 🙂
Rooney’s face always looks so blank and her clothes….never truly flattering. This is a particularly sad effort.
Blanchett is lovely, very intricate and elegant. She has the stature for these ‘wow’ looks and takes full advantage of it.
I so love this dress! It is just the right mix of classic with the top and edgy with the skirt. Rooney- what was with the plastic(??) head band? The dress itself is fine. She always looks so robotic on the red carpet. And noooo- not suggesting she turn into a smiling machine, but a trace of warmth/enthusiasm would be nice to see once in awhile.
Thing is you don’t even have to smile to convey warmth or personality. Your eyes and demeanor can accomplish that. Men do it.
I mean as an actress can’t she “act” like she has more than one facial expression on the Red Carpet? She gets well paid. Maybe it’s the starvation diet that leaves her so sapped of life.
Maybe she’s just super uncomfortable on the red carpet. Some people are like that.
Are you American? If she looks starved to you, it’s time to travel outside of US to see what slim people look like,
i actually liked most of cate blanchett’s dresses from up and coming designers, if anything some of the established designers stuff she wore looked crap (her givenchy dress at the globes was one of the worst things i’ve seen in a long while). this dress is lovely.
rooney mara.. i don’t even know what to say. she already wore a similar dress to this, in a similar cut, and exactly in the same colour. she’s like my mum, who buys several trousers in the same style and colour because she likes them.
Love Cate’s dress and overall look. Stunning.
I know I’m in the minority but I think Rooney looks lovely, too. I’m not a fan of the dress color but it’s an interesting look to me and the cut works for her.
Riccardo Tisci is an awful designer, the end.
I love the Mc Queen !
I’m really trying hard to like cate’s dress and I know I’m going against the minority. But I just can’t. I think it’s the feather/faux fur thing. It’s a personal thing, it makes me scrunch up my face. I know, everyone loves it, so sorry folks. don’t mind Rooney’s dress from the side, but the front just washing away. It could be the flashes/light though.
Love Cate’s dress. She wears a lot of edgey clothes but I don’t recall ever thinking the clothes wore her.
I figured McQueen brand would be bankrupt within 2 years after his death but Sarah Burton has maintained or possibly grown the label. Has anyone heard any more rumors about SB going to Dior?
Rooney Mara’s stans always try to say that she’s some kind of fashionista but the reality is that she lacks personality and her fashion choices reflect that. You are completely right in your description of her. Personally I think Cate’s McQueen gown would have looked better on Rooney but that would mean wearing color and feathers and god forbid, actually something pretty. That was never going to happen. Rooney is a dullard.
Unrelated to her dress, but am I the only one who thought Cate Blanchett really phoned it in on Carol? Her performance felt so clowinsh and fake to me. Rooney’s character felt so real and relatable, but I was really turned off by Cate. I think it’s probably the worst performance I’ve seen from her.
I thought the movie overall was boring and a tad self-important. It looked beautiful, was very well made but the story-telling just plodded along for me. The movie could have been really powerful, but to me it was an aesthetically artful film which never hit an emotional chord.
I’m not sure I feel Kate was phoning it in though. I think it was the director who was looking for throw-back type of performances from the leads – like he asked them to be Joan Crawford and Audrey Hepburn (or something like that).
Which brings me to what pisses me off. More so than Blanchett, Rooney Mara is the flipping lead of this movie. How can she be in supporting acting category? Ridiculous.
I haven’t seen the film but I recently read the book it was based on and your description sounds very much like the tone and pacing of the book. So at least it was a faithful adaptation? I’d really like to see it. Interesting about Mara being supporting actor. She’s definitely the main character in the book.
@mia girl
Yeah I agree, there was a pretentious tone to the movie. But I liked it alright. It’s one of those okay but unmemorable oscar films.
@Esmom
And she was very much the lead in the movie too. That nomination makes no sense.
Rooney hardly ever stands straight. Always slouching. Not flattering.
I really like both looks. They both make sense on them. 🙂
Cate looks gorgeous.
I don’t like Cate’s dress at all it’s just too much embroidery. Lately, Rooney is going for more textured fabrics in her dresses, they look so odd. She would look so incredible in something like Dakota’s dress.
SO good. Cate is perfection here.
Cate’s dress is AMAZING. Rooney’s is fug. I don’t consider her a fashionista at all.
Wow, that dress is amazing. It suits her well, she looks gorgeous, and its a great style in general.
All hail Empress Cate!
it’s funny that Rooney wears Givenchi here, because she looks like she came straight from the Kanye runway.
Love Cate. She knocks it out if the park. She looked great. Her style and the way she carries herself is what it’s all about!
I feel like Cate and Rooney owns their vibe and the clothes never wear them; but people favor Cate’s vibe obviously. If we switch their dresses, people would go on about Cate looking fab and pulling off beige while Rooney always wear black and look too servere.
Cate looks amazing. She is owning that gown and it’s a lot of gown to wear. Wow! I love Rooney Mara but this dress is fug.
Oh, my. Cate looks GLORIOUS, it’s like her style mojo came back in full force. That dress actually lives up to both the name it bears, and the wearer it’s on. A+++++++++++++
I can see how Rooney’s dress might be interesting but it rather reminds me of the plastic mesh weave on the seats of my classroom chairs.
I love Cate’s dress, it’s really unique and perfect for her. Don’t care for Rooney’s.