Emma Watson in Ralph Lauren at the Vanity Fair Oscar party: lovely or overdone?

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Emma Watson wore this Ralph Lauren black velvet gown to the Vanity Fair Oscar party. I love the dramatic neck detail and Emma pulls it off nicely. However I adore the velvet silhouette almost wish it was unadorned. So I like this look on Emma but were I to wear it, I’d prefer just the velvet part. Keeping the focus on the dripping jewels around her face, Emma kept the rest of her styling simply with her only other accessory a temporary tattoo reading “Times Up” in script on the inside of her right arm. It’s pretty, even if they forgot the apostrophe in “Time’s.” Typo aside, it doesn’t compete with the gown and allows Emma to show off the dress and her message at the same time. My only complaint – and I can hear Kaiser laughing already – I hate her hair, specifically her jagged baby bangs. And I’m pro bangs. I daresay I even wear them *ducks for cover*.

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I’ll bet Busy Philipps is a blast at these parties. Busy wore a simple Christian Siriano princess gown. I really enjoy the plain jersey bodice with the dazzling skirt. I would have liked this with a short-sleeve, t-shirt top as well but Busy has worn that silhouette many times so this is a nice change. I think that a big statement necklace would have been too much with the skirt but I’d like to have seen a simple solitaire pendant just to finish the look. Her ponytail complemented the dress beautifully, though – polished but flirty. And look how much fun she’s having with it! Busy attended with her husband Marc Silverstein, which is a switch up from her normal date, bestie Michelle Williams.

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Hailee Steinfeld wore this Giambattista Valli lace and tulle mullet dress. I like Hailee very much, I do not like this dress. I know she’s young and this dress is youthful but it looks like a Home Ec project that’s been sabotaged. I can’t make sense of the long, busy train paired with the dress’ tutu skirt. The neckline looks like it’s being held together with those ribbons. I think the real fault, though, lies with the train – even if the dress was floor length, that train would swallow her. Without it, the short dress might have been really fun. And her hair and makeup are too severe for such a frilly dress.
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Last is Nina Dobrev in this Valentino nightdress. I didn’t recognize her at all. I don’t mind the dress. The outer dress, with its tiers and heather print looks like something an old-fashioned bride would wear on her wedding night. But I love the sequin breast plate. I like the juxtaposed soft and sweet with structured and flashy. I don’t care for the sheerness, though, it detracts. I don’t mind her slicked back messy ballerina bun, it finishes off the simple lines of her dress. But I can’t get over how different she looks.

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photo credit: WENN Photos, Getty Images and Twitter

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69 Responses to “Emma Watson in Ralph Lauren at the Vanity Fair Oscar party: lovely or overdone?”

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  1. Runcmc says:

    With Nina- it’s a mix of the eyebrows (they look both lightened in color and over-drawn!)and the toned down eye makeup. She really does look super different!

    • lannisterforever says:

      I hate the eyebrows. Makes her look older and harsher – and she’s usually so beautiful!

    • JustJen says:

      She looks thinner. I hope she’s not ill, she definitely didn’t need to lose any weight.

  2. Loopy says:

    Emmas hair is awful…is it a wig? IT’s the type of neglected or unkept hair you see in an asylum.

    • Neelyo says:

      Bwahaha!

    • smcollins says:

      Yeah, her hair is not good. It makes me understand Kaiser’s hatred of bangs. From the neck down she looks great, though.

    • deets says:

      This hair, it’s bad. Trying for rockstar and landing on Azkaban escapee, poor Emma.

      • Sophia's Side eye says:

        Was just thinking, she tried for Joan Jett and it’s a miss.

        Azkaban escapee made me lol!

    • minx says:

      My daughter got ahold of scissors as a toddler and cut her bangs.
      This looks like that.

      • Bettyrose says:

        LOL! I did something similar to myself in my 30s, and that’s what these bangs remind me of.

    • Victoria says:

      Where is Kaiser? #bangstrauma

    • bobslaw says:

      She often does this grimace half smile thing. I don’t understand it. She has a lovely smile! And also a lovely face when she doesn’t smile. But the grimace thing is bad.

    • cdnkitty says:

      Maybe it’s just me, but i think she looks fierce. Her outfit, temp tat and then the juxtaposition with the hair (which is deliberately harsh), she looks like a warrior. I see power and self confidence and self ownership. I like it.

    • Sabrine says:

      Emma looks gorgeous from the neck down. The bangs are very poorly done, like a kid got hold of mom’s scissors and went to town on her hair.

    • magnoliarose says:

      Her hair looks like she was in a street brawl with a weed whacker and tried to fix it at home.

    • yUPtime'sUP says:

      I just love the super short baby bangs. Guess I’m coo coo 😉

  3. Froggy says:

    I need another cup of coffee. When I looked at the header pic, I thought emma was Lena Dunham at first.

  4. Jussie says:

    Her hair is like the polished version of Hermione’s hair in the first film. Not quite sure why she wanted to relive that.

  5. lannisterforever says:

    Emma giving me strong Young-Helena-Bonham-Carter vibes here. I actually think she looks cool and edgy, but of course she’s more beautiful with more conventional styling.

    • knotslaning says:

      Totally, I think she looks great. She is going for something a little different and totally has that eccentric/avant-garde thing going on. I’m glad she is mixing it up, she is young and should have some fun!

  6. Clare says:

    In what capacity is Busy Phillips still invited to these events? I mean, I get good vibes from her, but does she still work in the industry? I mostly just see her mentioned in the context of Michelle’s bestie.

    • Neelyo says:

      I thought maybe because she’s in that upcoming Amy Schumer movie and didn’t her husband direct it?

      • Loopy says:

        I don’t even remember her in Dawsons Creek,she must have appeared in the later seasons when i stopped watching, she seems like a glorified Socialite i cant name any movie of hers.

    • Lucy2 says:

      She’s a working actress, and I believe her husband is a director. I think she has more business being there than some of it like that Emily Radawhatever, or Kendall Jenner.

    • magnoliarose says:

      She’s not a favorite and I can’t recall much of her work. *shrug*

  7. QueenB says:

    Awful hair. Maybe Emma will play the female reimagination of 80s rock star in a new movie?
    She’s also dating Chord Overstreet from Glee now. I think that describes the state of her career and life quite well.

    • Digital Unicorn says:

      Yes and the tattoo stunt was obvs – for someone who studied English Lit at an Ivy League university, the grammar oversight was very very embarrassing.

      She seems like a nice person but I can’t fathom why she has a career as she is a terrible actress.

      • magnoliarose says:

        She has a reputation for being difficult and not worth the trouble. Her lack of a full schedule speaks volumes.

      • Bridget says:

        Honestly, I like her as a public person, but as an actress she’s extremely limited. What she’s doing now seems sufficient.

  8. sisi says:

    it seems that Christian Siriano filled the vacuum created by the Marchesa implosion. I love that, since he’s known to be very inclusive and positive with clients and their needs. These’s something poetic about it.

    Kudos to Christian! He deserves the succes

    • minx says:

      I love him for that reason, he designs for everyone.

    • Trying Again says:

      Yes!! I was thinking the same, and that he came from Project Runway. lol.
      Go Christian!!

    • magnoliarose says:

      I love this comment. Now other deserving designers get a chance to have their work properly displayed. He’s inclusive and designs for women and not an idea of what women should look like. He loves his work, and it shows every time. I may not always love his designs, but I am always happy that he designed it and that someone with different taste will see it.

  9. JenE says:

    Busy cohosted the Elton John viewing party! That fits her personality well. I really wish Busy was on a show right now.

  10. Mop top says:

    I hope to God that those are clip-in bangs Emma Watson is wearing; they’re not doing her any favors. Also, from the waist up, Busy Phillips looks like she was just running in to the grocery store for a few items. Very odd.

  11. C. says:

    you made a typo talking about the typo…. “even if they for the apostrophe in “Time’s.” — you forgot the “got” in “forgot”.

    🙂

  12. Mia4s says:

    Well Emma certainly…went a new way! Interesting to see what she does next. She’s in such a tough age bracket for actresses (same age as Margot Robbie, Jennifer Lawrence, Brie Larson, Emma Stone, to name a few), she’s nowhere near the most talented, doesn’t have a unique presence or look. I will not be surprised if she pivots away from acting to something else at some point.

    Come on Hailee, that dress was a rookie mistake.I was reading somewhere that she was having a terrible problems in the party with people stepping on the train and getting more and more annoyed. Ummm, no kidding. That’s a pose on red carpet dress/sit down at ceremony dress. Not a party with hundreds of people milling around dress!

    • QueenB says:

      “I will not be surprised if she pivots away from acting to something else at some point.” She hasnt worked as an actress in years.

      • Caity says:

        Except in Beauty and the Beast, one of the highest grossing films of the year, just last year

      • QueenB says:

        Beauty and the Beast Filming Dates.

        18 May 2015 – 21 August 2015

        Also like you say “just last year” How many people in Hollywood can take one year of? Even Jlaw isnt doing it.

      • Bridget says:

        Beauty and the Beast was one of the biggest movies of 2017. What a weird thing to say.

    • Div says:

      It’s odd Emma W. didn’t pounce on any roles after Beauty and the Beast and instead took time off…she must have received some decent offers at the time. She didn’t strike when the iron was hot and all….

      She’s in a very competitive age bracket (the under 30 crowd or the early 30s who can pass for younger) but a lot of the biggest names like Emma S., JLaw, Margot, Saroise, etc. seem to compete/audition mostly for Oscar bait, period pieces, and big budget/comicbook films (ex. like Emma S. and Brie with Billie Jean King, Margot and JLaw with Tarantino & Maid Marion). However, the competition isn’t quite as fierce when it comes to prestige TV, TV, and indies in which you find Shailene, Tessa, KStew, and Gina R. Basically, I’m kind of surprised she hasn’t popped up in a BBC or HBO drama.

      • QueenB says:

        “She didn’t strike when the iron was hot and all….” Exactly. Beauty and the Beast was a guaranteed BO hit and she should have really capitalized on that. She will be getting movie roles but very likely not the ones she wants. Its not like Hollywood is waiting for people. Pretty much all actresses on her fame level are more talented and were at least nominated for some bigger awards.
        After 30 talent counts more than looks and I doubt we will see much of her then. she’ll always be famous due to Potter and Beauty tho.

      • Mia4s says:

        “It’s odd Emma W. didn’t pounce on any roles after Beauty and the Beast and instead took time off…she must have received some decent offers at the time.”

        Decent offers? Probably. Great offers? Eh. The thing with blockbusters these days is, she didn’t open that movie. The concept did. She didn’t open the movie anymore than that little boy whose name I’ve already forgotten opened the Jungle Book. Blockbusters these days can do one of two things; they can give added public exposure to actors who already have a strong reputation in smaller/indie/prestige films, or they can let newbies/small timers who give a highly praised and loved performance exposure and a strong shot at proving themselves in some other work. She really fits in neither category. Her performance was OK, her previous acting was…OK, and she was already well known. I think the net effect was pretty neutral.

      • Digital Unicorn says:

        I think she got offers but not the kind she wants – she’s just not a very good actress. Many of her peers produce their own projects (Robbie was a producer on I, Tonya) and I get the sense she tries to hard She would probably do better if she went behind the camera.

      • Div says:

        @Queen B, MiaS, Digital Unicorn

        I suspect all of you are correct in that she probably turned down roles since they weren’t on the level of what she wanted. Usually the actors who choose to dial back (regardless of the offers) rarely show up to parties/magazine covers and kind of seem to insinuate that they want a quieter, more low key, less busy life (Carey Mulligan, Rooney, Mia W.)….and that really doesn’t seem to be the case with Emma.

        It is possible that she just wanted time off/to continue working on her philanthropic work and simply didn’t care about striking when the iron was hot a la Angelina Jolie (although Angelina was established, had an Oscar win and several noms before she mostly checked out of acting)…but I can’t imagine her agent would be happy with that choice.. Plus, more work usually means more exposure for her philanthropy

        I’m also kind of surprised that she hasn’t tried directing or producing.

      • Bridget says:

        She’s always been incredibly picky, and doesn’t have a crazy drive to constantly be onscreen. I think we forget just how different her perspective is, as a former child star. She’s got a crazy amount of money and gets to work only on projects that she genuinely wants to do. She’s not my cup of tea onscreen, but there you go.

        And that is officially the most I have ever thought of Emma Watson in one stretch.

      • teacakes says:

        @Mia4S – I agree with you that these fairytale reboots tend to fuel their own box office but Beauty and the Beast still made over twice the money Cinderella (starring an unknown actress) did, despite being a mediocre film. And a good part of that difference is down to Watson – Disney execs have explicitly said they hired her for her offscreen image and popularity.

        The movie was straight-up marketed as ‘watch Hermione play Belle!’ so it’s no surprise it was successful, they were tapping into the nostalgia for two major franchises by hiring Watson. Of course, it’s a different matter that this is the only type of movie she’s good for, she simply doesn’t have the acting chops to do more varied work.

  13. Lucy2 says:

    Like the dress, hate the hair.
    Nina looks like she was out running errands and put on a fancy gown. Styling fail.

  14. serena says:

    I’m also pro-bangs (sometimes) but these itty-bitty ones on Emma Watson are just unfortunate. It’s too bad ’cause it ruins the whole look (her dress is gorgeous).

    Nina Dobrev looks too ‘naked’, in that she needed more colour and definition on her face, also that dress is so uneventful and sad, it doesn’t help her at all

    Lastly, I love Busy’s huge sparkly skirt!

  15. B says:

    Emma looks great from the neck down.
    No offence but that hair combined with the bushy brows make her look rather…..masculine. Sorry.

  16. minx says:

    Love Busy’s dress, it’s fun.

  17. Div says:

    Emma’s bangs are incredibly tiny even for short bangs. She’s a pretty girl but the hair does nothing for her. I love her dress, tho. Busy looks nice and she deserves to be there far more than some of the insta models and Kardashians.

  18. Amaria says:

    It’s the Alcoholic Unemployed Chick Deep in the Aughts in Small Town Poland, Who Cuts Her Own Bangs bangs. I know, I’ve seen those. Very hipster, in a way.

  19. Beluga says:

    Emma’s dress is gorgeous. One of my faves of the night. The hair though… That gown would look lovely with the pixie cut she got just after finishing Harry Potter, but those bangs are just another level of awful.

  20. Abby says:

    Ah dang. Emma looks amazing… except for those bangs. That makes me sad!

    Totally did not see her with Chord. She seems way too intellectual for him. But who knows—I only know of his Glee persona.

    I am loyal to Emma and her portrayal of Hermione. Dearly love the character and she was great in the role. But beauty and the beast is my all time favorite movie, and I’m actually watching the original right now with my children. The live action film was great, but she by far was the weak spot for me. I can’t stop wishing they’d cast Emmy Rossun as Belle, even if she is a little too old. Emma definitely did not carry the movie. The movie carried itself.

    Le sigh. I’d like to see what she can do behind the camera now. Not so much on the screen.

    • minx says:

      I Iike Emma too and yes, she was a terrible choice for Belle. One of my favorite B & B songs is “Little Town” and she just didn’t do it justice. That score needed a beautiful, operatic voice.
      Emma looked pained throughout the entire movie.

    • Digital Unicorn says:

      I love Beauty and the Beast and started watching the live action movie but had to turn off as her performance and singing made me cringe so bad that I couldn’t watch her on screen. She’s still acts with her eyebrows. I really wish they had given it to someone who could act AND sing and to think she walked away from La La Land to do this one – the girl is thirsty for it.

  21. Ytbtet says:

    The tattoos is unfortunate

  22. mosia says:

    what a shame, with an updo this could have been a classic look. reinterpretation of Audrey Tiffany’s look

  23. smee says:

    I think Emma W could make those baby bangs work IF she cut the rest of her hair, sides and back, to match it. This is giving me some sort of mullet vibe.

  24. Maum says:

    I LOVE the dress- neckline and silhouette are gorgeous.

    Sadly the effect is destroyed by the hideous hair- she manages to do outdo Emma Roberts in the hair department.

    She also has (IMO) a slightly offputting posey smirk- she often does that face on red carpets and it makes her look quite arrogant which is clearly not the case.

    • Carmen says:

      She looks uncomfortable and insecure, like she feeks she doesn’t really belong there. JMO.

      Gorgeous dress, dreadful hair. And she needs a redder lipstick.

  25. Lori says:

    I feel like people have been trying to make baby bangs edgy on and off for decades.

    It will never look good. Stop it.

  26. jana says:

    The most gorgeous woman in the world can’t pull off those bangs~that look like a 4 year old took scissors to her pwn hair~regardless of how “hip” they’re claimed to be.

  27. LInabear says:

    I think getting a temporary tattoo is even less edgy and more vanilla than not having a tattoo (fd I don’t have one either). I thought Emma was getting interesting for a sec and then she got a lame temporary tattoo with bad spelling.

  28. Godwina says:

    I love Project Runway but will never forgive it for foisting Siriano on the world–the fashion, the person both.