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Was this the worst night in Oscars fashion history?

March 25, 2022
Henry Club

written by Oscar Holland, CNN

This week marks two decades since Hollywood presented one of the worst red carpets ever. The 2002 Academy Awards were on the night of big wins for “A Beautiful Mind” and the first for “Lord of the Rings” — really Y2K Style – Waking up with spaghetti straps, visible midriff and shapeless evening dresses.
At the time, former Cosmopolitan editor Marcelle D’Argie Smith branded It was the “night of fashion blunders” before many stars were called out for their efforts. Julia Roberts looked “boring” in a black Armani gown; Dressed like a glittering peacock, Whoopi Goldberg, who hosted the ceremony, brought “a sort of circus element to the proceedings”; And Barbra Streisand was “swathed” in a velvet burgundy “wrap/tent/curtain”.

More damning reviews were saved for Best Supporting Actress of the Year, Jennifer Connelly, who wore a dishwater-colored tulle gown and a perfectly matched scarf (a shade described by Smith as “pale dung-colored”) and Scripps Howard News Was chosen by) agency as “Cuff-Rang”). Elsewhere, Cameron Diaz divided opinion in a floral print dress, ’80s Oscar-nominee Sally Kirkland sported an ill-advised bejeweled bindi and Faith Hill rocked “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” with a strappy rainbow plaid. took a painfully literal approach while teasing his performance of “. Colorful Versace gown.

Described as “pale dung-colored” and “cuff-colored,” Jennifer Connelly’s gown was one of the night’s many flops. Credit: Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images

However, the night will forever be remembered for one of the most infamous outfits in Oscar history: Gwyneth Paltrow’s infamous “goth” dress (pictured top). The formless Alexander McQueen creation featured a taffeta skirt and sheer bodice that left little to the imagination. The actress’s heavy makeup and milkmaid braid helped secure the outfit a place on “worst dressed” lists for years to come.

characteristically bite review As of evening, longtime Vogue editor Suzy Menkes, then of the International Herald Tribune, wrote that the apparently bra-less Paltrow “looked like she had gone off to see her personal trainer.” Was.” (She described Connolly as “as scary as a drowning nymph”). The Guardian fashion writer Jess Cartner-Morley meanwhile wrote That star “came a cropper” in “gap-ear plates, goth eye makeup, and clunky jewelry.”

Surely, the times to come were worse. At the Vanity Fair afterparty, “Meets Joe Black” star Claire Forlani wore what can only be described as a sequined breastplate held in place by dangerously thin string ties; Selma Blair arrived in a fringe dress that looked like a shabby tablecloth and Heather Mills opted for a quirky midriff-bearing two-piece. Actress and writer Susan Somers’ dress could easily double as cheap drapes, and TV host Daisy Fuentes appeared in jeans and a blouse, as if she forgot it was one of Hollywood’s most exclusive parties.

The afterparty saw even more classic Y2K styling, like Claire Forlani's open-backed crop top.

The afterparty saw even more classic Y2K styling, like Claire Forlani’s open-backed crop top. Credit: Greg DeGire / WireImage / Getty Images

Most Boring ‘All Time’

What really pissed off fashion critics wasn’t a deliberate flop, but a collective lack of ambition. exactly a year after Björk unexpectedly whimsical swan costumeThe red carpet of 2002 felt like a humble, low-risk affair.
It can be for good reason. Held just six months after the 9/11 attacks, the event was surrounded by over-security and a restrained atmosphere. armed police Stand guards, stars sent through metal detectors and fashion watchers lucky enough to secure a seat on the red carpet had to undergo new background checks, LA Times Reported, In keeping with the national mood, several stars arrived in respectable low-key gowns, with Reese Witherspoon, Glenn Close, Helen Hunt and Renee Zellweger among the many celebrities who wore black that night.

However, this was no excuse for Menkes. Calling the attendees’ efforts “the most boring Oscar outfit ever”, the critic singled out the unintentional corset dress from Naomi Watts’ “Sea of ​​Black”, writing that “even Gucci , a dead proof for generally sexy clothing”. Star look “faint.”

Naomi Watts was one of the many stars who opted for a low-risk black gown.

Naomi Watts was one of the many stars who opted for a low-risk black gown. Credit: Chemzur/WireImage/Getty Images

Samantha Critchell, then a fashion writer for the Associated Press, was more diplomatic, Description of The evening’s red carpet as one of “conservative” fashions, on which “many stars played it safe.” Looking back, 20 years later, he attributed his style choice not to 9/11, but to the panic surrounding the growing interest in red carpet style.
“In the early 2000s, fashion became a microcosm for the rest of the world,” she told CNN in a phone interview. “I Started Covering the Red Carpet With Jennifer Lopez how-to-stay-off Versace gown (At the 2000 Grammys) — We hadn’t had a ‘night-off’ coverage of fashion in the ‘hard-news’ media until that moment.

“There was a realization that those clothes were going to define you. And I think it had more to do with the rise of fashion as a pop-culture force — and a real-time force — and the feeling that people Sitting at home judging these outfits.

“There was no E and there was no pre-show by then, and I think the options were probably safer because it didn’t know how to navigate it.”

As for the risky look, Critchell theorized that many celebrities were “playing against type” by offering something unexpected or different from previous outings. Nicole Kidman’s frilly pink Chanel gown contrasted with the elegant Chartreuse Dior dress she wore to the 1997 ceremony, while Jennifer Lopez’s classic gown and bouffant hairstyle paired with the ranchier look she was known for.

Sally Kirkland sports a bejeweled bindi as part of her gold and silver look.

Sally Kirkland sports a bejeweled bindi as part of her gold and silver look. Credit: David LeFrank/Gamma-Rafo/Getty Images

Critchell said that even Paltrow’s outfit could be seen as an attempt to avoid pigeonholing. “She had been a princess in that pink Ralph Lauren dress a few years ago (in 1999), and I think that was playing against that,” she said.

“Celebrities didn’t have a chance to show their other sides like they do now. You already know them, you know what their style is, you know their opinion on everything. But it wasn’t uncommon in 2002, Or any of those other (pre-social media) years, to play against someone they had done before, because they didn’t want to be stereotyped.”

ray of hope

There were a handful of hits among flops that night. Kate Winslet’s one-shouldered Ben de Lisi dress was widely praised, and the men of the evening fared better among critics, with Will Smith praised for her ozwald boateng Suit and gold tie.
One of the night's few winners: Halle Berry in Elie Saab.

One of the night’s few winners: Halle Berry in Elie Saab. Credit: Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images

There was really only one winner, both on the red carpet and on the awards stage. On her way to becoming the first black woman to claim an Academy Award for Best Actress, Halle Berry stunned in the gown that turned its designer Elie Saab’s fortunes. Like Paltrow’s outfit, it included a sheer top and taffeta skirt, though Berry added glamor in crimson and champagne, completing the look with strategically placed floral detailing.

“I think Halle Berry’s outfit has stood the test of time,” Critchell said. “It’s not the dress one would wear today, but it was the belle of the ball. She was predicted to win and as fashion writers, we were all waiting for her turn. It summed up that moment; it It was memorable, and it was perfect for a great actress.”

Still, while the dress is now considered one of the Oscars’ best looks of all time, it wasn’t a hit. Everyone At night. Cartner-Morley of The Guardian wrote that Berry’s dress, complete with a “flamboyantly embroidered net bodice”, offered “much about”.

RELATED VIDEO: A Brief History of the Red Carpet

Her contrasting look serves as a reminder that good red carpet style is in the eye of the beholder — and thus the question of whether 2002 was the Oscars’ worst year, as always, depends on who you are. ask. In fact, given the current interest in all things Y2K—a revival that heralded the return of low-rise jeans, crop tops, and butterfly clips—the power of vision (and the opinions of Gen-Z fashion-watchers) may be. Is more kind than expected in 2002.

“I don’t think it was worstDressed up,” said Critchell. “I don’t know if there will ever be a moment that you can define as that. But it was a different time.”