Red Carpet Illustrated | BAFTAs 2013

Welcome to the second annual edition of the Style & Then Some BAFTAs red carpet coverage. We weren’t live on the red carpet, we didn’t go to the awards ceremony and we didn’t get the goss from the stars. Instead, we asked some of our favourite artists to capture some of the best dress celebrities in illustrated form (just like last year). From Marion Cotillard’s sunflower yellow dress to Helen Mirren’s pink hair, BAFTA 2013 gave us some bold and beautiful red carpet choices. Let’s take a look.

Jennifer Lawrence by Janneke de Jong

Jennifer Lawrence, who was nominated for Best Actress for Silver Linings Playbook, wore a strapless Christian Dior gown in the palest pink ever. She styled it with slicked back hair and minimal jewellery – a wise move I think, as the silver embellishments on the dress meant it didn’t need much accessorising.

Janneke’s website: www.dawdlr.blogspot.com

Sarah Silverman by Naomi Austin

Most of the time whenever I see photos of Sarah Silverman she’s dressed a bit like a child, but she sure looked grown up on Sunday night, in a black halter neck gown. It’s by New York designer Rafael Cennamo. He may not be a well-known name in the UK, but he’s a regular dresser of showbiz starlets over the pond.

Jessica Chastain by Naomi Austin

She may have been nominated for Best Actress for Zero Dark Thirty but Jessica Chastain was all bright on BAFTA night (boom boom). Her electric blue one-shoulder Roland Mouret gown practically glowed against her red hair, red lips and, of course, the red carpet.

Sarah Jessica Parker by Naomi Austin

SJP was one of the few female stars to dispense with the usual dresses for girls, suits for boys tradition, opting instead for something in the middle – a black Elie Saab jumpsuit to be precise. It’s a bit like the one Beyonce wore to the Grammys on the same night, and while it landed SJP on some worst dressed lists, I happen to think it’s an inspired choice: she still looks sufficiently dressed to the nines, but I bet she was way more comfortable (and warmer) than most of the other red carpet walkers.

Naomi’s website: www.facebook.com/naomiaustin.illustration

Helen Mirren by Claire Kearns
Fellow Best Actress nominee Helen Mirren (for her role as Alfred Hitchcock’s wife Alma Reville) got more attention for her new pink hair than her dress. She looked like she was having a great time on the red carpet, swishing her flowing Nicholas Oakwell Couture gown about as she posed for the cameras. I like her attitude.

Claire’s website: www.curlyc.co.uk

Anne Hathaway by Hilary Killam

Best Supporting Actress winner Hathaway played to the local crowd in a black cap-sleeved Burberry gown. The silver detailing on the top half was reminiscent of sixties design star Paco Rabanne’s futuristic and she was probably ever so slightly less freezing than the stars who (bravely/stupidly) opted for sleeveless styles. Well played Hathaway.

Marion Cotillard by Hilary Killam

The French actress, nominated for Rust and Bone in the Best Actress category, wore a Christian Dior dress that appeared to defy gravity – the long skirt wasn’t actually floating in the air, it was attached via a cheeky little sheer panel at the top of her left thigh. Some of the press called it ‘confusing’, I call it a bright sunshiney triumph on a sleeting February night.

Hilary’s website: www.hilarykillam.ca

The Oscars 2012 Red Carpet Illustrated | A dozen dresses, one dictator and a dog

At the 2012 Academy Awards red carpet on Sunday night there was an early indication that military chic might be the trend of the the day when Sacha Baron Cohen appeared in full military regalia with a pair of sexy army girls for company (more on that later). But in the end he was on his own – there was the usual abundance of sequins, satin, tulle, trains and stupidly small handbags that you’d expect for the biggest event in the movie awards calendar. Following the artistic amazingness that was our BAFTA Red Carpet Illustrated post, I again asked a host of willing volunteers (thanks, Twitter) to choose their favourite Academy Awards 2012 fashion look and illustrate it. And again the results were so darn cool. Here’s what they came up with.

Angelina Jolie in Versace by Hilary Killam. Visit Hilary’s website.

Angelina Jolie’s black velvet Versace thigh-split dress sparked not one but two comedy moments of the evening: her leg-revealing stance was aped by one of the screenwriters of The Descendants while he was picking up his award, and then the leg got its very own Twitter page. A pretty LEGendary Oscar’s outfit for her then you might say. (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.) Emma Stone in Giambattista Valli by Amanda Nunes. Visit Amanda’s website.

In a lovely raspberry red shade with a cute bow flourish at the neck, Emma Stone’s Giambattista Valli gown set off her porcelain skin and auburn locks beautifully. Jessica Chastain in Alexander McQueen by Faye West. Visit Faye’s website.

In a sea of block coloured gowns and simple shapes (this is the Oscars after all, and most actresses play it safe for fear of landing on the pages of the glossies with a big red cross by their oufit), Jessica Chastain’s intricately embellished Alexander McQueen was one of the edgier frocks on show.

Penelope Cruz in Armani Prive by Naomi Austin. Visit Naomi’s Facebook page.

Wearing an Armani Prive dress in a delicate shade of powdery duck egg blue and a figure hugging bodice, this kind of classic glamour really suits Penelope Cruz.

Rooney Mara in Givenchy Couture by Janneke de Jong. Visit Janneke’s website. 

Rooney Mara chose Givenchy for the umpteenth time, and while some critics argued the unusual bust detailing was a bit unflattering, you can’t deny that white dress + dark hair + a red carpet = a pretty great equation.

Jennifer Lopez and Cameron Diaz by Dana Bocai. Visit Dana’s website.

It doesn’t look like she’s going to get an Oscar any time soon, but the artist formerly known at J-Lo was widely credited as the winner of the best dressed Oscar attendee thanks to her shimmering striped Zuhair Murad gown. Meanwhile, Cammy from the block went for a Gucci dress that was such a delicate peachy tone it was almost matched her hair. Judy Greer in Monique Lhuillier by Amber Grayson. Visit Amber’s website.

I didn’t even know who Judy Greer was before the Oscars (apparently she was in The Descendants) but this Monique Lhuillier dress sure got my notice. A column of shimmering silver beading on black, it’s like a skyscraper in dress form. Esperanza Spalding by Claire Kearns. Visit Claire’s website.

Singer Esperanza Spalding, who performed at the ceremony, ended up on a lot of best dressed lists, but no amount of Googling could reveal to me who her pale blue dress with the extra long train is by. If you know, then do me a favour and leave a comment below? Cameron Diaz in Gucci by Hilary Killam. Visit Hilary’s website.

A very frothy and shimmery hem was balanced out by a simple top half on Cameron Diaz’s Gucci gown in palest powder pink. Michelle Williams in Louis Vuitton by Lizzie Donegan. Visit Lizzie’s website.

Michelle William’s lost out to Meryl Streep in the Best Actress category, but she totally won fashionwise in this adorable coral silk mousseline Louis Vuitton gown. Berenice Bejo in Elie Saab by Jo Ley. Visit Jo’s website.

I secretly hoped Berenice Bejo would wear one of those amazing flapper dresses from The Artist, but no, she went for a very grown up Elie Saab gown. She was one of several actresses who went for pastel colours, which is also a big spring 2012 catwalk trend. Sacha Baron Cohen as The Dictator by Steve McCarthy. Visit Steve’s website.

So like I said, Sacha Baron Cohen wasn’t just aiming for that ‘military chic’ look, he was in character and causing havoc as General Aladeen to promote new film The Dictator. He claimed his suit was by John Galliano, but somehow I doubt it. If you haven’t seen the video of him pouring Kim Jong-ils ashes over Ryan Seacrest, I strongly advise you do so now. And last but not least, he may not have been clad in designer threads, but how adorable is Uggie, the Jack Russell terrier that starred in The Artist? He’s basically the cutest thing on the Oscar’s red carpet don’t you think? Uggie the dog by Dana Bocai. Visit Dana’s website.

Check out more brilliant fashion illustrations from some of these illustrators in the BAFTAS 2012 Red Carpet Illustrated.

The BAFTAs 2012 Red Carpet Illustrated

I love a bit of red carpet frock watching as much as the next fashion fan, but I get a bit sick of the same bunch of photos doing the rounds every year when awards season rolls round. So to try something a bit different, for the 2012 BAFTA Awards, which took place in London last night, I asked a group of  artists to choose their favourite red carpet look and create a fashion illustration. I’m thrilled with the results, I love how the illustrators have interpreted the actresses outfits so creatively. Here’s what they came up with.

Meryl Streep in Vivienne Westwood by Amber Grayson. Visit Amber’s website.

Meryl Streep took home the best actress BAFTA for her performance as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. She wore Vivienne Westwood, and with her reddish hair and this classic corseted number I think she actually looked quite like Dame Westwood herself, in a good way though.

Bonnie Wright in vintage by Naomi Austin. Visit Naomi’s Facebook page.

Harry Potter actress Bonnie Wright looked quite dressed down in comparison to some of the other glammed up guests but I really like this navy vintage polka dot dress which she teamed with Prada accessories. And she gets points for sensibleness, keeping out the cold with those black tights – temperatures weren’t much above freezing in London last night.

Gillian Anderson in Sybil Connolly by Naomi Austin. Visit Naomi’s Facebook page.

Gillian Anderson, on the other hand, admitted she was totally freezing in her strapless gown. It’s a beauty though, by Irish designer Sybil Connolly.

Fearne Cotton in Moschino by Hilary Killam. Visit Hilary’s website.

Fearne Cotton took a quick turn on the red carpet before taking her place to interview the nominees. I’m a big fan of Moschino and I think this dress is pretty perfect for her – it’s glamorous enough for an awards event but it’s still got a hint of whimsy with the little black bow, and she’s well covered up which is sensible (is it weird that I’m so worried about these girls being cold? Maybe it’s cos they’re all so skinny, with no flesh to keep them warm!).

Miss Piggy in Louis Vuitton by Hilary Killam. Visit Hilary’s website.

The Muppet matriarch Miss Piggy was interviewing stars as they arrived on the red carpet but she managed to give them a run for their money fashion wise in her custom Louis Vuitton dress.

Tilda Swinton in Celine by Gareth A Hopkins. Visit Gareth’s website.

You can always expect something brilliant and unusual from Tilda Swinton at an awards do and she didn’t disappoint last night. Not quite as fiercely androgynous as usual, she went for a stark white Celine maxi skirt and crop top combination. Good work Swinton.

Michelle Williams in H&M by Lizzie Donegan. Visit Lizzie’s website.

Fashion folk on Twitter were getting very excited at the fact that there was going to be a high street brand on the red carpet. But Michelle Williams outdid plenty of other designer-clad A-listers in her dress from H&M Conscious, the Swedish retailer’s ethical range. Nothing sure what she carrying though – is it a book? Is it a bag? Maybe we’ll never know.

Gillian Anderson in Sybil Connolly by Jo Ley. Visit Jo’s website.

Gillian Anderson was a popular choice amongst the illustrators because Jo Ley also chose to illustrate the actress in her delicate Sybil Connolly dress with mille-feuille pleats. ‘I’m not surprised, everyone loves Scully,’ Jo said. I totally agree, she looked amazing.