By Haleema SS
Sunday, January 12th, brought the legendary red carpet for the 25th annual Critics’ Choice Awards. While stars celebrated the biggest names in films and television, the outfits of some ruled the crimson trail. Traditionally, this less formal event in comparison to the Golden Globes or the Oscars results in boundary-pushing outfits but this award show celebrated the remarkable thing which is both quintessential and chic: the elegance of edgy fashion.
These celebrities’ minimal yet influential style showcased the aesthetics of subdued tastefulness:
The talented Zendaya Coleman wore a Tom Ford hot-pink ‘breastplate’ top and floor-length jersey skirt. Though, it can be argued the metallic cut-out top is fashionably boundary-pushing, the matching hot-pink jersey skirt places the outfit on the gentle equilibrium. Nonetheless, the star deserves all of fashion’s brownie points as Coleman looked effortlessly stylish whilst wearing a ‘breastplate’ which many of us could only dream of doing.
Renée Zellweger took a chic approach in a wholehearted way. She wore a plain black strapless Dior Haute Couture dress and black stilettos accessorised with a thick gold bangle. The dress had a bandeau top which gave the outfit an edgy feel and delicate ruching which exhibited a refined approach to the classy dress.
It would be near impossible to divert your eyes to the glitz of Florence Pugh’s Prada column gown. From top to bottom, the dress was covered in white-silver embellishment. To be frank, I thought the silver diamante straps were uncomplimentary to the bejewelled dress. Especially since the outfit was accessorised with white Jimmy Choo court shoes and silver dangly earrings. It was all a bit too much. The dress however (minus the straps) was beautiful which is why I included it in this list. It is the visual design of classy yet cutting-edge fashion.
A nude floor-length gown by Georges Hobeika featuring embellishment round the collar area, waistline and cut-out details. I first was not mesmerised by Jennifer Lopez’s sleek dress but as she turned around, the backless cut-out won me over. It provided an edge to what would have been a very simplistic outfit. Lopez accessorised the outfit with some Harry Winston diamonds which only increased the attractiveness of the luxurious outfit.
Alison Brie wore a tangerine dream. A fitted floor-length gown by Brandon Maxwell which had a square-neck design and thick straps added a sense of structure. Brie kept the accessories simple which allowed her dress to capture the spotlight or in this case be the light.
Nothing short of stunning is how I would describe Lupita Nyong’O. Her chocolate brown halter-style dress which was designed by Michael Kors featured a leather racerback. Sophisticated yet daring, the dress’s contrasting crepe-jersey skirt had a slim silhouette but gentle volume. Nyong’O glamourized the outfit with a contrasting vintage, polished-gold belt and gold box clutch.
Style Species 