Year in Review: Red Carpet 2016
Saturday, December 31, 2016 at 2:31PM 
We've been attacking 2016 from multiple angles for a year in review list-frenzy. We never quite finish in time so we'll spill into the new year a bit as we do.
But let's get festive for New Year's Eve with Jose's list of the year's Best Actress at an Event looks...
If ever there was a year where beauty was needed and much welcomed in any form we could get it, it definitely was 2016. Fortunately the world of fashion did not disappoint, and we saw a return to old Hollywood glamour that certainly served as a palate cleanser from the harshness of the modern world. Floral prints, dazzling metallics and princess moments made a splash on the red carpet, while more avant garde couture remained mostly on the runway.
The 10 best dressers, as always, were able to combine the best of both worlds. See the full list after the jump...
10. Jennifer Lopez in Giambattista Valli
For the Golden Globes, J.Lo went for a Hayworth-esque look that combined some of the greatest styles of all time: draped dress, long train, revealing leg slit, cape, serpent necklace...and like with all things J.Lo it would've proved to be a little too much, if she didn't carry it with such effortlessness.
9. Sarah Paulson in Gucci
Ms. Paulson collected her very first Emmy in a dress inspired by J.Lo's own iconic Grammy moment from 2000. Her beaded Gucci column however went for understated class, rather than va-va-voom. It was the perfect look for her much needed awards show coronation.
8. Lupita Nyong'o in Carolina Herrera
The Queen of Bold Colors joined forces with one of America's iconic couturiers to create a look that paid tribute to the melting pot that is fashion. Rather than make a statement about cultural appropriation, Lupita proved that accessories such as her turban, can perfectly compliment gowns that can otherwise be quite dull. The jewel tones and her perfect red lipstick made this one a stunner.
7. Emma Stone in Chanel
If you could describe La La Land in one dress, it would be this bubbly Chanel Emma wore to the Toronto International Film Festival premiere. It's sweet, forward, sexy and timeless at once. You could perfectly imagine Catherine Deneuve wearing it in The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. Since Emma has discovered yellow is her color, does it mean we're in store for her brightest red carpet season yet?
6. Nicole Kidman in Brandon Maxwell
Nicole Kidman's press outings for Lion should be renamed her "I am not my wig press tour", as it seems she's keen on proving the world that despite playing the middle-aged mother of two grown men in the film, she is far from frumpy in real life. Showing off her impeccable abdomen in this cutout dress, we might be tempted to call it Nicole's sexiest moment yet.
5. Naomie Harris in Gucci
Can we all agree it was about damn time Naomie Harris broke through? She's been stealing scenes for more than a decade now, but her career didn't seem to put her past tiny supporting roles and James Bond's secretary. As she collects awards for her breathtaking work in Moonlight, she has also been showing all the ladies how a red carpet look is done. Always one to surprise, this relaxed tux she wore to the Hollywood Film Awards sums up everything she gets so great about style.
4. Amy Adams in Tom Ford
I'm aware that many will claim Amy Adams has no place in this list because she never does anything "new". However, if someone should ever get an award for her "if it ain't broken" red carpet streak it's her. After realizing how much she benefits from the column with a bare shoulder silhouette (sexy, but safe enough to not make her look awkward) she has worn this kind of dress in every color under the sun. However, this sparkly Halston-esque champagne design by her Nocturnal Animals director recalls her sass in American Hustle, every time I look at it I wanna put on roller skates and go disco dancing with her.
3. Cate Blanchett in Givenchy
Awards loser Cate Blanchett is my favorite Cate Blanchett. Every time she knows she'll lose an award, she pushes the buttons when it comes to her looks. This fringy Givenchy design, complete with an art deco bob, was a marvel to look at it movement. If Amy makes me wanna disco, Cate makes me wanna foxtrot.
2. Claire Danes in Zac Posen
For the Met Gala's theme of Manus X Machina, innovative designer Zac Posen came up with a look for Claire Danes that was inspired by Cinderella and technology. Using organza and fiber optics, at first glance the dress looked like yet another of his architectural ballgowns, but upon closer/darker inspection, the dress lit up creating an aura of enchantment more magical than anything we've seen in any live action fairy tale. For its use of technology at the service of beatuy, this is what the Blade Runner sequel looks like in my mind.
1. Blake Lively in Burberry Pink
I wish Blake Lively was a huge star so she would grace the red carpet more often (why The Shallows didn't do this will forever baffle me). Appearance after appearance, event to event, she is the kind of celebrity who never disappoints. Seriously Google her looks if you don't believe me. At the Met Gala she received criticism from lazy fashion journalists who deemed she didn't "get" the theme of the night. How can something Lauren Bacall would've worn in the 1950s be "technologic"? Those who did their homework were rewarded with the knowledge that the florals on the dress had been cut and sewn by machines, their precise sewing fooling those who thought they were looking at a handsewn confection. This marriage of past and future is why this Burberry dress definitely tops the list.
Who were your favorites on the red carpet this year?
Year in Review
Best Movie Cats | Co-Star Chemistry | Coping Mechanisms | 25 Female Performances | Most Coveted Things | Grief and Letting Go | Ladies Who Lush | #52FilmsByWomen | Foreign Box Office Hits | Music Videos | Worst of the Year
Highlights of the Blog by Month
Jan | 88th Oscars | March | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec
Reader Comments (10)
How Lupita is not the number one?
Bella Hadid, the red dress at the Cannes Film Festival.
Claire wins, hands down. But the others are quite nice.
Awards loser Cate Blanchett at the Oscars beats awards loser Cate Blanchett at the Golden Globes in the fashion stakes.
I thought Blake blue Cannes dress was wonderful. Her pregnancy added an extra glow as well, but the dress was breathtaking.
The ones I remember at the end of the year, in no order:
Charlize Theron's Dior Tux at Cannes
Kirsten Dunst's black Valentino at the Globes
Lily Colins in Elie Saab ( both the crocheted one and the purple ombre)
Nicole Kidman in Armani Prive ( London Film Festival )
Cate Blanchett in Givenchy at the Globes
Cate Blanchett at the Oscars in Armani Prive
Naomi Watts in Armani Prive at the Oscars
Sarah Paulson in Prada at the Emmys
Zoe Saldana in Dolce and Gabbana at the Met Ball
Claire Danes in Zac Posen at the Met Ball
Kirsten Dunst's Gucci Gown at the Cannes Film Festival
Lupita Nyongo's entire Queen of Katwe tour
Sonam Kapoor's Ralph and Russo gowns at Cannes and the London Film Festival
Fan BinBing's Elie Saab looks
I also will put my two cents in and say Danes should have topped the list. That dress has the novelty AND the timeless class. It also fit the night's theme beautifully.
The only one I'm not feeling is Emma Stone's, but I'm not usually very keen on her (I did love that SAG look from the Birdman year, though).
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I second Nicole Kidman's Armani Privé from the London Film Festival. It was both bewitching—Practical Magic circa now—and daringly, but age-appropriately, sexy. (Brandon Maxwell is hot, hot, hot, but this one takes the cake.) I can't, however, get behind Bella Hadid's stunning red dress from the Cannes Film Festival because...hello, full-frontal fabric (distractingly so).
Emma Stone has an amazing history/sense of style, pairing bold reds and pinks, satin-panted, bowed and trained Lanvins, chartreuse Elie Saabs—the works. And Lupita Nyong'o and Blake Lively are quickly tracking up the all-time list.
Thanks also for reminding us of Miss Hit-or-Miss Claire Danes' Met Gala confection, as well as Cate Blanchett's Givenchy stunner, which really its mark in motion, in twirl.
Sarah Paulson was wearing a custom Prada (not gucci) gown at the Emmy's though