Prior to the Oscars we write up the categories we’re covering ahead of time, and I of course had a whole post pre-written for Viola Davis taking home the lead actress statue. I really expected her to win, but I luckily wrote up a backup story for Meryl winning just in case. I was surprised and delighted that it went to Meryl, although Viola would have made me just as happy. Honestly I only saw Viola’s performance, and while I think she’s an excellent actress I didn’t love The Help.
Let’s talk about Viola’s lovely styling. As Kaiser mentioned over the weekend it was nice to see her ditch the wigs, especially for such a momentous night. She went natural with her hair and looked much younger and more striking as a result. It may have been a natural progression for her. Viola told Ryan Seacrest on the red carpet that she gradually learned to “step up” her game. She said “There was a lot riding on this character being portrayed in a way that wasn’t stereotypical, so I had to step up to the plate. In the course of that, this whole season I felt like I had to step up to the plate, and I just emerged, my confidence… At a certain point you have to represent something bigger than yourself. That’s what the movie is about.” Doesn’t it sound like she’s talking about her hair a little too, or am I reading too much into it?
In terms of the dress I liked the color but not the style of her Vera Wang gown. I think it has a cheap-looking bustline and a bizarre hemline area that tries to make the dress elegant by design and doesn’t quite do it. It’s like it starts as one dress at the waist and then cuts away to another style entirely. Business at the waist, party at the bottom. I would have guessed it was Marchesa. We saw Viola’s ladies on full display on the red carpet just last week and I was hoping she’d go for something more demure, like the gorgeous Grecian Pucci gown she wore to the Globes. It wasn’t Viola’s night last night, but I hope we see more of her, and I hope she gets more chances to shine at the Oscars.
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