Why Holywood celebrities just can't dress up for an occasion? (actors, country)

[syracusa]

These are the people with money showering all over them, PLUS repeated opportunities to dress up glamorously. These are the people who CAN and SHOULD dress fabulously (which does not necessarily mean decadently) - and look like a miracle on Earth.
Their fashions and allure should leave us breathless on those red carpets, granted our lives boil down to watching their circus on TV after work anyhow. Might as well give us a truly magnificent circus.

But invariably, year after year - they don't. (If they do leave you so - it is sad).

The couture, high-end fashion world is literally full of true works of art, real creations, real masterpieces. A trip to Italy is all it would would take to figure out what a truly artful gown / outfit could look like.

But then again, you can take the prior-to-fame celebrity out of the trailer park (at worst) or boring suburb (at best) but you can't take the trailer and the suburb out of the Hollywood celebrity.
Women all, more or less, choose to look like cheap Disney princesses because this is what they knew "dressing up" looked like growing up.
No refinement, no art, no imagination, no splendor. Just dresses that you could easily find at Ross or Marshalls in a slightly lower-end make. Usually boring, safe, often looking as if they're made of cheap materials (even when they're not), all "pretty by the book" with a "ready-to-go-to-a church-event" vibe.

Once in a while, one will try to shock by "urinating" against the establishment wind. Such cases, usually Brits who have the personality to pull this off, will do it by choosing something in your face ugly, outrageous, anti-art.

Really? The artists' world???? Is this what "artistry" and "aesthetics" have come to?

If you don't care about celebrity but would like to see some truly artful fashion creations once in a while, do yourself a favor and skip the Hollywood sub-mediocrity and lack of imagination and tune into Italy's San Remo Festival and watch the presenters.

[syracusa]

I just realized there is a better forum to post this; if the moderator would be so kind to move it to Fashion and Beauty, I would appreciate it. Or I can just re-post as I am quite curious as to what other people think.
Thanks.

[bouncethelight]

You're assuming Hollywood celebrities in general care about "truly artful creations" - and perhaps they don't?

Most celebrities definitely want to look attractive and youthful. Getting cast in new projects is crucial - so it's important for them to look as attractive and youthful as possible.

And they definitely don't want to make any fashion mistakes. Even though making the worst-dressed lists means extra press, it's not a flattering way to get attention - so most celebrities will definitely play it safe, and not take any fashion risks that might land them on Fashion Police.

But do most of them truly care about cutting-edge fashion? Probably not. They care about fashion mostly as it applies to getting them further in their careers - but probably very few care about fashion for fashion's sake.

Originally Posted by syracusa

do yourself a favor and skip the Hollywood sub-mediocrity and lack of imagination and tune into Italy's San Remo Festival and watch the presenters.

There's room for both! High fashion is great, but it's also fun to see a Hollywood celebrity in a pretty dress. No need to pick one or the other - we can enjoy both!

[citizenkane2]

[syracusa]

Originally Posted by bouncethelight

You're assuming Hollywood celebrities in general care about "truly artful creations" - and perhaps they don't?

Most celebrities definitely want to look attractive and youthful. Getting cast in new projects is crucial - so it's important for them to look as attractive and youthful as possible.

And they definitely don't want to make any fashion mistakes. Even though making the worst-dressed lists means extra press, it's not a flattering way to get attention - so most celebrities will definitely play it safe, and not take any fashion risks that might land them on Fashion Police.

But do most of them truly care about cutting-edge fashion? Probably not. They care about fashion mostly as it applies to getting them further in their careers - but probably very few care about fashion for fashion's sake.

There's room for both! High fashion is great, but it's also fun to see a Hollywood celebrity in a pretty dress. No need to pick one or the other - we can enjoy both!

I am not sure I am buying the argument, unless you are saying these celebrities pander to a very dull, narrow-spirited and conformist public - which would not be a very shabby argument ...because...hmmm, let's see... because this is the truth.

However, artsy fashion does not have to be "unattractive, non-youthful or risky". Who said they should dress like this to be artful and original? This is exactly the problem: it seems as if people in anglo societies believe that pretty means boring and artsy means ugly and risky.

Beautiful is often just that: beautiful. Or gorgeous. I never fail to remain speechless when I see the incredibly beautiful creations those San Remo festival presenters wear on stage. The combinations of materials and patterns, the cut, the accents, the folds of those dresses...oh, my goodness. The level of pure aesthetics is so high that few could say "nah, that's not my style, I think it's kind of ugly".

However, going beyond the dull public, the reality remains that most of these Hollywood stars come exactly from the same dull public they are pandering to: unrefined, unsophisticated, with a very primitive understanding of "pretty".

If I see one more celebrity dressing like what 'burbia and the country think a "princess" dresses up like at a ball, I will have seen one too too many.

[syracusa]

Originally Posted by citizenkane2

What about those pictures? ...

[Beth56]

I think Europeans in general dress up more than Americans. And New Yorkers dress up more than Californians. But to say that Hollywood does not dress up in couture fashion just isn't true. They wear Armani, Valentino, Versace, and many others. Hardly trailer trash / suburb fashion by any means. And I'm pretty sure most Hollywood stars have help with their fashion choices if they are not as fashion minded as some.

I guess there is always going to be someone who doesn't agree with what you wear, i.e. best dressed vs. worst dressed. Saying Hollywood's fashion choices are sub-mediocrity and lack imagination is ridiculous. But you have the right to dislike their choices and criticize.

And I have the feeling that Hollywood's elite have already been to Italy.

[dtran103]

The french and italians in general are just simply more comfortable with fashion and they're more well-versed with what's current on the runway. Hollywood women in general dress at black tie events like they're going to the prom. It's bad. But then again, american audiences are a conservative group and they are rarely accepting of daring choices by celebs.

Actors see themselves as artists but I think it's a misconception that their worlds intersect with fashion circles like in europe. They just simply don't. They're concerned with image, but it's more about how not to stand out or be ridiculed. It's about just being "pretty" in all its generic meaning. But it's hard to blame them, because the "fashion" critics at these black tie events aren't really fashion well-versed. And that's part of the problem. Celebs are dressing for a blurb in People or In-Style magazine, where fashion writers are the least fashion-versed and the most harsh. They aren't dressing for Vogue.

[GloryB]

There seems to be celebrities who think if they don't do their hair, don't wear makeup, don't shave or wear something bohemian raggedy....then they aren't screaming for attention.
They can't fool me though..............
I bet they have stylists who help them achieve "the look".

[goldengrain]

A lot of people who have everything gain a certain maturity and I think their values develop into something different than those of the rest of us.

It's like the old money crowd dressing classically, conservatively and those who recently gained their fortunes buy things and flaunt it.