Critics split on Cate Blanchett’s Oscar dress
Fashion is always up to wildly varying interpretation, and there's been no better recent example of a dividing garment than the Givenchy gown Cate Blanchett wore to last Sunday's Academy Awards. For the record, we at Shine were not fans of the beaded look (especially the green all over the back) and thought the dress appeared as if an Easter egg had exploded onto fabric. But many highly-respected critics in the fashion world felt otherwise. We've rounded up two teams of comments: those who loved the dress, and those who felt it was a poor style choice. Read these critiques and then take our poll to let us know where you stand on this lilac Oscar frock!
THOSE WHO LOVED THE DRESS
"Can you say flawless? Cate Blanchett always pulls out the big guns for the Oscars, but her structured lilac Givenchy haute couture gown was exceptionally beautiful. Her simple, sleek 'do is the perfect complement." - Glamour
"The statuesque Aussie stunner, herself an Oscar winner (for 2005's The Aviator), wowed in avant-garde Givenchy Couture...Blanchett's never been one to play it safe, and this was a prime example of the sort of wearable art she favors." - Marie Claire
"Some might call Cate Blanchett's Givenchy dress, with its petri dish-like center, sort of strange, but I thought she rocked it." - The Frisky
"In a sea of pretty, if seriously snoozeworthy gowns, Cate Blanchett's pale purple number by Givenchy Couture was a veritable work of art." - Stylelite
"Cate Blanchett rocked a complex yet elegant crystal-and-pearl-embellished Givenchy Haute Couture gown and Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry." - ELLE
" Cate Blanchett in Givenchy Couture took our breath away. It also seems to be either the favorite of the night or vocally despised, which makes it even more interesting to us." - Daily Front Row
"Cate Blanchett went for Givenchy Haute Couture pleats in the palest lilac-class and cool." - Vogue
"Cate Blanchett has my vote for best dressed at last night's Oscars in Givenchy Spring 2011 Couture. Her absolutely stunning look was as close to perfection as one can get." - Fashion Indie
"The fearless dresser had jaws dropping in a lilac Givenchy Haute Couture silk chiffon gown that was embroidered with leather pearls and crystals. Love love love it! It's just so different and so high fashion. She was best dressed!!! BY FAR!!!" - Coco Perez
THOSE WHO HATED THE DRESS
"Cate Blanchett is talented, beautiful, and intelligent, all things that we should all aspire to be. She is also elegant and regal 99 percent of the time, but last night at the Oscars, she looked like a bubbling, pus-filled skin disease...On the plus side, if there is ever a role for an alien queen who grows a colony of spiders in little sacks attached to her skin, Blanchett should be shoo-in." - The Stir
"If they ever remake 'Flash Gordon,' Cate Blanchett could use this Givenchy Couture gown to play Ming the Merciless." - Betty Confidential
"A calculated fashion risk or just odd for odd's sake? I'm leaning toward the latter." - Kaboodle
"Can we all applaud Cate Blanchett for taking an all-too-rare Oscar risk, while still admitting this Givenchy couture is just awkward-looking?" - Jezebel
"Cate Blanchett stepped out of her comfort zone with her lilac Givenchy Haute Couture gown, which was beaded in lilac and yellow. The attention-grabbing gown just wasn't a great choice for the Academy Award winning actress." - Radar
"The usually fashion forward Cate Blanchett in a homely concoction from Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci..."- Washington Post
" Cate Blanchett's boobs are wearing a picture frame. God love her. I know I do." - @fuggirls
"If anyone could have pulled this off it would have been her. Unfortunately, no one could pull this off. First of all, the gown looks like it has a disease. A fashion STD, if you will. I just hope it wasn't contagious. And then there's the fact that it is circling her chest. And the green accents? Not really disproving my whole disease theory." - Inside Pulse
"Before we hear how Blanchett's Givenchey gown was living art, we admit: we can almost see it.
The problem is, we can also almost see Lady Gaga ripping some of the fabric off the skirt and wearing it in her next music video. It's the Oscars; when caught between Old Hollywood glamour and futuristic-couture fash-art, err on the side of gorgeous! While Cate's was a far more beautiful and well-made gown (technically speaking) than Scarlett Johansson's appeared, we really couldn't stand either one!" - Examiner
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