THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, March 29, 1995 TAG: 9503290032
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CAMMY SESSA, SPECIAL TO THE DAILY BREAK
LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines
THE FASHION industry hit a high and low note during the Academy Awards on Monday. If the glamour crowd is any indication of upcoming trends, the good news is the Wonder Bra will push lingerie sales over the top. The bad news is necktie manufacturers are in trouble.
The low decollete was at an all time high during the ceremonies. So what if all those 34-B cups runneth over? Style is style.
Dianne Wiest may have taken the prize for best supporting actress but her low neckline didn't support her ample bosom. I kept hoping she wouldn't lean over. It looked more like ``Breasts Over Broadway.'' And Dianne, the gown was too full, too barrel-like. You don't need all that fullness. Stick with Woody; fire your seamstress.
Holly Hunter didn't even bother to hide her bra but snapped herself into a glittery push-up number that could be clearly seen through sheer gauze that extended well below the waist to show her navel. (How did she get into that dress anyway?)
Not since Cher accepted her 1987 Oscar has any star had the bad taste of showing most of her bare body. It was expected of Cher, but Hunter?
If Hunter took the women's honors for crass chic, then Tim Robbins set a new low for sartorial styles, wearing a blue glitter tux coordinated with a tieless black satin shirt. Come on, Tim, didn't you ask Susan's advice?
Another Tim - Allen - had the strangest formal in the menswear category. The placket of his four-button jacket was outlined in a strip of white to coordinate with his white banded shirt. You need some improvement, Tim.
Most unusual get-up of the evening, however, was Lizzy Gardner's gown that was fashioned of gold American Express cards - with her name on each one - linked together to form a straight waistless gown with a side slit. Gardner, garnered an Oscar (with a partner) for ``The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.'' After she left the stage, host David Letterman quipped that Gardner's dress expired.
Give Gardner credit, however, for sitting on a sea of plastic for more than three hours. Maybe she was more at ease than the glut of skinny stars showing off their bodies in body-hugging gowns? Sarah Jessica Parker's strapless satin pencil-slim black satin encased her like a sausage, while Julia Ormond's skinny black sheath must have been stitched on. Jamie Lee Curtis thought it was a cute trick to be suspended from a helicopter, but when she hit the stage, she snapped her short elasticized mini down over her buttocks.
And speaking of tight, men donning those banded starched collars looked just as uncomfortable as if they were wearing ties. Early on, when Letterman asked Tom Hanks to come up on stage to help unroll carpet for a revolting dog trick, he asked the Oscar winner: ``Would it have killed you to wear a tie?''
Neckwear was given more jolts because many men embellished their tuxedos with four-in-hand cravats instead of a traditional bow ties. Denzel Washington wore a white one, Steven Spielberg donned blue satin and John Travolta's black four-in-hand fit into a strange spread-eagle collared shirt. Like most men there, Travolta substituted a vest for a cummerbund.
For men, going retro with Edwardian silhouettes - fitted shapes, high necklines, four-button closings - was the style of the evening and the shape of things to come.
Unlike Academy Awards in years past, for the most part, good style set the pace for the evening. Except for Diane Keaton, who wore a dorky derby hat, this year, there weren't many fashion atrocities, such as Demi Moore's hot pants in 1989 or Kim Basinger's one sleeve on and one sleeve off in 1990.
It was obvious that many women had well-known designers to dress them. Oprah Winfrey outfitted herself in a couture masterpiece of brown silk satin by designer Giancarlo Ferre. Rene Russo sported a tasteful low decollete from Giorgio Armani. Sharon Stone was smashing in a full-skirted platinum satin by Vera Wang and Ellen Barkin's short black chiffon with gossamer side panels from Chanel was a knockout.
Sigourney Weaver's gown with bustle in the rear and tight jewel-encrusted bodice was more costume than gown. On the other hand, Jessica Lange's long-sleeve sheer leaf-embellished chiffon was perfect for her looks and demeanor when she picked up her Oscar for best actress.
Too bad Winona Ryder didn't get a chance to get up on stage because her black jet-encrusted gown took my vote as the best looking gown of the evening. ILLUSTRATION: Photos
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Oprah Winfrey, left, outfitted herself in a couture masterpiece of
brown silk satin for the Oscars, and Dianne Wiest, with Martin
Landau, wore a gown that didn't support her neckline.
by CNB