One thing we’ve lost so far in the run-up to the big awards shows is the emergence of any kind of style star, or big fashion story of awards season. Luckily, Ariana DeBose is doing what she can in limited exposure to keep it fun, and whet our appetites for whenever the parties start again. Here, she’s at a BAFTA photocall — she’s nominated for the Rising Star award — in a Valentino that basically walked off the couture runway and into her closet. I’ll be honest, the strength of this is the color; I didn’t give it much of a look during that show, and in reality the shirt still looks a bit like she borrowed it from the French aristocrat whom she bedded during the revolution. Still, it’s a big and bold choice, which I enjoy, and she IS pulling off the coat, partly because she’s smartly posing like she’s in an editorial spread. It makes the lines 100 percent more interesting than when she’s just standing straight.
She’s in Akris here (as usual, links are in case the embeds don’t load for you):
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That color is again fabulous. The dress looks a little like it has a built-in sweater tied around her waist, but it works? And I love the shoes. I haven’t bought clothes, save for a handful of on-sale Gap sweaters, in FOREVER. And I have zero heels; they’re all in storage in L.A. I don’t know how to get back into caring what I wear, but I feel like that day probably needs to come. Maybe shoes will take me there.
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This sleek Carolina Herrera is effective. Yeah, I miss the color that we’re used to from her (don’t forget this red, and this orange), but sometimes that makes it effective to take a hard left into something solid and dark like this. She’s giving me Robin Roberts vibes here and who among us could be upset by THAT.
Ariana hosted SNL recently, too — it’s been an interesting season of mostly first-timers, which I like — and she picked Brandon Maxwell for her monologue:
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You THINK it’s a full suit, but it’s not — and it’s a LOT cuter when you can see the entire outfit. She and Kate McKinnon did a speed-sing through snippets of West Side Story, with some movement, so the boots were a practical choice. Also, whenever Kate wasn’t singing, her facial expression was exactly as it is in that photo. She was just so tickled by everything Ariana belted out.
Here we have Valentino PJs for the closing:
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And a very cute Moschino jacket:
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And finally, this killer Bibhu Mohapatra:
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She just seems SO ready to meet this moment — not at all intimidated by the heat of the spotlight. I love that and hope she keeps having a blast. And without a D&G in sight…
