Cynthia walked into the building as the presumptive winner, and she did not mark that occasion with a subdued strapless black gown or anything beige and sparkly. She went as far out into the galaxy’s undiscovered corners as her voice can.
I love her for going all-in here. I respect that. I cannot honestly pretend I think the gown is very attractive — in fact it may be hideous, albeit EXTREMELY ENTERTAININGLY so. Actually, it has some offbeat Period Piece spunk to it. Like, I can see Helena Bonham Carter wearing that to play a sassy and independent Deanna Raybourn heroine who has plenty of time for exploring and intellectual pursuits, and knows exactly how to get her pleasure thank you very much so please nobody bother her with boring talk of marriage (just age up Veronica Speedwell, Hollywood!).
But Cynthia herself looks delighted and confident, like she picked the exact thing that expresses what her soul is singing (probably something like, “AAAAAHHHH!!!”). And that makes me want to high-five her. Look, the best anyone can do at ANYTHING like this is to say, “Screw the fashion critics,” and go in there feeling like his or her best self. We have fun picking apart the crazy outfits, but where would the world be without them? Just like it’d be boring without songs that make our teeth hurt, cringeworthy movies, and art that confuses us. The pendulum has to swing, and for that to happen, people have to express themselves. So GO FOR IT, everyone. Even you, Kardashian family. I am here and quite happy to be astonished in every sense of the word.
[Photo: Getty]
