Viola Davis attends the 2011 National Board of Review Awards gala at Cipriani 42nd Street on January 10, 2012 in New York City. (Dimitrios Kambouris / WireImage) |
Viola Davis doesn't pretend to be a fashion person. "You guys have made a mistake," she said, accepting the Woman of Style Award at Project Angel Food's Divine Design charity gala in December. "You haven't seen me with my wig off."
But fashion can be overrated. Watching how she has dressed for the neverending red carpet that is the Oscar campaign trail has been something else. It has been an instructional tool on the power of finding a look that works for you and sticking with it.
MORE: Oscar Nominees | Play-at-home Ballot | Buzzmeter
Three things Davis has done right.
No. 1: She knows her body, and it is killer, something her pal from "The Help," Octavia Spencer, referenced when introducing Davis that night at Divine Design. "She's chic, always elegant and eloquent in a woman-of-the-people way. And she has an amazing body … of work," Spencer said with a perfectly placed pause. Davis' red carpet choices are calculated to play up her collarbone, strong shoulders, cut arms and legs. Her gowns and dresses are body-baring, but not vulgar. Take the burgundy Emilio Pucci stunner she wore to the Golden Globes, which was slit thigh-high. It was proof that if you've got it, you might as well flaunt it — within reason.
No. 2: She's been consistent. For some celebrities, it's Princess Bride as visual icon one day and Veronica Lake the next. But Davis knows that the key to making a lasting impression is consistency. And by gravitating toward simple silhouettes without too many distracting details (the Marchesa Greek goddess gown with gold embroidery across half the bodice from the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday, for example), she is not only telling a fashion story but also reminding people (and potential voters) who she is.
MORE: Play-at-home Ballot | Cheat Sheet | Heatmeter
No. 3: She chooses one great accessory. A clean, spare silhouette is the perfect canvas for a bauble. But Davis doesn't overdo it. She finds a single piece that shines, whether it was the Bochic gold tassel earrings she wore with the red Raoul dress to the Critic's Choice Awards or the vintage gold and turquoise House of Lavande necklace she paired with her Lauren by Ralph Lauren red sheath to the National Board of Review gala.
Add one sharp new hair cut (or wig), and you've got a foolproof formula for red carpet style that all women can learn from.
booth.moore@latimes.com
But fashion can be overrated. Watching how she has dressed for the neverending red carpet that is the Oscar campaign trail has been something else. It has been an instructional tool on the power of finding a look that works for you and sticking with it.
MORE: Oscar Nominees | Play-at-home Ballot | Buzzmeter
Three things Davis has done right.
No. 1: She knows her body, and it is killer, something her pal from "The Help," Octavia Spencer, referenced when introducing Davis that night at Divine Design. "She's chic, always elegant and eloquent in a woman-of-the-people way. And she has an amazing body … of work," Spencer said with a perfectly placed pause. Davis' red carpet choices are calculated to play up her collarbone, strong shoulders, cut arms and legs. Her gowns and dresses are body-baring, but not vulgar. Take the burgundy Emilio Pucci stunner she wore to the Golden Globes, which was slit thigh-high. It was proof that if you've got it, you might as well flaunt it — within reason.
No. 2: She's been consistent. For some celebrities, it's Princess Bride as visual icon one day and Veronica Lake the next. But Davis knows that the key to making a lasting impression is consistency. And by gravitating toward simple silhouettes without too many distracting details (the Marchesa Greek goddess gown with gold embroidery across half the bodice from the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday, for example), she is not only telling a fashion story but also reminding people (and potential voters) who she is.
MORE: Play-at-home Ballot | Cheat Sheet | Heatmeter
No. 3: She chooses one great accessory. A clean, spare silhouette is the perfect canvas for a bauble. But Davis doesn't overdo it. She finds a single piece that shines, whether it was the Bochic gold tassel earrings she wore with the red Raoul dress to the Critic's Choice Awards or the vintage gold and turquoise House of Lavande necklace she paired with her Lauren by Ralph Lauren red sheath to the National Board of Review gala.
Add one sharp new hair cut (or wig), and you've got a foolproof formula for red carpet style that all women can learn from.
booth.moore@latimes.com
