I changed my mind way too many times about this dress: On Sunday it was one of our red-carpet favorites, but by that night, when I had to write it up for NYMag.com, I decided I didn't care for it; then while downloading the pictures for GFY, I thought, "Maybe I was too harsh... " but I think now I might've talked myself into not liking it again.
Part of the issue is, I think, the fact that on TV we never got a great shot of the front of her dress. And in photos, it is revealed to be totally boring. A few seams -- one of which seems to create a divot near her hip that's big enough to hold a lip gloss, or perhaps some dip if she has carrots in her purse -- and an asymmetrical hem are barely a design choice. Most dresses with a front this dull make up for it with Major Drama in the back, though, so let's peek:
Part of the issue is, I think, the fact that on TV we never got a great shot of the front of her dress. And in photos, it is revealed to be totally boring. A few seams -- one of which seems to create a divot near her hip that's big enough to hold a lip gloss, or perhaps some dip if she has carrots in her purse -- and an asymmetrical hem are barely a design choice. Most dresses with a front this dull make up for it with Major Drama in the back, though, so let's peek:
On first glimpse: Interesting, and it's what we thought we really liked about the gown the first time we saw it. But having spent more time studying the front, I'm not sure this detail is enough to justify quite how Plain Jane (or I guess Plain Jen, in this case) the other side is. Frankly, it almost feels like instead of cutting off the extra fabric, the designer just wrapped it around and stapled it to her back. It's like one of those Food Network shows that's trying to teach you to cook an entire meal lickety-split for $10: At the end of the day, it's just going to taste rushed, probably a little bland, and almost certainly like it only cost $10. Unless Brian Boitano made it, in which case, what it lacks in flavor it will make up for with sass. In fact, I wish Brian Boitano had made this dress. Maybe once he conquers the kitchen he can branch out to the Style Network, too.
