Stylemakers Predict Subtle 2009 Awards -Season Fashion

Hold the baubles. A classic satin pump by Stuart Weitzman is expected to grace red carpets this year.
When celebrities step onto the Golden Globe Awards red carpet this Sunday, subtle and subdued are expected to be the big buzzwords of the evening, style-wise.

What’s likely to be out: massive baubles and diamond-encrusted shoes. What could be in: minimalist jewelry and ensembles in neutrals or rich colors like turquoise or plum.

“The days of wearing the three million-dollar necklace are over–this is not the time to be wearing that,” says celebrity stylist Jeanne Yang, who has dressed stars like Anna Paquin for the red carpet and predicts that jewelry trends at the Globes will center more on colored stones and vintage pieces instead of flashy items. “Even if everybody knows that you’re borrowing it, I can’t imagine that anybody would wear something that’s over the top.”

Last year’s Stuart Weitzman “Retro Rose” shoes, studded with over $1 million worth of Kwiat diamonds, designed for then-nominee Diablo Cody. Ms. Cody opted against the shoes, and accepted her Oscar in gold ballet flats.
The red carpet during awards season, which kicks off this Sunday and continues through the Academy Awards in late February, is an opportunity for fashion labels to get millions of dollars in free advertising and brand-building through an event that not only has global reach but also has a very long shelf life. Pictures of celebrities looking their best — or worst — at awards shows sometimes end up running in magazines and on Web sites years after the event. In 2007, the last time the Globes was staged, 20 million people in 150 countries tuned in to watch, says the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

In an effort to strike the right chord during a recession, some designers have been sending stylists looks that are more sedate. Stuart Weitzman, who usually produces a small collection of shoes for the awards season, says this line usually comprises 75% “glitzy, blingy” shoes and 25% “classy” shoes that are less showy. This year, however, 75% of the collection is subdued while 25% is flashy, says Mr. Weitzman, who notes that he’s seen high interest in satin shoes in neutral colors or pale metallics among stars and stylists so far.

Pamella DeVos, who designs the Pamella Roland line that actresses like Kim Cattrall and Jennifer Garner have worn on red carpets, says she expects that there’ll still be Hollywood glamour on the red carpet on Sunday but it will be elegant rather than flashy. “There are a lot of people who want to see Hollywood be glamorous,” she says. “People think this will lift (Americans) out of the doom and gloom.” — Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan
http://blogs.wsj.com/runway/2009/01/08/stylemakers-predict-subtle-2009-awards-season-fashion/