In an effort to help our readers avoid making mistakes in creating their own style, we
are reviewing the looks of some of today’s celebrities as they go out and about on the red carpet (and elsewhere).
We discuss what works for them, and where they might have made better choices and why.
Let’s take a look at Cameron Diaz (Charlie’s Angels, Shrek, The Holiday) as she appears on the
red carpet at a gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She’s wearing a dark, richly pink gown of layered, overlapping bands, which form
a cascade of ruffling and tiers. The look is accented by bright and bold turquoise jewelry (necklace and earrings). Ms. Diaz’s hair is
worn up, and she is in full make-up.
Hair:
Let’s start with the hair. Cameron always has lovely silky hair, and I’ve seen her hair worn
up and down in various events, and to look her best, Cameron should avoid styles that are too structured.
Here her hair is pulled back
tight into a twist, with the exception of a lock at the fringe which is left to hang across her face.The look is intended to be sleek
and sophisticated, but as you can see from the photos, the effect only works at certain angles. Most of the time, it just looks
unkempt and fraying. My advice would be to loosen the twist and simply pull the hair back gently in a clasp at the nape of the neck
and allow tendrils to frame the face softly.
Make-up:
As a former (and sometime) model, Cameron Diaz is accustomed to the makeup artists brush. Her
makeup here at the Met Museum Gala is well executed and the colors are perfect for her skin tone and eyes. I do think her eyeliner is
a bit dark and heavy (even for evening wear) given her pale eyes. She’s wearing mostly neutral tones with a touch of pink to give her
a soft, shimmery, dewy look.
The Dress & Jewels:
Cameron’s dress is a shiny, layered, tiered cascade of femininity. The problem is it looks a
little “off” on her very athletic, lightly-muscled form. The bulky garment is lovely on its own, but looks ill-fitted because of the
multiple layers of fabric and all the odd angles. From certain angles it gives the impression that it is unraveling. A little less
structure, and some smoother or cleaner lines in the garment and the effect would be much better. Cameron has such a great body, she
doesn’t need a dress to camouflage anything.
The biggest problem I see with her look overall is the color of the dress in comparison with
her jewelry and make-up. The bright bold pink of the dress serves to make her subtle pink shades in makeup look pale and washed out.
Both sets of pink shades only serve to make her choice of turquoise jewelry stand out more in contrast. The over all effect is
imbalanced and Ms. Diaz seems to fade into the background behind these two competing forces.
I would have suggested something a little more subdued in color for either the jewelry or
dress (or both). I also want to make a note that both the turquoise and the bring pink are good colors for Ms. Diaz (who is a
Silver-type). My only complaint is that the colors don’t work well together.
Over all, Ms. Diaz is always a stunning beauty, but in this case a little less would have
meant a whole lot more.
