The 9 Best Red-Carpet Moments of 2014: Blake Lively, Sarah Jessica Parker, Victoria Beckham, and More
With award season kicking into gear right after the New Year begins—the Golden Globes are on January 11!—it’s time to recognize the most dazzling moments on the red carpet of 2014. The year’s best skewed to the avant-garde (Rooney Mara and Jennifer Lawrence in crop tops and skirts), the traditional (Blake Lively and Sarah Jessica Parker in full-skirted evening dresses), and the mod (Victoria Beckham and Charlize Theron in mini-frocks). The underlying element that unites all our favorites? A decided return to modest elegance with a modern perspective.
Photo: Tony Barson/FilmMagic1/9Blake Lively in a Gucci Première dress and Lorraine Schwartz jewelry
The actress may have opted for a temporary hiatus from the silver screen this year but choosing to focus on her website, Preserve, along with expecting her first child with husband Ryan Reynolds did not take away from Lively’s red-carpet luster. At this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Lively, as a L’Oréal ambassador, truly shone but it was her spin in a black-and-white Gucci Première sweeper that broadcast the message “I’ve arrived."
Photo: Harold Cunningham/Getty Images for IWC2/9Cate Blanchett in Giambattista Valli Haute Couture and an IWC watch
Having played the lead role in **Woody Allen’**s film Blue Jasmine, Blanchett had her fair share of high-wattage appearances last year. Sophisticated with a keen aesthetic, Blanchett’s choices— diaphanous dresses from Givenchy or Armani Privé—have been mesmerizing. However, it was a Giambattista Valli Couture look she wore to an IWC launch event that had the fashion crowd enamored. Elegant, yet approachable, Blanchett channeled another fashion icon, Mrs. Carolina Herrera, in a simple white blouse, full skirt, and minimal makeup, for a winning finish to the season.
Photo: Michael Tran/FilmMagic3/9Charlize Theron in a Givenchy dress, Harry Winston jewelry, Saint Laurent bag, and Christian Louboutin shoes
_Vogue’_s June cover girl showed off her bold style this year in between starring in A Million Ways to Die in the West, promoting her philanthropic efforts with beau Sean Penn, and raising her son Jackson. And while she kept things classic in black-and-white Dior at this year’s Met Gala, it was her arrival in a Givenchy minidress with a cropped new cut that reinforced the concept of nineties glam.
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images4/9Emma Stone in a Valentino Couture dress and Graziela Gems and EF Collection jewelry
Typically cast in comedic roles, Stone—_Vogue’_s May cover girl—opted for quirky girl roles this year in films including Woody Allen’s Magic in the Moonlight and **Alejandro González Iñárritu’**s Birdman as well as reprising her role as Gwen Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. At numerous press junkets, we saw Stone slip into Chanel, Lanvin, and countless others, but the truly amazing look came in the form of a forest green tulle Valentino Couture dress that Stone wore to the Venice International Film Festival. Frothy, yet simple, the dress lent Stone a touch of Old Hollywood glamour.
Photo: Pierre Suu/WireImage5/9Jennifer Lawrence in a Dior Haute Couture dress, Irene Neuwirth earrings, Ana Khouri ring, and Christian Louboutin shoes
It’s well-known that Jennifer Lawrence is apt to be dressed in Dior for her many appearances, so it’s refreshing when her off-duty style is captured in the form of something unexpected, be it from Public School, Antonio Berardi, or Nina Ricci. But Lawrence pinpointed the crop top as the look for young Hollywood this year when she donned a Dior Haute Couture at a photocall for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 in Cannes. Fresh and vibrant with a colorful accent, the top cascades elegantly into an A-line skirt—another major red carpet staple.
