Brits 2007: Red Carpet Commentary

If you’ve read my previous commentaries on the Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Grammy Awards, you’ll know I’m all about the colour this year. The Brit Awards in London last night certainly were a colourful affair but because I’m a contrary soul, I preferred monotone outfits.

I love-love-loved Kelly Osbourne’s dress at the Elle Awards on Tuesday night - dotty 50s retro, so fun but glam - and her grey and black stripey outfit for the Brits was similarly pleasing: not something I’d choose for myself in a million years but it suits her down to the ground and is so flattering around her hips.

Going to the other end of the monotone scale, Natasha Bedingfield looked wonderful in white. It was, perhaps, a bit to summery for February in London but white awards gowns usually too wedding-y, and Natasha managed to sidestep that whole issue by keeping it sleek and boobarific.

Similarly sleek, Sophie Ellis Bextor looked tiny in her pencil skirt but could have used a bit of more flesh to give her top a bit of shape. Jamelia had more of that shape - to an almost halves-of-grapefruit degree. As much as her boobs looked a little peculiar, I do really like the square balconette-shape neckline and the fabric of the skirt. It looks like liquid - in a good way.

So where was all that colour I was talking about? Well, Lily Allen and Sandi Thom both went blue - albeit opposite ends of the blue spectrum.

I am a sucker for turquoise although I usually prefer it a bit grey-er or matt-er that Lily Allen’s choice - but she is a great one for bright colours and I’m all about the muted. I loved layered fabric look at the front of her dress and the clashing yellow bow in her hair but something about it didn’t work for me overall - probably the overly shininess.

I had similar issues with Sandi Thom’s dress. It was a very pretty shape - I loved the neckline and the striping in the skirt - but something stopped it being dynamite for me. It was either the shininess or the decision to combine it with that leather jacket and those shoes. I’m not going to say anything more about the shoes because they make me want to cry and I can’t take a sob session this afternoon.

TV presenter Kate Thorton and the Scissor Sisters’ Ana Matronic both went for blue-ish purple or a purple-ish blue (depending on which way you want to look at it) but neither outfit worked for me. I don’t see Kate as someone that can carry off something that retro; Ana probably could but instead she went for a dress in the same vague style as Helen Mirren wore for the Golden Globes. I loved Helen’s dress but here on Ana, it just makes her look enormous from the waist down. Never a good thing.

Amy Winehouse and Myleene Klass both went for yellow - at least Amy did for the red carpet: she changed to red for her performance and back to my new beloved monotone for the post-award pictures. She looked deliciously trashy in the yellow though - all boobs and legs - and the double skirt arrangement let her have the very short floaty look without risking everything flapping all over the place.

Myleene Klass looked more bound up with her gown and while I thought the straps were fun, the whole dress did nothing to promote her fantastic figure and having her hair pulled back so severely makes her look like she’s got a really small head (although that’s a nice change from the Hollywood skinny bobbleheads).

I was pleased to see Corinne Bailey Rae’s boobs rebounded from their squishing at the Grammys on Sunday but pancaked-chest aside, I preferred the cute shape of her dress then to the tiered number she wore last night. More brilliant straps though and I love her shoes. Me want. Me want.

And last but not least, a Brits fashion round-up wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Joss Stone. She brought all the colours of the rainbow AND extra long legs to the party. I love the pattern, the colours, the bracelets and the fact she’s clearly having fun - but the sleeves are annoying in length and shape and overall it seems a bit flat to me. Which is not something I thought would be possible with that pattern.

More Red Carpet Commentaries

• The Grammys
• The BAFTAs
• The Golden Globes
• More Fashiontastic posts