Oscar Fashion 2011: Meh.

Every year I try to do one fashion post, but the past year has been a terrible one, as nothing was interesting at any of the dozens of award shows. At this year's Academy Awards, my favorite look was that of 14 year-old Hailee Steinfeld!

The dress is perfect for a 14 year-old: tea length, understated, flattering color, proper accessories. What is remarkable is that she apparently went to the designer with a sketch she made and said to make her that dress. Either she has an incredible eye for fashion, or this is what everyone should be doing.
What I'd like to do is point out that, at 14 (14!), she's managed to avoid the pitfalls of peep-toe shoes. First, "toe cleavage" is always wrong; it's not like decolletage - no one wants to see more. Second, if your second toe is sticking out over the front edge of the shoe, especially with red toenail polish, it looks like a matchstick; it might be comfortable, but it's ugly. Third, if the toe hole is in the middle of the shoe and your big toe is sticking through it, it just screams "bunion!" and makes the shoe look uncomfortable and the foot ugly.

While I'm at it, no one ever discusses men's clothes at these functions, because there's so little to say, but there's one thing that has been bothering me. The collar of one's jacket should match the collar of one's shirt; it should rest half-way up the shirt collar, not lie flat with the lapels on one's shoulders, nor rise above the shirt and obscuring its collar. And it should never, ever gap; a profile shot where one sees space between the two collars says you need a better tailor.