Welcome to the TV Ate My Wardrobe Best of 2017 coverage! As with”Out of the Box” highlights from previous years everything that features here has already appeared in “Look of the Week.”
There have been a lot of amazing magazine covers this year featured on “Out of the Box.” The first part of this 2017 rundown is dedicated to these striking images. Twelve covers from twelve different magazines. Ruth Negga was a constant fixture this year on “Out of the Box,” particularly during award season. Another Magazine delivered the first stunning issue of the year back in February. Ten months later and it is still on my coffee table. Pride of place. Mahershala Ali was another star of award season, so when GQ unveiled this cover in June it was met with much joy. Considering how grey and miserable it is right now, it is also the boost December needs.Vanity Fair celebrates Serena Williams and motherhood in a beautifully stripped down manner. A nod to Demi Moore’s VF cover from fifteen years ago, while being completely about Serena. The heritage print revival of 2017 has been one of my fashion highlights. Lena Headey’s walk through the highlands for The Edit was just the way to showcase this sartorial spin. I have strong positive feelings about Kirsten Dunst and polka dots. The two combined on this Nylon cover is the dream. Plus this profile is by glass brick aficionado and one of my culture writer faves, Molly Lambert. Another ‘still on the coffee table’ issue. Best use of millennial pink goes to The Hollywood Reporter with their profile of multi-hyphenate Donald Glover.Everything about Sterling K. Brown’s Emmy win makes me happy. Including Variety’s celebration of this. And Brown’s fabulous socks. Usually the clothes worn on covers cost at least a few months rent, not so with Samira Wiley’s Stylist shot. Here she wears Urban Outfitters and Uniqlo in the most autumnal colors. This is another magazine that is still on my coffee table. Sometimes all you need to make you stop and stare at a magazine cover is a simple beauty shot. The November issue of Allure does just this; Kerry Washington looks like is staring into your soul.What a fun, striking cover fromEntertainment Weekly featuring Constance Wu and Henry Golding. And I am already super excited to see Crazy Rich Asians. The costuming is extravagant, plus that velvet suit is bang on trend. The last couple of months has been dominated by Lady Bird chat, the woman of the hour Greta Gerwig deservedly getting a lot of attention. This black and white Bust cover is giving me a lot of Frances Ha feelings. My favorite kind.This is how to do a debut issue. New British Vogue Editor-In-Chief, Edward Enniful made a huge splash with a striking cover starring Model of the Year, Adwoa Aboah. Evoking classic ’80s cover shots without feeling derivative.
Award season is truly here and both the Oscars and the Golden Globes hosted pre-nominations fancy shindigs in the last week. The latter was awash with color and pattern; if you want to see Armie Hammer in florals head here.
Botanics also make an appearance here and if these red carpets are anything to go by then we’re in for a treat come January. The second week in a row where I have kicked things off with Zoe Kazan and another stunning ensemble. At the Governors Awards, Kazan wore an ethereal Prada gown. This is something I have noted on a number of occasions, but one thing I love about Zoe Kazan is that she always mentions and credits her stylist Leith Clark when posting about these events on social media. The team effort that goes into the red carpet part of this business has really been made visible thanks to platforms like Instagram and Twitter.
Also I appreciate Kazan answering my lipstick related query and putting me in touch with her makeup artist Kirin Bhatty on Twitter. Because I am still preoccupied with a question from the early days of this blog.Ditching Dior for Alexander McQueen and this is my favorite Jennifer Lawrence look in an age. This is telling with regards to that Dior deal. Although I do find myself drawn to the print ads Lawrence does for the brand. It just doesn’t translate on the red carpet.Sarah Paulson is serving up witchy glam in Miu Miu and a berry lip. Reader, I am here for it.Tessa Thompson’s rainbow pleated dream from the Emmys is definitely one of 2017’s best gowns and while this Altuzarra doesn’t hit that mark, it is a beautiful gown and looks like a tapestry that would normally hang in a fancy manor house/castle/palace.
Michelle Williams was at the Governors Awards while Busy Philipps attended the Baby2Baby fundraiser on Saturday night. Later they found each other and news that will not shock you, I yelped with delight when this photo popped up on my Insta feed. See also when Michelle made an appearance in Busy’s Saturday night Stories. Serena Williams has had a very busy week; she attended Glamour’s 2017 Women of The Year Awards and looked stunning in a Versace mini-dress. Then she got married yesterday to Alexis Ohanian in New Orleans. And I cannot wait to see the photos. The party favors alone are incredible. Congratulations! Zazie Beetz puts a really fun spin on the ladysuit trend. I now want to see her starring in a 1920s-set vehicle. Mr. Robot has got really good again and while season 2 was hit and miss, the women were super compelling. Portia Doubleday’s ability to switch from super steely to eyeliner smudged shakiness has been a pleasure to watch. On the show I am enamored with her high-neck white blouses, but it good to see an injection of color IRL. And I am a sucker for all things pleated skirts.This Dolce & Gabbana dress feels like the embodiment of the design aesthetic from Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet and Anne Hathaway looks great in it.Dior sponsored the Guggenheim International Gala Pre-Party and Rebecca Hall escapes all things sheer that this brand has been indulging in recently. I do appreciate a tuxedo inspired frock and the star ankle boots are a strong contender for the covet list.
I saw Professor Marston and the Wonder Woman at the weekend and Hall gave a blistering performance (as she always does) in a film that I thoroughly enjoyed. There was a high level of drooling over Donna Maloney’s costume design—especially the jackets—and that both Wonder Woman featuring movies (not including Justice League in this) were directed by women, warms my soul.
The Get Out cast is working the pre-nominations circuit and it would please me no end if this movie was to get recognized. Allison Williams notes that there was some accidental outfit coordinating with co-star Daniel Kaluuya. Both are crushing it on the stripes front. GRETA! This Bust cover is every heart emoji.
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Feeling all the things. It does look like the #OscarsSoWhite tag will sadly not be retired if this Hollywood Reporter cover is anything to go by and Mary J. Blige gets put to the side of all the group shots. Optics wise it is hard not to notice.
The interview itself gets to the heart of the topic that has dominated entertainment news for the last six weeks and they don’t back away from the conversation. It is important and a topic that will surely be the first question on any of these roundtables going forward.
As a headline, this one is striking and the extract below gets to the heart of the ‘difficult actress’ label:
LAWRENCE Sometimes — I’ve had this happen: I finally made the decision to stand up for myself, and then I went to go to the bathroom at work and one of the producers stopped me and was like, “You know, we can hear you on the microphone, you’ve been really unruly.” Which was not true, but basically my job was threatened because the director said something fucked up to me and I said, “That’s sick, you can’t talk to me like that,” and then I was punished, and I got afraid that I wasn’t going to be hired again.
STONE Yeah, you were “difficult.”
LAWRENCE Yeah, I was called difficult and a nightmare. I think a lot of people aren’t coming forward because they’re afraid they’re not going to work again. You need to be able to say, “This is wrong” and have somebody do something about it instead of saying, “Oh, it’s wrong? Well, you’re fired.”
Taking a TV costuming break for this installment of our Best of 2016 series for a midweek “Out of the Box” special focusing on the best magazine covers of the year.
Each of the covers below has appeared on “Out of the Box” and while publications like Teen Vogue, Bust and Variety have featured on multiple occasions we have picked only one cover per magazine. The twelve chosen don’t quite work on a one per actual month, but it is a good snapshot of what was on offer throughout 2016 and this is the order they were published in.
In fact three of them were from the same “Out of the Box” column in October; this was a very good week for magazines and made the disappointing September issues a distant memory.
A study by Fashionista shows that diversity of cover stars is much improved in 2016 and this is evident from the entries below, although there is always room for improvement especially from certain publications who still lean heavily towards a certain look (oh hey Harper’s Bazaar).
Composition and color that standout were important in how each one was picked and styling was also an influence; I would be more than happy to have any of these issues on my coffee table (and quite a few of them have).Teen Vogue has had a very influential year and they kickstarted 2016 with this stunning Amandla Stenberg cover; this one appeared on the first “Out of the Box” of the year and the direct look to camera is full of self-assured confidence.
Almost 12 months later and I am still mesmerized.Between the bold lip color, the super expressive smile, the backdrop and the lip hair clip this Bust cover featuring Jessica Williams is enough to make anyone feel happy.Pairing a bright yellow with black and white is instant cover catnip and Kirsten Dunst is giving me a look as if to say she knows this. I’m not normally a fan of the wet look hair trend, but here it works with the casual denim jacket number.
My one magazine purchasing regret this year is I didn’t find an outlet that sold this issue of The Gentlewoman.When this cover of Rolling Stone was unleashed on to Twitter it very much distracted from the work I was in the middle of because, well you can see.
Oscar Isaac hugging a dog in his coat is very much in my wheelhouse.A #LadySuitWatch2016 entry and Elle is very good (with certain beauty shot caveats) at these multi-cover celebrations; this one looking to women in comedy with the Ghostbusters cast getting their own covers.This has been the year of the Winona Ryder comeback with several publications featuring Ryder front and center. Nylon goes old school with a ‘zine like shot and Winona Forever indeed (she definitely has a portrait in her attic). The haircut of the year is showcased on Latina Magazine with Gina Rodriguez’s Annihilation half buzz cut; this is another case of staring directly at the reader, which is both disarming and enticing. The accompanying editorial is just as stunning. Thankful for wigs on Jane the Virgin so she could do this during its hiatus.A super ethereal image of Laverne Cox for Varietyand this is how to do striking pastels beyond the Hollywood Reporter’s stagnant drama actress roundtable sartorial choices (see also the seriousness of putting everyone in black/white or blush tones). So dreamy.
It is no surprise that Michelle Obama has appeared on a vast array of magazines this year and The New York Times gives the most original with an incredible beauty shot rather than sharing the focus with a fabulous outfit at the same time. November issues were so full of hope and this Emma Stone Vogue entry is bittersweet now. I still love it though and the whole composition coupled with the pixie cut, stripes and color palette is so good that the crop top is something I can get on board with.Ruth Negga has had a very good 2016 and the “Out of the Box” column this Hollywood Reporter cover was part of also featured Negga’s Vogue editorial and she is also the first face of Vogue’s 2017 issues.
This is a great shot with Negga commanding the focus and the Saint Laurent floral pussy bow dress is something I covet in both this and blouse form (as seen on Keri Russell).
A relatively quiet week for “Out of the Box” but there are still plenty of treats in store including another Sarah Michelle Gellar reunion moment, magazine covers, pre-Emmy nominations events and how to brighten up the red carpet if you’re a dude.
Orange is the New Black returns in just two weeks (and then we will have the dilemma of how quick to watch it) and Bust continues its excellentcoverrun with Laverne Cox looking super cute in a very summery gingham halter top and high waisted shorts.
Emmy roundtable season is here and The Hollywood Reporter kicked off the acting side of things with funny ladies talking about a whole range of issues in smart and interesting ways. Ellie Kemper’s tiered skirt (or an extreme twist on peplum) with the turquoise underlining is the standout in this collection of bold dresses and I love what she says about Kimmy’s style during this conversation “I think that [Kimmy] came from this horrible, unspeakable experience, and she is tough like a young girl might be tough. She is all pinks and candy and yellows but still very powerful.”
Now this is how you do a “For Your Consideration” ad with bonus lady suit points (those leather sleeves!).
At a screening for How to Get Away withMurder,Viola Davis does casual chic in an all black ensemble save for some sparkly sneakers. Heels versus flats have been a big talking point since Cannes and while I’m not sure these kinds of flats would work on a big red carpet event, they look really great in this setting.
Thanks to a surprise reunion at a performance of The Unauthorized Musical Parody of Cruel Intentions this post has been written with the Cruel Intentions soundtrack as the musical accompaniment (sorry neighbors for my attempts to sing-along to Skunk Anansie) and it has made me so happy for so many reasons. I think Sarah Michelle Gellar is fully on board with the 90s nostalgia kick. Next up recreating one of these WB ads.
Colton Haynes switches out this signature red for pink at the San Andreas premiere demonstrating that suits don’t just come in three colors.
It’s my favorite time of month – new magazines! This isn’t a once a month event (see our recent “Out of the Box” magazine cover roundup) but because of the time of year there is a heavier slant towards TV related photo shoots and cover stories. Especially as new Mad Men and Game of Thrones are nearly here. If you can’t tell, we are very excited for both of these things.
First up is not a current TV related star, but Lupita Nyong’o on the cover of UK Harper’s Bazaar is too good not to feature as it is such a joyful shot. I can’t wait to get already have a copy.
Ellie Kemper shines in The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and this is the third Bust cover in a row to feature a TV lady we love (the others being Gillian Jacobs and a Broad Cityaffair). It is a cheery image and the coat over the head is perfectly accurate for this time of year because a downpour could happen at any moment. At least it is better than the perpetual winter.
It’s no secret how much I adore real life BFFs Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams with the pair talking about their friendship in The New York Timesand how their current storylines are both about asserting power/control in the cruel and unforgiving world of Westeros. There is only a year between the pair and despite filming in very different locations they have remained very close with Turner explaining that “No one else gets it like you [Williams] get it.” Turner jokes about how they should be on the cover of Vogue together and if Karlie and Taylor can well then I want to see a Sophie and Maisie version. And I’m digging the slightly 60s styling.
Talking of teen girl acting sensations; Kiernan Shipka is in Interviewthis month talking the final season of Mad Men. Shipka talks about growing up on Mad Men, Sally’s coat game being very strong (I concur) and why it is hard to cook vegan donuts. This shot is incredible and throw in The Americans‘ Holly Taylor and Shipka bestie Amandla Stenberg and soon teen girls will start to run things on television drama.
There’s something a little David Bowie about the styling choice for January Jones for Marie Claire even if they don’t quite hit Ziggy Stardust lightning bolt heights.
Subscriber covers tend to go for something a little different and I am so in love with UK Elle’s alternate take of their Rebel Wilson cover. The newsstand version is a classic beauty shot (and a slight variation on the Australian issue), but this is just a bit more playful and I like that it is a full body shot. Nice hashtag suggestion too.
Switching out rose petals for miniatures is Entertainment Weekly’s Amy Schumer cover and with early glowing reviews for Trianwreck it looks like things are about to get huge for Schumer. Let’s not forget the third season of Inside Amy Schumer, which if it’s anything like the last one then we have a very good thing about to happen (I still can’t get the computer therapy sketch out of my head). Schumer thanked EW “for not airbrushing me. For real very cool. Thank you. Proud size 6 yo!” and it’s depressing a 6 (UK size 10) is considered as a size that might need airbrushing. Are we all meant to be a 4?