Red Carpet Fashion

2009 Petite Celebrity Fashion Style on the Red Carpet

Red carpet fashion for 2009 kicked off on January 11 with the Golden Globes in Hollywood. Although a couple of stars--America Ferrera and Sally Field--wore short dresses, the night belonged to long gowns. Petite celebrities Drew Barrymore, Eva Longoria Parker, Amy Adams, and Renee Zellweger all wore gowns with significant trains while other stars opted for just the hint of a train. Most popular colors? The new trendy pale hues, red, and the ever popular black. It would be difficult to pick a best dressed star, but I liked Hayden Panetiere's style. She looked elegant, but not overdone, in a strapless Gianfranco Ferre column dress of deep purple.

The SAG Awards red carpet was a mixed bag of glamorous looks with a few odd notes sprinkled here and there. Eva Longoria Parker looked as though she might be going to the prom, Sally Field wore the only short dress in a sea of long gowns, and Paula Abdul sported strange flaps on the bodice of her gown. What caught my attention the most was the pretty back interest on the gowns of Holly Hunter and Marisa Tomei. No matter what angle you saw their gowns from, there were stunning fashion features to admire. My favorite petite celebrity look from the SAG Awards was that of Amy Adams, who wore a deep purple column dress by Giambattista Valli. As with the Golden Globes, I thought that the royal purple earned its regal reputation.

Without a doubt, the Oscars show merits top billing as the premiere fashion red carpet event of the year. I just wish more of the stars had actually appeared on the red carpet in 2009. Even so, there were plenty of fashion looks to love as high Hollywood glamour abounded. As at the Golden Globes, pale colors, red, and black remained popular, so those stars who wore other colors really stood out. The oldest petite celebrity, 84-year-old Eva Marie Saint, looked elegant in a white satin pantsuit while the youngest, Vanessa Hudgens, looked beautiful in a black black strapless Marchesa gown with black and white feather embellishment at the bodice. Pretty-in-pink Natalie Portman gets my vote for best dressed Oscars petite celebrity.

When the stars dressed for the annual Met Costume Institute Gala, they took the costumey look to heart. Madonna in a mini-dress looked like a throw-back to her heyday of the 1980s, and Ashley Olsen appeared in a white gown, which was saved from looking like a choir robe by its deep V back. While some taller celebrities wore gowns with outrageously long trains, the only petite celebrity who wore a gown with a train was Renee Zellweger, who wore an elegant Carolina Herrera strapless dress. This was my favorite look, so she gets my vote for Best Dressed at this event.

Some fashion critics wondered why the 2009 Emmys red carpet didn't seem quite so dazzling as usual, but it seems to me that when all the stars play it safe by being styled to the hilt, then it's not too unusual that there are no high highs nor low lows. Everybody looked good. Colorwise, this year there was no lack of black, white, and metallic looks, with sprinkles of red. Petite Drew Barrymore, dressed like a princess in a pale peach gown by Monique Lhuillier, and Kim Kardashian in a one-shoulder white gown by Ina Soltani both wowed many fashion critics. Although most of the stars wore long gowns, Award winner Kristin Chenoweth appeared in a short Zuhair Murad metallic stunner while Julie Benz also opted for a short dress.