T Lo’s BEST Red Carpet Looks of 2014, Part 2

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As much as we love to yell at celebrities for their poor style choices, we have to admit we’re enjoying ourselves as we put the Best of the Red Carpet posts together. We like to pretend that all the stars who make the list weep with joy and send each other congratulations telegrams. Our hearts are full. Let’s all try and work in some backhanded compliments that go over their heads, though.

15. Taylor Swift in Gucci Première
PinTaylor Swift attends the 2014 Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California in Gucci Première.

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All the stans who yelled at us all year for being mean to her now have to buy us cookies with sprinkles by way of an apology.

Miss Tay’s main fashion stage was the sidewalk this year, although she did manage to really pull out the stops for the Grammys (as one would expect). What’s great about this dress is that gives her a grownup sleekness and sophistication while still allowing her to essentially pretend she’s Barbie. This is her wheelhouse for formal looks; the exact sweet spot she and her stylist should always aim for.

And on that last note…

14. Christina Hendricks in Zac Posen
PinChristina Hendricks attends the 2014 CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City in Zac Posen.

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Honestly, we almost got a little teary when we saw it. Talk about hitting your sweet spots. The problem for Miss Christina has always been that the mid-Century body-hugging looks of Joan Holloway are her sweet spot, but they tend to age her and it’s very hard to make those looks fresh. Well, she or her stylist managed it exactly with this look. And you have to figure it’s a very tough thing to do because we can count on one hand the number of times Christina’s ever managed it. This is what Joan Holloway would wear if she was born fifty years later.

Okay, having softened you up, the next three are going to take some explaining.

13. Nicki Minaj in Alexander McQueen
PinNicki Minaj attends the premiere of “The Other Woman” in Los Angeles, California in Alexander McQueen.

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For playing against type and expectations in a year when over-the-top costumery became de rigueur for female pop stars, at a time when she was selling a hyper-sexed-up image of herself, she gets major kudos from us for this one. It’s clean and sexy and makes the most of every single one of her best attributes, body and face. She has never, in our eyes, looked so plainly pretty, in the conventional sense.

12. Cate Blanchett in Roksanda Ilincic
Pin“Blue Jasmine” actress Cate Blanchett attends the 2014 Film Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, California in Roksanda Ilincic.

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It’s different, alright? It suits her. She’s pulling it off. We love the color combo. She’s a lady who can rock an ECW Championship belt if she wants to. It makes us smile.

Sure, the shoes are possibly a little dicey, but we’d argue a dress like this needed some sort of weird shoe. We don’t know… we just like it. And we appreciate it for being a tiny bit unexpected. Who else would wear this?

And on THAT particular note…

11. Lupita Nyong’o in Givenchy
PinLupita Nyong’o attends the 2014 NAACP Image Awards at Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California in Givenchy.

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Why do we have a feeling that all of y’all who were breathlessly waiting for Miss Lupita to show up on this list are now quite disappointed?

Look, it’s like this: there is NO ONE in the celebrity sphere who could not just get away with this look, but make it sing an aria – except her. We’ve said before there must be tremendous temptation to style her in a way that really plays up her Kenyan looks and we always appreciated that she and her team knew what cliches to avoid. This look manages to highlight all the ways in which she is not your typical American or European Oscar nominee without dressing her up like Sheena of the Jungle or falling back on cliches like giant hoops. There is absolutely nothing about this dress that says Kenya or even Africa, but the fact of the matter is, it’s a dress perfect for highlighting her sleek, dark, muscular body in a feminine, fabulous and powerful way. And we don’t think it’s a coincidence that this was one of the few times she sported dangling gold earrings and a gold cuff. LOVE the puffed and parted afro as well as the Grace Jones-esque makeup. In short, she served up fierce warrior goddess and honey, we were HERE for it.

[Photo Credit: MediaPunch/INFphoto.com, INFphoto.com, David Gabber/PRPhotos, Parisa/FAMEFLYNET PICTURES, David Gabber/PRPhotos.com, Janice Ogata/PRPhotos.com, Getty Images]

• Best and Worst Red Carpet Looks
• Red Carpet