Your most indefinite guide to the SAG awards and a fit check
by Kellie Murphy (Fashion Editor)
To be honest I had never heard about the Screen Actors Guild Award until literally just now, when I read about everyone’s speculation over what Aubrey Plaza was mad about, and then the subsequent clean up. On stage scuffles aren’t new to award ceremonies. From the slap Will Smith delivered to Chris Rock to the viral confusion of the Moonlight/La La Land winner of the 2017 Oscars for Best Picture. I find it a well deserved win for moonlight and La La Land annoyed me anyway (I can’t stand movies that are musicals, I refuse to accept the mix of screen and stage) but the Will Smith slap was a defining moment in award show history and pop culture. But this online speculation of Aubrey Plaza seems a bit overblown. Aubrey Plaza and the rest of the cast of White Lotus won a SAG award for Best Ensemble in a drama series. The whole cast was delighted, including Aubrey Plaza but there were moments where she seemed quite annoyed. Is it ideal that she wasn’t having a good time when accepting the award? No, but she probably wasn’t having a good time having to read speculations about her. She could be having a bad day, it could be part of her characteristic off putting, sarcastic humour that she’s well known for or it could be about something we are not privy to.
There seems to be a point of contention where her co-star Jon Gries says something to her, and she then begins to fix her dress. This seems to be a moment where Gries is warning her of a wardrobe malfunction and Aubrey saves the day, which for the same reason caused murmurings. This is probably because Plaza’s face remained unimpressed throughout her time on stage but I wouldn’t be too happy if my boob was at risk of falling out of my outfit while I was on a stage in front of hundreds of people with thousands of viewers at home, especially if it had to be pointed out to me. There was also a moment were where Aubrey Plaza didn’t clap while the rest of the cast did at the end of F. Murray Abraham’s speech where he gave support for the victims of the recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria and those in Russia suffering under Putin’s regime, and Ukraine who are resisting invasion from Russia. She appeared to be saying “Jesus Christ '' during the applause and congratulations to each other for winning the award for best ensemble in a drama series. This seems to be in reaction to nearly being elbowed in the face which can be seen in various videos including one by ET Canada. Overall Aubrey Plaza seems to have had a good time at the SAG awards, she presented with Jenna Ortega where they both carried out a skit that used Aubrey’s trademark dry wit and various photos show Plaza celebrating her win. I think her unimpressed face was simply her face and no one is really going to be delighted after nearly being elbowed in the face and having to save themselves from a possible wardrobe malfunction. Aubrey hasn’t responded to people’s confusion but according to Entertainment Tonight, her co-star in White Lotus, John Gries has responded saying that he asked her to move forward since she was blocked. He then warned her that “you might want to fix that first'' in reference to the cutouts on her dress. He also stated that he texted her the next day to ask her if she was mad and she said she wasn’t. So that seems to be done and dusted.
The rest of the SAG awards included wins for Brendan Fraser in The Whale. He received a well deserved win for his tender and heart wrenching acting which got him the award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Lead Role. Michelle Yeoh won Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Lead Role for her acting in Everything Everywhere All at Once which I unfortunately haven’t seen but I do plan on it! Jennifer Coolidge, a constant source of light in this dark world, received an award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series for her role in The White Lotus. Jessica Chastain also won an award for her role in George & Tammy, receiving the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series or Limited Series.
So now, we go to the red carpet, where I’ll rank and review various winners and special mentions outfits:.
Aubrey Plaza: Aubrey wore a shimmery bronze dress inspired by the 70’s and made by Michael Kors. It was also custom made so we won't be able to buy it off Lucky Duckies easily, but I will try. I really liked the dress because it gave us minimum effort with maximum results. The cut of the gown was really simple but it worked really well, showing off Plaza’s abs and giving us a slit up the front of the dress which created a symmetrical look with her criss-crossing straps. These straps did cause a slight controversy but I like them just because they looked cool. I’m a fan of glitter and I’m a fan of Aubrey Plaza so I’ll give this four out of five stars. She lost one star because the seam above her leg slit looks a bit like a zip and I don’t like that.
Brendan Fraser: this man wore a completely black suit with a matching bow tie. This was an underwhelming look for Brendan but I think it allowed the attention to remain on his work rather then what he wore which is a nice way of looking at the traditional suit. The dicky bow was a fun departure from the usual tie and he did match his glasses frame to his suit which is a great mark of steadfastness. For his emotional acceptance speech and his successful return to the glare of Hollywood I give his outfit three out of five stars.
Michelle Yeoh: the dress felt very whimsical and fun, while still giving a daring aura. I really enjoyed the dress. Michelle Yeoh came to win and she did, and this dress was only a plus in my eyes. She looks great, and the contrast of the black with the forward yellow fringe, which was sequined, gives us an eye-catching look. The dress was designed by Schiaparelli which she matched with yellow diamond earrings and ring by Moussaieff. I give this dress five out of five stars.
Eddie Redmayne: Eddie Redmayne didn’t come out of the SAG awards with any wins despite being nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role for his work in The Good Nurse but I did give a silent cheer when I saw his red carpet look. At first glance I thought it was boring, indeed it had the potential to be boring. But upon closer inspection I adored it. I thought it was just a white shirt with black pants but it seems to be a white shirt with a sculpted collar, creating a cascading tie that serves as a statement for this overall simple look. Unlike Harry Styles' red carpet look for the BAFTAs I liked this particular neck piece. I think it looks like a revamped pirate shirt, it just lost the tackiness and kept the suaveness. Four out of five stars for Eddie.
