Neat nudes

Photo of Margot Robbie wearing Miu Miu via Shutterstock
Photo of Margot Robbie wearing Miu Miu via Shutterstock

Perfect peach tones invade the SAG 2018 red carpet

By Brittney MacDonald, Life & Style Editor

 

On January 21 the 24th annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards aired. The precursor to the event was a sensational red carpet, upon which all the stars showed off their various fancy duds. Often, red carpets are indicative of coming trends, so I scoured the various fashions to provide you with, what I believe, will be the new hot things this coming summer. What did I find, you may ask? A plethora of perfect peach tones!

Often misrepresented as a form of pale pink—another colour that will be on trend this coming season—peach actually falls under what we would term “nudes.” However, that doesn’t mean that the hue you choose needs to be a perfect match to your skin tone—as we will explore with some of the stars’ fashion choices.

Nudes are great because there is such a wide range of them that you can find a shade that will compliment almost any complexion. Leaning more towards peach tones gives whatever you’re wearing a very feminine edge, and when paired with lightweight fabrics it adds an effervescent or ethereal quality. A perfect combo to transition from the chill of winter to the buoyancy of spring!

Exploring how these hues were used on the SAG red carpet, let’s begin with one of my personal favourites—Margot Robbie! Robbie stepped out in a haltered Miu Miu gown, with feather and pearl details. I personally loved this look. It was just enough of a classical silhouette to appear elegant, with the added whimsy of the feathers around the waist to make it playful and fun. Looking at the colour, this shade of peach is so pale, it’s almost white—which works great in contrast with her tanned skin, bringing out the warm undertones.

If you are very fair and want to stun in a peach-toned nude, look no further than Dakota Fanning! Fanning found providence in a strapless, textile gown by Prada. Though similar in shade to Robbie’s, the key to this shade of peach is the slightly metallic sheen. Admittedly, Fanning’s skin is so flawless that she could probably pull off a chiffon, or another non-metallic textile—but, for all us normal people that have a complexion somewhere between sickly-white and ivory, I would suggest going with something with a hint of shimmer. The reason for this is that you don’t want to the dress to match your skin too much, otherwise you’ll look washed out. So, if you’re going for a nude, pick a fabric that is either textured, or has a hint of metallic. This will differentiate your skin from the dress enough that you’ll get all the benefits of wearing a nude—feminine, ethereal, brightening—without suffering any of the consequences.

Remember when I said that wearing a nude didn’t necessarily mean matching your skin tone? Well, I will reiterate that by highlighting the gorgeous gown worn by Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri star, Amanda Warren. Unfortunately, despite all of my digging, I was unable to find out who designed this dress—this often happens if the designer is fairly small, or the actress wearing the dress is relatively new to the awards show scene. But just because the designer remains unknown, doesn’t mean the dress is any less fabulous! My favourite thing about this dress is the shade of peach. If you have a deeper skin tone, don’t be afraid to go with a more saturated shade. This peach is still a nude, but it does border on vibrant with its orange undertones. Going with something a little more on the orange side, as opposed to something in a darker nude shade, allows Warren to still appear feminine, but very natural. It also brings out the warm undertones of her skin in a very complimentary way, in contrast to a darker beige nude, which would be more appropriate in the fall, when you want to highlight the cooler undertones.

All in all, I was very pleased by what I saw on the SAG red carpet, and look forward to the coming spring when peaches and pinks will line retailer shelves!