Arts
Pose like an Oscar winner
The teapot
You know this one — you’ve probably done it yourself. One hand on the hip, one leg jutting forward, knee slightly bent. ‘This is a classic model pose from the Twenties,’ says celebrity snapper Dave Benett, a red-carpet regular who has photographed everyone from Madonna to the Queen.
‘The reason it works is because it creates shape, and proportion,’ he adds. ‘Very few people can be photographed straight on and look amazing — you want to see a defined waist and hips, and putting a hand on the hip, and elongating one leg is an elegant way of creating that.’
Actress Reese Witherspoon and veteran actress Charlotte Rampling have clearly had years of practice with their red-carpet pose.
Clasping a clutch
The best way to carry off The Clutch is to hold your bag at your side or just to the front.
‘To be honest, we prefer without a bag,’ says Dave Benett. ‘But the high fashion magazines want to see every detail of an outfit.
‘The most important thing is stand tall — don’t look as though you’re trying to hide behind it and don’t let it outshine the dress.’
Australian, model Miranda Kerr, wearing a KaufmanFranco creation, stands tall and confident, holding a twinkling and discreet silver clutch.
Finally, actress Kate Bosworth clutches her sparkling bag in front of her, but it doesn’t take away from her divine pale lilac Ralph and Russo gown.
Over the shoulder smoulder
It may look casual, but the glance back over the shoulder is incredibly studied. ‘The most obvious reason for this pose is to show off the back of the dress,’ says Dave Benett. ‘Photographers love it because we’re always looking for something to catch the eye.’
‘Twisting at the waist creates a really nice angle,’ Dave says. ‘And it’s a way of being sexy or coquettish without actually exposing too much.’
Leg bombing
It was Angelina Jolie’s appearance at the 2012 Oscars, with her right leg exposed almost to the crotch, that sparked an internet sensation — and, lo, a new red-carpet pose was born. Again it’s a pose that demands the right dress — and the right legs.
‘If you’ve got a dress with a high split, this pose works well,’ says Dave Benett. Actresses Kate Hudson — in a bronze waterfall gown by Maria Lucia Hohan — and Amy Adams, in discreetly slashed Versace, plus singer Taylor Swift, wearing plunging Alexandre Vauthier couture, all recreated Angelina’s pose with aplomb at last Sunday’s Oscars.
© Daily Mail, London