Just Say No

Whilst I was looking through the pictures of the arrivals at the National Television Awards, I was struck be how (for want of something nicer to say) bloody awful some of the guests looked. After the feast-for-the-eyes that was the Golden Globe Awards last week, I can’t help but feel extremely let down by British TV stars. I will give credit where credit is due, and say that Katherine Kelly (from Coronation Street) Sammy Winward (from Emmerdale) and Ashley Davies (from Hollyoaks) all looked fantastic.

But the ‘glamorous’ looks from some of their fellow castmates left me feeling embarrassed to be British, is this really the best we can do? It was like looking at photos from a corporate company’s Christmas ‘do, where all the guests have got a little bit carried away with the ‘black tie’ dress code and free bar. I’m all for making an effort, obviously as I love a good gown, but there is a fine line between ‘effort’ and ‘over-cooked’, a line that many of the NTA’s attendees crossed.

It got me thinking about whether money really can buy good taste? If you look at the TV shows in Britain, they’re done on a much smaller budget than their American counterparts and they end up looking (excuse the French, but) shit. The same goes for dressing the cast for an awards ceremony. The casts of Glee, Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire, even The Big Bang Theory and Modern Family, for goodness sake, all looked amazing on the red carpet, with a bit of Versace here and Oscar De La Renta there. Move back over to this side of the pond, and the actors from our homegrown series show up to the NTA’s in what looks like a mixture of the BHS evening department and Jane Norman.

Now, we have obvious examples of ‘no amount of money will ever buy her taste’. The most glaringly obvious (and depressing) example would be Britney Spears. She is one of the richest entertainers on the planet, but she continues to dress in ‘wife beater’ vests, without a bra, and has a penchant for overly-elaborate cowboy boots. Looking at Britney makes me sad because she could be such an amazing looking woman if only she TRIED!

But then we have Olivia Palermo, who is proof that even for us mere mortals on a high street budget can look chic if we pick the right pieces. Miss Palermo has an amazing gift for picking out the crème de la crème of the high street and mixing it with her high-end accessories. Now, I know we can’t all afford the ‘high-end accessories’ part, but the high street is well within reach. Even Emma Roberts wore a Topshop maxidress on the red carpet recently and looked 10 times better than most of the people arriving at the NTAs.

Maybe I’m just too used to all the gloss of American TV? I must admit that I don’t watch any British TV shows. I love (in no particular order) Mad Men, Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, The Vampire Diaries, The L Word, Glee, True Blood, Pretty Little Liars, 90210, The O.C, Sex and the City, Gilmore Girls and Fringe. There just simply isn’t enough room in my life for the rubbish that this country churns out and calls ‘entertainment’.