This weekend, Colin Firth will probably win his first Oscar for his incredible work in the film, The King’s Speech.
Last year I took these photos of Colin and Livia, just before he left for the red carpet at the Oscars. He had been nominated for A Single Man, and Livia was writing a blog for Vogue UK about green fashion at high profile events. He has so nervous, but somehow calm in a resolutely Brit way.
Livia and Colin Firth head for the 82nd Academy Awards in Los Angeles (Photo: Caroline Schiff/British Vogue)
Kudos to Kathryn Bigelow for taking home the most talked-about trophies, but she was far from the only beautiful and talented woman at the Oscars this year.
I was in LA over the weekend once again working with Liva and Colin Firth to capture behind-the-scenes imagery of her attempts to bring eco-fashion to the world’s most glamorous red carpet events for Livia’s blog for British Vogue.
After the Golden Globes, Venice Film Festival, and BAFTA, Sunday was the big event: the 82nd Annual Academy Awards. And once again Livia was putting herself in some of the greenest fashions around to show that they can really compete and shine.
Although our time together was all-too-brief, I was again struck by the nobility of Livia’s project. Were the spotlight to fall on us, how many would use its glare to try to do something different, to try to make change?
As everyone now knows, Colin didn’t take the prize for his “A Single Man” performance. But thanks to Livia’s efforts this year, the world of fashion is still a big winner.
BTW, more kudos are due for Orsola de Castro (www.fromsomewhere.co.uk), who designed Livia’s black showstopper. I had the great fortune of sharing a table with Orsola at a British country wedding recently. It was fabulous environment to meet one of Europe’s most eco-minded talents.
It’s awards season in Hollywood right now, starting with the Golden Globes.
I just got back from LA where I helped Livia Firth and my friend Jocelyn Whipple, a fashion stylist with a strong commitment to sustainability, show the potential of eco-friendly high fashion.
Livia is Colin Firth’s wife and a well-known activist and documentary filmmaker. This is a challenge she undertook for her new blog for Vogue.com, and the hope is to demonstrate for readers that it’s possible to attend such high visibility events while being green in the process.
The photos of awards night are now up, and I managed to capture some of the energy and nervous excitement of the evening. Colin, as you may know, was up for a Best Actor award for his work in Tom Ford’s “A Single Man.”
The next day Livia met with several top West Coast green fashion designers and explored new designs for her return trip to LA for the Screen Actors Guild Awards later this year. Among the amazing eco-minded designers who brought their wares were Mr. Larkin, Sara Shepherd, and Leila Hafzi.
I loved this comment from Livia, which mingles her personality and her conviction:
It’s admittedly surreal, but I spent yesterday in my hotel while a succession of LA’s top ecological style gurus came and showed me their wares. It was like being a medieval princess, I imagine. Rather a nice position to be in! The green style scene here is pitched very differently. Like everything, Hollywood dictates – so there’s a lot of choice in terms of high-end sustainable grooming, beauty and fashion. Actually, much more than I anticipated. Finally, this challenge is looking much more achievable.
In the end, Jeff Bridges took the prize for his role in “Crazy Heart.” (We actually spotted him as we waited for the limo from the hotel. Yes, the dude abides.)
While Mr. Firth did not bring a shiny piece of metal home to their island (he was up for Best Actor), it was a smashing success for green fashion.
