Lainey Lui Nods To Her Chinese Roots In A Reworn Dress By Stephan Caras At Oscars

What are friends for, if not for lending you their couture gowns?

Lainey Gossip auteur Lainey Lui was at Sunday night’s Oscars ceremony, where she joined eTalk hosts Danielle Graham and Ben Mulroney to cover the red carpet arrivals.

Lui chose to wear a gorgeous, dramatic gown, with a big tulle bodice and a long flowing lace train, by Toronto-based designed Stephan Caras . She accessorized with vibrant green jade earrings and rings and traditional gold headpieces for an overall look that she described on Instagram as “rebel Chinese bride.”

“When I turned the Academy Awards into my self wedding, lol,” she wrote in her Instagram caption.

Jade jewelry is a staple in Chinese culture, and is often given as a gift to the bride from her mother or mother-in-law. Chinese wedding headpieces are often ornate and fashioned in gold and jewels or pearls. 

And as avid watchers of the Canadian fashion scene, and/or people who read through Lui’s Instagram post knew, this wasn’t the first time the dress graced the red carpet. Canadian film and TV actress Wendy Crewson wore it at last spring’s Canadian Screen Awards.

The dress comes across more black than navy in photos on both red carpets, a testament to how much lighting and angles affect how these gowns are seen by those of us who aren’t present at the big show itself. A navy hue was more visible when Crewson was actually on stage, though.

Crewson, who’s starred in a ton of Canadian film and TV and has also appeared in big Hollywood productions like “24” and “On the Basis of Sex,” has joined Lui’s daytime talk show “The Social” as a guest host . The two were photographed at the 2016 Canadian Screen Awards together.

The kinds of dresses that get designed for these awards shows are mind-blowingly beautiful, and clearly require a ton of time and energy to make.  Recycling an outfit means cutting down on environmental waste — not to mention giving a talented Canadian designer another chance to shine — and we’re all for it.

With a file from Lisa Yeung.

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