Should Colin Firth’s wife Livia rethink her biscuit-flashing sculptural dress?

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As you know, I am quite enamored with Colin Firth. I love him, unabashedly. He’s talented and tall and handsome in an increasingly accessible way – like, he’s getting kind of jowly and he looks like he never diets. It’s adorable. One of my favorite things about Colin is his wife, Livia Giuggioli. I like that she’s age-appropriate – she’s 41 to his 50. I like that she’s smart – she writes for Vogue, she’s involved in environmental-fashion causes, and she runs her own business. I love that she’s incredibly beautiful, but she doesn’t look worked on or plastic in any way. Mostly, I just like the way they look at each other. They seem like they still love each other dearly.

What I don’t love, however, is this dress. This dress is travesty. These are photos of Colin and Livia at the London Critics’ Circle Awards, where Colin took home another best Actor trophy. It wasn’t some huge awards ceremony where Livia and Colin should be dressed in their evening formalwear. They were allowed to do something business/cocktail, and have a bit more fun with it. But Livia’s dress… God no.

That’s the thing with sculptural dresses. In theory, they can be high-fashion, high-impact, eye-catching statements. But in practice, when you’re at some big event where your husband is being crowned The King of Movies, don’t wear some trapeze dress where it seems like we’re two seconds and a stiff wind away from seeing your biscuits. Pardon me, she’s Italian, so we’ll say that we’re two seconds away from seeing her biscotti.

Bad call, Liv. You better bring it to the Oscars, girl.

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Photos courtesy of WENN.

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77 Responses to “Should Colin Firth’s wife Livia rethink her biscuit-flashing sculptural dress?”

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  1. Rose says:

    er, I would not call that woman beautiful.

  2. Mia135 says:

    LOL, I like it. Love the shoes too!

  3. brin says:

    Yikes, that’s awful. She’s attractive but that dress is unflattering.

  4. Forget the biscotti. What’s going on with those damn shoes?

  5. L says:

    I do know she had a large Cindy crawford-esque mole removed a few years back, but I agree no other work that I can see!

    Since she’s a designer, that’s probably a dress of her own creation.

  6. the original bellaluna says:

    LOVE HIM!

    Forget the dress – what’s up with her shoes?!? Are those technicolour biscuits on her shoes? What IS that?!

  7. Solveig says:

    She was the woman who went to the premiere of Mamma mia! wearing a yellow smile dress, so I’m not surprised by her odd choices in fashion. This dress is almost normal for her standards.
    Oh, I don’t think that Colin’s ever been fat or even slightly overweight, it’s the saggy face that makes him look like he doesn’t diet (and quite feminine too).
    Did I ever say how much I love this man? Or how jealous I’m of this woman…
    *sigh*

  8. Arianna says:

    jawwwwwww

    also, stop squishing it at least!

  9. Raven Sparrow says:

    Not only biscotti, she’s got quiches on her shoes.

  10. Rita says:

    Fail, big fail.

    The dress looks like a druping Easter Lilly and the shoes, some sort of forced recycled eco friendly inflatable snack pack thing.

    But they seem like nice people so I won’t mention it.

  11. renai(jrt) says:

    she is cute and has some good looking qualities but fashion doesnt work for her in this lady gaga getup that she is trying to work. Put on some Chanel and call it a day ladies.

  12. kimn123 says:

    Italian woman, I can just tell cause she has that same look as Clooney’s gf.

  13. k says:

    I saw him on Inside the Actor’s Studio. How perfect is this man. So gracious and a smidge self-deprecating. Perhaps his wife doesn’t take good still shots, but she looked lovely on film.

  14. devilgirl says:

    The look is a hot mess. I HATE black tights or hose w/anything white. HATE. IT.

  15. Cheyenne says:

    Sweet Jesus, what in the world is she wearing?!

  16. Fi says:

    It COULD have worked, but it doesn’t.

  17. Jenny says:

    She is gorgeous but the dress is a big no.

  18. renai(jrt) says:

    the only thing I like about her look is her makeup

  19. renai(jrt) says:

    at least the tights detract from the ankle straps on those shoes.

  20. Maud says:

    They were in England. She had no choice but to make a fashion flop.

  21. WYIJM says:

    She’s got Colin, she can do whatever she wants.

  22. renai(jrt) says:

    He has her because he is a name… his looks are fair at best

  23. carrie says:

    funny shoes and Firth looks alike the french Prime Minister Francois Fillon here

  24. DogBoy says:

    The shoes look like they are topped with some sort of dessert cup from the buffet table.

  25. DGO says:

    The dress is hideous, but the headline to this post is art.

  26. Catherine says:

    Oh how I love that man.
    Her dress is a bit freaky and so are those shoes. Just odd, really.

  27. renai(jrt) says:

    is that a wedding ring on her left hand… doesn’t look like one??? maybe the costume wins over the band…she seems vain and as if she tries too hard for the sake of fashion.

    she doesnt need to carry a purse because she has two of them on her shoes.

  28. operagirl says:

    I don’t even care, though I wouldn’t be caught dead in it even if I lived the lifestyle, LOL. I just love the way they look at each other and how HAPPY they look. It is intoxicating.

  29. Melanie says:

    She works in fashion and wears hose with open toed shoes. I hope to hell that is not the new thing for spring.

  30. renai(jrt) says:

    melanie, i wonder if she put those shoes on with the straps and because the strap looked hideous but she wanted to wear the shoe she went with opaque hose or somewhat opaque hose to hide the straps. I agree that a closed toed shoe would have worked better and any writer of Vogue should see that.

  31. Ari says:

    smug face fug shoes

  32. Hmmm says:

    She should have worn leggings and then she would have looked like one of the Jetsons. Actually, I like the dress and the shoes although not together, and the colour of the hose is totally wrong. Um, I guess that makes this getup a fail.

  33. Nanea says:

    @ #12 – kimn123: Don’t even think of putting that Canalis and Livia Giuggioli on the same level, just because both happen to be Italian.

    The dress is by Henrietta Ludgate, and the ring that renai(jrt) so despises is a 9 carat diamond that the jeweler Hattie Rickards lent her.

  34. Melissa says:

    I think the dress is alright, the lipstick color looks great, and the shoes are absolutely freaking hideous!

  35. Laura says:

    I love the dress, but I think it would have looked better without the black tights. But I guess you need something dark and opaque to cover your bits in a biscuit flashing dress like that.

  36. dj says:

    Who cares they are lovely together and still seem to be so in love. The dress is not the one I would have picked out but him Yes!

  37. bagladey says:

    Terrible choice; the bad dress almost upstaged Colin. Awful.

  38. HotPockets says:

    That has to be one of the ugliest dresses I have ever seen! NO JOKE! That would look horrible on anyone.

  39. Lynda says:

    i just say “A Single Man” which cemented my total adoration of CF. When he was on actor’s studio last week and introduced her, he so unabashedly smiled at her, looking so lovingly at her. it’s nice that she is acomplished in her own right. She just has to put cuffs on him so i don’t sneak in and kidna him.

  40. renai(jrt) says:

    I didnt despise the ring I wondered why she wasnt wearing a wedding ring….the costume won over the band, i dont care how real the ring is it looks large and costume

  41. sasa says:

    I think the dress could work with some simplistic footwear. And I find it strangely baggy on the torso. She is pretty, lovely profile shot!

  42. renai(jrt) says:

    also the woman has a boy chest with no boobs so the bust of that dress looks lost on her.

  43. Madison says:

    Weird dress and shoes but at least she’s getting some attention this time and it’s not all about Colin and his awards. Just don’t hire Lady gaga to be your academy award stylist.

  44. The Bobster says:

    Where’s the biscuit? It might be her best feature.

  45. RHONYC says:

    HMMmmm!

    look.

    all of us can’t be ’tilda swinton fabulous’ in these modern, artsy get-ups.

    good try though. 😉

  46. Ron says:

    Even editorially, this is terrible. Dress, shoes, tights, hair all bad. makeup is the only thing redeemable about her look here. There is a fine line to walk when dealing with creative fashion. Back when I was working in BH, I worked at a esoteric store. There a was an olive lace dress that came in, and it was horrible. Big name designer, expensive, horrible. The manager asked why I never showed it and I told her. It’s horrible and embarrassing and I would never want a woman telling her friends I put her in that piece of crap. There’s intersting and experimental and then there is just plain ugly. And this woman works for Vogue? She should know better.

  47. Reality says:

    Finally saw The King’s Speach today, and was so impressed with the whole cast. Having seen The Fighter too, I’m not sure why Christian Bale is getting all the prizes, Geoffrey Rush was phenominal. He stole every scene he was in, although Colin was mesmerising too.

  48. Ann says:

    Well. She’s almost 10 years younger than he is, so she’s not THAT age appropriate.

    I love Firth but he has lost his hotness.

  49. JAM says:

    I like it and she is lovely! No boobs or vajayajay hanging out, not too short, makeup is classic, so the skirt adds a a fun surprise.

  50. Susan Cole Highland Texas says:

    I like the dress AND the shoes.

  51. Renee says:

    She’s probably just trying to compete with Helena Bonham Carter.
    Incidentally, I just realized her initials are HBC. So appropriate.

  52. Lesley says:

    Designer dresses are not always the nicest choices.

  53. futureperfect says:

    i love it all — dress, tights, shoes, profile…

  54. Kloops says:

    Love him, like what little I know of her, hate the dress but “fashion forward” seems to be her thing so I give her a pass. But let’s face it, it is hideous.

  55. DrM says:

    Love the dress and the shoes…bare legs or very sheer hose would have been fine and changed the whole look…black tights with light dress is a NO NO in my books…

  56. jemshoes says:

    I forget to criticise the dress when I see how content her husband is to be standing beside her. 🙂

  57. Mouse says:

    They seem like a very down to earth, intelligent, classy couple. I’ve always had a crush on Colin, ever since senior year in high school when Pride & Prejudice came out. *DROOL*

    Yeah, I agree: I love that they are both aging gracefully. They’re adorable! But yeah….that dress is just gross. And I can’t help it, I’m just not a fan of dark and white/or tan together. Bleh.

    His brother Jonathan is pretty cute too, has the Firth eyes. Saw him on Brother Cadfael (The Leper of St. Giles).

    http://sueterryvoices.com/images/artist/full/jon-firth.jpg

  58. bellyache says:

    She does resemble Canalis, actually. And I, along with a number of others have thought that, even before finding out they’re both Italian.

    Look again, the resemblance is there, even if slightly.

  59. soupy says:

    Colin Firth is adorable. He admitted to going through a midlife crisis period (during the Mamma Mia craze) and contemplating “letting it all go” in his own words so he let himself gain some weight (however, it worked nicely with a few of the roles that he did that and the following year). He never got fat, but he just wasn’t as super skinny as he had been…he was just “normal” for a guy his age I guess. Ironically, despite gaining some weight during that time, he was still consistently voted one of the sexiest men alive by Glamour magazine (which is voted on by a bunch of tween girls, mind you). When Tom Ford asked him to do A Single Man, he gently suggested that he get in shape again and BOY DID HE (lots of shirtless Firth in that movie…mmmm). A year or two later, he’s still (from what I hear from people who have met him in person recently and from what I’ve seen in interviews) very thin and very tall and looking as good as he ever has. His face is a little more saggy compared to his Darcy days (as is Leonardo Decaprio’s, Hugh Grant’s, and every other male actor out there), but he’s still incredibly handsome and some people think he looks even better now than back then since he has more character to his face. It’s certainly lending him some better roles.

  60. Lia says:

    She’s pretty enough, I suppose. Maybe she looks better in person. Those shoes, however, have to go. They make her feet look big enough that she could share shoes with her hubby. Bla. Mentioning how awful the dress is would be too easy, so I won’t…..

  61. galaxy.girl says:

    LOL It looks like someone flopped an uncooked pizza on her 😛 & put some cinnamon rolls on her toes, maybe a flying nun flashback?

  62. bluhare says:

    She’s got a fabulous profile. Wish mine was that good.

    That being said, if I were Colin she’d have got the old “you aren’t going out looking like that are you?”

  63. Newbie says:

    She’s a striking-looking woman, but the dress is horrible. I don’t know how you’d leave your house like that.

  64. Twez says:

    She might have been able to pull off the dress if it wasn’t for the tights and the shoes. Personally, all I thought when I saw it was “hoopskirt” but I have no illusions about my fashion sense. 🙂

    I also have some issues with dressing to draw attention when you are at an event honoring your partner. It seems inappropriate.

  65. Belle Epoch says:

    Didn’t she wear something awful with a smiley face or something before? I didn’t realize she is a “designer.”

    Hate the dress, hate the shoes, love Colin Firth EVEN MORE for letting his wife do her own thing and loving her for it. Oy.

  66. Faye says:

    Wait, we’re allowed to wear tights with open toes now?

  67. Crash2GO2 says:

    It seems black tights and a white dress are all the rage now, as this is the third example of such we have seen in the past two weeks here. Better get used to it ladies.

    Jon Firth – Good Lord what a hottie!!!!!

  68. S says:

    I actually really love the dress. But it needs to be tight-less, and with different shoes. Electric red peep-toes, perhaps?

  69. Lee says:

    Pretty lady, but needs a stylist.

  70. Jayna says:

    She’s very attractive. In her forties and not that Hollywood plastic face. She has a natural beauty. Add her Italian accent to it and she’s sexy.

    But that dress is horrendous. Everything from the neck down is God awful.

  71. renai(jrt) says:

    how do you sit in a dress like that… she must have had to straddle the chair

  72. Pattypuff says:

    And she looks so PLEASED with herself! Clearly delusional.

  73. Camille says:

    @bellyache: ITA. I saw her on some E after awards party thing on TV and I thought she resembled Canalis quite a bit. But she is better looking than Canalis though.

    That dress and shoes are godawful. *shudder*

  74. England Rocks says:

    Question – should the spouse/families of actors and celebrities be off limits?
    It just doesn’t seem right that we should be critisizing his wife’s fashion choice. As someone said above, she makes him happy.

    Maud – Britannia Rules!

  75. soulgirlzz says:

    Just let her wear what she wants. I mean, when you’re married to the amazingly handsome Colin Firth, who cares what you wear anymore? As long as he still loves her…and clearly he does.

  76. elizabeth says:

    its the Black Opaque Tights ..she should not wear them..Ever , in fact no one should..confine them to the back of your wardrobe or better still ,put them in your local Textile recycle bin, [they will be shredded for filling/stuffing etc]Ban them and Banish them from your wardrobe..now the dress, try bare legs or if you have to wear tights, then 10/20 denier sheer only will do….then it will look fine.