Anyone who knows me knows just how much I love and adore the world of fashion, makeup, shoes, bags, hair, yeah all that stuff! Every year I post my red carpet hits and misses on Facebook for the Oscar’s, the Grammy’s, the BAFTA’s and of course the Eurovision Song Contest.

So, as the performances are being rehearsed and refined ready for the stage in Stockholm in just a few weeks time. One of the other big considerations is, and us girls know this one very well, what am I going to wear? I’m indulging my passion for fashion and taking a look back at the Eurovision style bible, the gold-star dressers and the slightly odd from over the years, here’s are three of my favourites..

I’m starting with Dana International and the AMAZING rainbow feather bolero by my all-time favourite designer Jean-Paul Gaultier. We had seen Dana perform in a nice, but rather mediocre sparkly dress, but when she returned back on to the stage after being declared the winner she reappeared in this fab evening dress, complete with feathers and holding the Israeli flag high – style points 10/10!

My next choice of fabulous outfits takes us back to 1992, Linda Martin my have kicked off the Irish winning run of the 90’s, but for me this Eurovision was totally stolen by Evridiki from Cyprus and her absolutely stunning red dress, long evening gloves, sexy pinned up hair and a sultry performance that really should have seen her finish much higher up the board than 11th. She was also well ahead of her time in the make up stakes with smoky eye shadow and black winged eyeliner! p.s. enjoy Terry Wogan’s commentary at the beginning of this video…

I’m going back even further for my final fashion ‘hit’ of the day. 1968 saw the contest hosted at the Royal Albert Hall in London following Sandi Shaw’s victory in Vienna the previous year and I’m choosing the home nations representative for this year a certain Mr Cliff Richard. Now let’s remember it was the 1960’s and to those of us who weren’t around at that time the fashions of the era are so distinctive and so liberational it is hard for us to comprehend. However I do think when Cliff stepped out on the stage in his crisp, tight-fitting, tailored blue suit with frilly collar and cuffs, he proved that London was very much the centre of the fashion universe at that time. Full marks to Cliff, he may have lost out by one point to winners Spain in the final scores, but style wise it’s 12 points from me!

And now the not-so-good! Here’s three of my fashion ‘misses’, you may disagree but for me these are the outfits that make me wonder why somewhere along the planning process someone didn’t say ‘no’!

First up, and don’t shoot me please, it’s Celine Dion. Now this was the 80’s, the decade that is widely perceived to be the decade that style forgot to show up in (I disagree!) Now the reason I’ve chosen Celine here is because her outfit really is neither one thing or the other. It’s a fun netted, party skirt (very 80’s) paired with a business style jacket – I just simply don’t get it. Obviously Celine Dion went on to become one of the worlds biggest superstars so a slightly odd outfit worn in Ireland in 1988 is a minor blip for Celine, however she does make it into my Eurovision’s worst dressed list!

Next from 1998 and looking like the remnant of a very dodgy 70’s hair band is Germany’s Guildo Horn – just no, really, who ever thought this was a good idea, needs a good talking to. In fact if this had been from the 70’s I might have forgiven it, but no it’s 1998, the rest of the band are equally as awful and really I have no other words really just watch this style car-crash happen!!

And finally, yes she may have won in 1999, but what on earth was that outfit, and that make up, and that hair? The backing vocalists look like they just stepped out of an office and Charlotte Nilsson looks like she’s just fallen out of a Stockholm nightclub. He hair extensions are so static and so obvious, the make up is so overdone (and this is me talking, overdone is quite something!) and the outfit with the flesh netting and pink patterns, well it doesn’t really do anything to enhance the performance. Don’t get me wrong I live the song, it’s pops up every so often on my Deezer playlist, but in the style stakes this, for me, is a nul point-er!

So what do you think, do you agree? Who have been your best and worst dressed over the years? – look out for part 2 coming soon coming soon…

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Author: Lisa-Jayne Lewis
Source: Eurovision Ireland