This is The Cape Dress That Changed Everything. Anyone who wasn't already standing at attention snapped into perfect posture.

That dress is lovely on her, but I will say that this is where her propensity for matching shoes leapt out at me in a bad way.
I should dislike this -- it pushes a lot of my buttons -- and in a general way I still do, but she's giving it a LOT of dignity.
This was also a win.
It feels like she is wearing a Monet and this dress definitely might BE a Monet in Cher Horowitz terms, but Lupita again is doing her usual alchemy.
And how she's making that look good, I will never understand. It's thin and there's not much to it and yet she's making it look easy.
I think of this now as, The First Sign Of The Trouble to Come.
It reminds me of backwards overalls. Just vaguely, but... enough.
This was a HUGE win, though. It's flawless on her, and that neckline is truly advanced, but she's acting like it's simple.
It's not Stella's worst, and it's not Lupita's best.
It might be a little short on her, but it's pretty, and so is she.
This is fantastic on her. The color is a huge win.
This was the dress that prompted a lot of Fug Nationals to comment that she should lean away from things that are sternum-focused.
What is HAPPENING on the front of that? Is she coming unwrapped?
This is perhaps too strong. On ANYONE. Part of me still likes it and part of me just wants to put on sunglasses and see if it helps.
Wrong shoe pairing, I think -- The Curse of the Matching strikes again -- and I can't decide if the dress's design is cool, or just distractingly lopsided. It's a fine line.
I don't think this does anything for her, and would, again, have been a prime opportunity for a shoe with punch.

And, the Oscars. This was divisive because a lot of people -- me included -- wanted her to do something less traditional than this, especially because impatience had been brewing with the deep V necklines on her. But other people, me included AGAIN, did like that she helped design it with the color as a nod to her heritage, and it WAS awfully twirly. Overall, I think it underwhelmed me, but that's partly because she'd been so strong at the other three award shows.
She put this on for the after parties -- which I typed as after-pastries at first, which, YES, get me some after-pastries -- and while I think the top is kicky, I fall asleep before I even get to her shoes.
This is lovely.
AND THIS. Here is my feeling; That is a hideous dress. BUT, it's the MTV Movie Awards, where adventure is supposed to reign, and she is about the ONLY PERSON EVER who could wear that and make me giggle and think it's kooky in a fun way and not just a hot pre-schooler mess. So this is perhaps a case of the right woman wearing the crazy dress to the right event -- thus, its only possible context.
The dress is pretty on her, but while the shoe thankfully DON'T match, I don't know if they're the right choice either. They seem like they're fighting the look, although lord knows I don't have an alternative. White? I guess? I NEVER argue for a white shoe; what's happening to me?
The polka dots are so cute, but then suddenly it looks like a shower cap -- albeit a nice one -- has eaten her pelvis and the rest of her is sad about it.
AND THEN THE MET GALA HAPPENED and everyone got scared because this had nothing to do with Charles James and everything to do with fishing supplies.
Frankly, I think the main reason I found this soothing at the time was because it's the OPPOSITE of that Met Gala thing.
SO glam and polo-appropriate.
My brain hurts.
Well, it at least fits the Maui Film Festival, but it might also be more apron than dress.
I thought the color combo on this was interesting, and that the way she worked it into the shoes was clever rathe than twee.
And then Lupita was presumably busy shooting Star Wars or whatever, because we didn't see as much of her until she wandered out in this. Which we would have liked if it hadn't involved MATCHING KNEE-LENGTH SHORTS UNDERNEATH. In case she needs to bike home.

That's very cute, but also looks like the light was too bright in her eyes and she's doing that thing where her eyes are starting to water and she's trying to hang onto her facial expression for JUST ONE MORE SHOT before her smile falls apart.
This concept is EXTREMELY cool and eye-catching. I thought it was a great approach.
This is so easy-breezy, though -- VERY relaxed. She looks happy, in a way that's not studied or arranged, and I like that.

Not the most imaginative approach, perhaps, but she looks nice and it's very assertive. The hand looks sort of dead, though. Like it's only there because the photographer asked for it to be, and not because it's part of any natural flow of movement. (Which is probably the case.)

SO CUTE. Makes me think that was a really fun set.

And that is just flat-out confidence. I love it, and I think it's a sparkling way to end a year that -- while it had its fashion lows -- overall still pretty much cemented her as a glorious being.