The Best Looks From The Independent Spirit Awards

You could think of awards season as spectacle of fancy gowns and industry back-patting that progressively increases in gravitas the closer we get to March — and you’d be right, mostly. But wherever there’s an opportunity to trot out the right dress on the right ingenue with the right styling and glam, there’s a chance to see a star being born right before your eyes.

Those are the stakes we’re thinking about as we cover Feb. 22’s Independent Spirit Awards, which, as the name suggests, kind of functions as a holding pen for soon-to-be household names. If last year’s Smurf blue carpet was any indication, though, there’s usually a fun mix of emerging talent and those who’ve already played the image game to their advantage — as well as coordinating levels of dressiness. (Pray that the “maybe they should have saved that for the SAGs or the Oscars” gaffes are few and far between.)

It’s as relaxed a vibe as a prestigious ceremony held in Santa Monica on a Saturday afternoon can have. See the best whatever-color-carpet looks here.