In 1996 Sharon Stone walked the Oscar's red carpet wearing a Valentino skirt, paired with an Armani tuxedo jacket and a white Gap T-shirt. She completed the look wearing a gardenia on the lapel that she picked from her garden.
That year, Stone had been nominated to the best actress for her role in Casino, and her high-low look created an immediate media sensation and became part of fashion history.
In fashion, High-low is when you pair the most expensive pieces in your wardrobe with the most affordable, or rather, cheaper items for an effortless look.
But Sharon Stone seems to be herself the embodiment of high-low.
With a career that spans 3 decades, the actress and activist have had a fair share of successes and failures.
Sharon Stone's public persona is daring, bold, over the top, but yet strangely relatable. She's an unmistakably beautiful woman, but one could say that she isn't prettier than many other tall, blonde former models who turned into acting. We can't deny her sexy appeal too. But according to her recently released memoir, that's the result of the combination of Catherine Trimmell's personality (her Basic Instinct's character) and a public image that she carefully crafted to deal with the press – Sharon Stone calls herself an introvert in her personal life.
I'm wondering if this mixture of high-low isn't the secret of Sharon Stone's allure?
Perhaps because being an introvert makes her vulnerable, she uses her sex appeal as armor. I bet countless women in the world can relate to that. And many men too. We all have our always-ready-to-deploy-armors. It can be sex, wits, strength, humor, violence, you name it.
From the famous leg-crossing in Basic Instinct to Catwoman's embarrassing flop, Sharon Stone made it look like she dealt with life with a combination of passion and ease, of determination and detachment.
In her book, Stone says that an accident with a Vera Wang gown made her improvise the 1996 Oscar's look.
She obviously looked glamorous, elegant, and beautiful. Wearing simple makeup and jewelry with a nonchalant attitude, she clearly stood out.
She had everything to feel vulnerable, and yet it looked like she was having fun.
Maybe that's Sharon' Stone’s secret: ride the highs, but don't take them too seriously. Take the lows as something that we just have to deal with.