Well Played, Mischa Barton

Clearly, Mischa Barton has unusual taste in clothes. That’s about as controversial a statement as, say, “Peter Gallagher’s eyebrows are kind of large,” or, “Paris Hilton’s not a virgin.” And while oftentimes we don’t think that taste serves her figure or our eyeballs particularly well, there are times when she steps out in something that completely works.

Here she is at a party during Paris Fashion Week:

[Source.]

It’s a challenge to pose in that dress — in that color — and have the most lasting impression be, “Wow, Mischa Barton is gorgeous,” but that’s basically what my reaction is to this photo. Chartreuse is not a color I particularly gravitate toward, as it’s bright to the point of being almost garish, and could threaten to cast a yellowish pall on even the rosiest of skin tones. But Mischa is rocking the hell out of it. I love, and covet, her sexy tousled hair and perfect eye makeup. And of course, the timing is particularly tasty — The O.C., which unexpectedly killed her off last season, just limped to a tired, pathetic end; meanwhile, Mischa, totally unbruised and unaffected by that firm boot to the derriere, is gallavanting around Paris looking fantastic and without a care in the world. It’s the greatest middle-finger she could possibly flip.

Of course, the appearance of nonchalance might go to hell in a handbasket carried by Satan himself once her movie with Hayden “So Wooden You Could Build A Barn Out Of Him” Christensen hits theaters. It’s about the black plague, people. Mischa and Hayden and a deadly epidemic. And no, Hayden Christensen is not playing the part of the plague, although he will probably be a pox on the movie. But that’s not my problem. As long as Mischa listens to these style instincts, rather than the ones that routinely tell her to wear tent dresses, she might at least look fabulous at the premiere — assuming she doesn’t run in the other direction.