First, a disclaimer.

I'm not ageist or anything. In fact, I think the female cast members of old-is-gold action comedy Red 2 have maintained themselves marvellously.

Have you seen how good Helen Mirren, 68, looks these days?

Anyway, Us actress Mary-Louise Parker, 49, and Welsh star Catherine Zeta-Jones, 43, aren't faring too shabbily either.

I just wish their red carpet dressing for Red 2 wasn't so impaired. Blame it on career inactivity or just plain fashion fatigue that strikes the middle-aged.

The pair play love rivals in Red 2 - Parker as Bruce Willis' current girlfriend and Zeta-Jones as his old flame - but it's the latter who has the slight edge here.

Still, perhaps it's time for them to retire their wardrobe and hire some help to change things.

1. For the Los Angeles premiere, Parker stepped out in a flirty pale grey embellished Memeka by Gustavo Cadile cap-sleeved draped mini-dress accessorised with matching Lauren Merkin oval minaudiere.

She looks outstanding for someone closing in on 50 - That figure! Those legs! The hair! - but what a disappointment from the ankles down.

She must have thrown on her shoes in a hurry - or maybe even in the dark - because those ugly, heavy-looking Burak Uyan pewter pumps don't gel with the rest of her look at all.

2. Sultry Zeta-Jones, on the other hand, brought movie star glamour to the same event in a curve-accentuating black strapless Maria Lucia Hohan lace mermaid gown with rise-and-fall hemline, paired with black Jerome C. Rousseau ankle-strap sandals.

But there's a sense of deja vu when it comes to this familiar silhouette, as if she's been rehashing it for the past decade.

3 These two obviously took their feet off the pedal after travelling cross-country to the New York screening.

Cute snakeskin strappy pumps aside, Parker's fitted puff-sleeved LBD by Dolce & Gabbana couldn't be more boring if it tried.

4. I can live with Zeta-Jones' sexy black Maiyet strappy cutout platform sandals, but this black Michael Kors dress with metallic chevron-patterned central panel is all wrong.

There are two straps too many, the thighhigh slit and exposed leg come across a little desperate, and the awkward hemline and unflattering boxy shape are proof that the whole thing would look better as a full-length gown.

Someone also needs to tell her it's okay to turn off the sexy once in a while.

Get The New Paper for more stories.