Forget the films - the Oscars were all about fashion, and this was the most tasteful, well-fitting and elegant collection of gowns we have seen for years, if not decades.
After the sartorial disappointments of the awards season so far - the Globes and Baftas produced little that was jaw-dropping - the Oscars red carpet was like a catwalk: quite a few of the dresses were hot from the winter 2012 collections.
All the key trends for next autumn were in evidence: lots of nude, lace and origami shapes alongside those Hollywood perennials red and black.
Jewellery was understated, with very few necklaces. Shoes were high, of course, with just about every-one, including Helen Mirren, in platforms.
There were, of course, a few noticeable gaffes. But not too many, thank goodness, as the luxury fashion brands need all the help they can get in these troubled times.
Helena Bonham Carter said she didn’t want the night to be all about fashion, hence she wore a black dress with a bustle by a costume designer, Colleen Atwood.
Natalie Portman, too, wore a costume of sorts: a purple portrait-collared gown made by Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte, who also designed the incredible outfits she wore for her Oscar-winning performance in Black Swan.
She even thanked the designers in her acceptance speech, which is almost unheard of and goes to show that on this Oscar night the real show-stealers were the gowns.
The winners for the shortest frocks are...
Taylor Swift and Cameron Diaz dazzle at the Vanity Fair party
By Jody Thompson
Neither of them were up for any Oscars - but Cameron Diaz and Taylor Swift were the runaway winners of the shortest dress competition at the Vanity Fair. Cameron arrived on the red carpet of the hottest post-Academy Awards party in a asymmetrical Carolina Herrera monochrome print mini with peplum detail - although not many people were looking at her frock. Instead, all eyes were on the 38-year-old’s toned physique, which the actress has been perfecting with rigorous bootcamp-style work outs with her baseball player boyfriend Alex Rodriguez, 35.
Taylor meanwhile was wearing an elegant strapless shimmering gold number by Zuhair Murad with matching shoes, 1940s-style glamourpuss hair and a slash of red lipstick.
The 21-year-old country star certainly wowed the crowd with her sophisticated makeover. Also going for gold was Gwyneth Paltrow in an elegant off-the-shoulder Michael Kors gown in a more nude shade compared with the metallic Calvin Klein dress she’d worn at the actual ceremony.
Other surprises on the red carpet at the bash, thrown by the society and fashion magazine, included Justin Bieber’s first public appearance hand-in-hand with girlfriend Selena Gomez, who was wearing a stunning blood-red Dolce and Gabbana gown.
Another loved-up couple cosying up at the party included True Blood’s Stephen Moyer and Anna Paquin, who wore a bright red Monique Lhullier gown. Madonna arrived accompanied by a surprisingly unembarrassed 14-year-old daughter Lourdes, as the star appeared to have forgotten her skirt. And Justin Timberlake sparked rumours of a split with girlfriend Jessica Biel when he chose not to escort her to the party.
© Daily Mail, London |
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