red carpet: oscars 2011

well, the grand-daddy of them all has come and gone, the 83rd annual academy awards are now behind us.  frown.  i'm still trying to get a handle on what i thought of the show (and the winners), but i'm hoping to have some notes on that tomorrow.  today is all about the fashion. 

as always, we'll start with the worst...

 {sharon stone in dior}

she seriously seems to be channeling nina sayers in the final scene of black swan.  not a compliment.

 {gayle king in ?}

yikes stripes!  it seems oprah did not spring for a stylist for her bestie.

 {jennifer hudson in atelier versace}

fabulous body, but way too boobtastic. ruined the look.

 {kathryn bigelow in yves saint laurent}

last year she got the ultimate revenge on her ex james cameron (beating him as
best director for the hurt locker over his avatar), this is a very large step back from that.

 {marisa tomei in vintage charles james from lily et cie couture}

i want to love this, and i've gone back and forth quite a few times, 

but it's just too ill-fitting on her and the hair is terrible.

 {melissa leo in marc bouwer}

another one i've struggled with - i've decided i like the structure, it's the fabric that went wrong.

 {natalie portman in rodarte}

what is this length?!  make it cover her shoes and it gets a lot better.  ick to the matchy-matchy
tassel earrings.  great draping around the baby bump, though.

 {nicole kidman in dior haute couture}

ack.  why did you wear something that doubled the size of your hips?! 

this is all kinds of wrong.

 {sandra bullock in vera wang}

this one is salvageable, it's just too tight across the thighs and ill-fitting up top.  

plus that clutch makes no sense. 

{scarlett johansson in dolce & gabbana}

when i first saw her, i hated the whole look, especially the hair.  now i actually like the hair + make-up (sexy!)
and am just quibbling with the lining - it's oddly placed around the mid-section and throws off the overall look.

now let's have a look at the best

{anne hathaway in vintage valentino haute couture}
this girl looks good in red, doesn't she?  i'll talk about her hosting tomorrow,
but for now see the rest of her looks from the show here.

{gwyneth paltrow in calvin klein collection}
people seem to be conflicted on this look, but i think the dress is a stunner.  unfortunately, when she walks
the dress clings to her chest in an unflattering pointy-like way.  too bad standing still all night wasn't exactly an option! 

{hailee steinfeld in marchesa}
what a cutie.  glamorous and yet age-appropriate.  so well-spoken and confident in interviews
too, she totally won me over this awards season.  now i just have to actually see true grit!

{halle berry in marchesa}
this is just one of those dresses that is so up my alley.  lots of sequins, i love the blush/nude color
(even though it was so overdone on this red carpet), and it fits her beautifully.

{helen mirren in vivienne westwood}
all hail the queen!  legend.  she owns.  period.

{helena bonham carter in colleen atwood}
sure it's a little bit costumey but that's the way she rolls.  i love the fan purse, it totally made the look.
and bonus: colleen not only designed this dress for hbc, but she also won the oscar for
best costume design for alice in wonderland on sunday!

{hilary swank in gucci premiere}
sequins?  yes.  feathers?  yes.  the hair?  too severe.
loosen it up ala the golden globes and you have one beautiful look.

{jennifer lawrence in calvin klein collection}
i've been reading a lot of "baywatch swimsuit" comments about this dress, and while
i see where they're coming from, i was in awe of how this dress fit her.
how did it not cling to her body at ALL?!?!  amazing.  she looks hot without being vulgar.

{mila kunis in elie saab couture}
i love everything about mila's look.  great hair and make-up, a perfectly-suited dress for her,
just the right amount of lace.  lovely.

{reese witherspoon in armani privé}
 ok you guys, this is identical to my junior year homecoming dress.  except, ya know, mine wasn't made by armani,
and, uh, i had braces, and, uh, i definitely didn't look this good.  but still, she totally stole this look from me ;)
i'd show you the evidence if it didn't make me laugh every time i saw the picture. 

{virginia madsen in romona keveza}
it's simple, but i really like what's going on here.  

{amy adams in l'wren scott}
ok let's just say up front that someone needed to rip that necklace off her neck.  worst decision ever.
this dress does NOT need a necklace and really had me hemming-and-hawing over whether i liked the look at all.
but the more i saw it, the more it grew on me, and that shade of blue with her ginger locks is quite striking.
but damn that necklace!

finally, my most favorites:

{michelle williams in chanel haute couture}
she really does play ethereal well, doesn't she?  maybe a little too well, or too often, i guess i should say.
but this particular look is definitely a hit.  what a gorgeous dress.
and just the perfect hair and make-up to compliment it.

 {mandy moore in monique lhuillier}

this looked completely stunning on television, sadly less so in a photograph. i never would have expected
mandy moore to have one of my favorite dresses of the night, but she definitely blew me away.
well done, my dear!

{cate blanchett in givenchy haute couture}
this dress is exquisite.  it caught my eye immediately and all i wanted was more.  i wavered slightly
over the pointy shoulders, and then decided everything else made up for that.  hair and make-up: flawless.
the beadwork makes me melt a little.  not to mention the whole ensemble makes her look ten years younger.

the more i look at ms. blanchett, the more i fall in love.  a different choice for me, but she is my overall favorite this year.  how about you?!  who are your favorites (and not-so-favorites?!)

xo. di.

*images via tom & lorenzo 1 & 2, style.com