From Australia to Zaire, the world watched the somewhat "live" 76th annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood on Sunday night. There were definitely the good, the bad, and the ugly on the red carpet this year, but they all melted together in grand Oscar tradition.
Starting with the good, Scarlett Johansson wore a sea green, mermaid-like Alberta Ferretti gown. The dress had a little train and a squared neck top that complimented her figure well.
Presenter Naomi Watts was wearing a stunning strapless Versace gown in nude with beautiful beading, very similar to what Charlize Theron was wearing. Her vanilla and silver beaded spaghetti strap gown had a sexy slit up the middle, and was designed by Tom Ford for Gucci. Her '20s style hair do and matching clutch purse made up a classy ensemble for Theron. Yet another nude, beaded gown was seen on Patricia Clarkson. Her version had a crew neck design and was designed by Michael Vollbracht for Bill Blass.
Another graceful presenter (who went dateless) was Angelina Jolie in her white, backless, plunging neck gown by Marc Bouwer. She accessorized the silky gown with a dramatic three-diamond drop necklace.
Presenter and Oscar winner, Renee Zellweger wore a beautiful, white, scrunched strapless gown by Carolina Herrera. The back consisted of a gorgeous twist bow and a long, full train. Her diamond earrings, necklace, and hard clutch were a perfect choice to compliment Herrera's masterpiece.
Nicole Kidman came in a light green, strapless, Chanel gown. The beaded, silk dress had a ruffled bottom and Kidman chose a perfectly matching clutch as her handbag. It was without question, a relief in the eyes of the fashion-conscious, considering the hideous black asymmetrical Gaultier gown she wore last year.
T-moblie spokesperson Catherine Zeta-Jones made an appearance with her hubby, Michael Douglas, in a deep, bright red peacock-patterned Versace dress that reflected her sophisticated fashion sense.
But the princess of the night was without a doubt, Keisha Castle-Hughes in her precious, cream-colored Liz Mitchell overlay gown that was both innocent and elegant. The young actress even got to meet one her favorite actors, Johnny Depp, who was wearing a black, single-breasted tux by Giorgio Armani.
Last year, Jennifer Garner's sky blue Versace was a hit with critics and her vintage orangey-red, one-shoulder gown should be too. The dress had a full, taffeta bottom and train to match the sheerer portion of the dress.
Among the handsome celebrity men was Ken Watanabe, who chose to show up in a long, black Issey Miyake tuxedo. Not only does Miyake have a great fragrance collection, he has great men's fashions too.
Cedric the Entertainer sported a black pinstripe suit with a black rhinestone studded top hat that had enough bling-bling for even P. Diddy. Speaking of bling-bling, Oscar pre-show host, Maria Menounos was wearing a $2.5 million diamond-studded dress that took the breath away from Frodo himself.
Jude Law usually has great style but his Dunhill tux looked disproportionate with the huge black bow tie and buttoned black vest that was underneath. Very disappointing.
Not to worry though, because Alison Krauss' gold Sunny Choi dress made up for Law's poor choice. Complete with a ruffled back train that came around to the front of her dress, the button details were a great addition to the fabric and design.
Continuing in the gold trend, Julia Roberts wore a pale gold Giorgio Armani gown that accentuated her cleavage and tightened her waist while letting the rest of the dress flow on to the red carpet runway. Sofia Coppola's black Marc Jacobs gown shared a similar style.
Vera Wang appeared in a beige-colored strapless gown and feather shawl. Perhaps Holly Hunter should've asked Wang to design something equally stylish for her instead of the light pink ruffled number she was wearing, which was also designed by Wang.
I'm usually a huge fan of halter-style dresses but Shohreh Aghdashloo's red halter gown could only be described as scary, when paired with her iron-straight black hair and bright red lips. It was a harsh combination that could've been salvaged with a classic French twist and nude matte lips.
Pregnant women even made their mark at the Oscars, including Marcia Gay Harden. The royal blue, empire-waisted Badgley-Mischka gown she wore was a tasteless piece. Hayden's beehive updo was a bad decision for the dress but then again, the dress was bad itself. Badgley & Mischka should really stick to what they do best - wedding gowns.
Oprah Winfrey stomped in wearing her grey-toned Gianfranco Ferre wrap-style gown. The long cuffs were detailed with delicate ties and a material flower could be seen at the gown's side. Her eye shadow was an exquisite choice for the dress, as the pigments were almost exact.
Annie Lennox graced the stage in a shoulder cut-out gown by Stella McCartney. The dress was fitted and had a flowing train but it wasn't enough to make the grade. Lennox has always worn weird pieces and this time was no exception.
Other misses include Kelly Lynch in her ruffled, high-neck gown by Zac Posen. The ripped effect of the dress had us all wondering if she had been assaulted prior to the award show or if Posen actually designed it that way. Uma Thurman's "Norwegian maid" look was possible, thanks to her white ruffle shirt, puffy shoulders, gold beaded vest. I don't know about you, but it made me want to yodel.
As if nothing was learned from Celine Dion's strange backwards suit outfit, Diane Keaton mistakes her Ralph Lauren tux-style jacket, pants, and polka dotted tie for good fashion. She must've gone shopping with Liv Tyler because she was equally hideous in that black, square high-neck gown from Givenchy Couture. The eye glasses she wore during her presentation was very librarian and too old for the vibrant Tyler.
The final blunder of the night was everyone's favorite girl next door, Sandra Bullock. Her white, fitted Oscar de la Renta gown had two tiers of feathers that made her look like she was a wedding cake figurine.
When all is said and done, there is good fashion and there is very bad. The Oscars are just another reason to dress up and sometimes it doesn't matter what the critics say because having fun is all that matters.
Reach the reporter at Kalea.Yoshida@asu.edu
