February 25, 2008

Oscars paint it black...and red

Red and black were the dominant hues on the Oscars red carpet, which yielded far less color, variation and innovation than we had hoped for.
Hilary Swank (Versace), Jennifer Garner (Oscar de la Renta), Penelope Cruz and Laura Linney (Michael Kors) all went back to black—thankfully, the funereal mood was lifted by dazzling crimson looks on Heidi Klum (Galliano), Mylie Cyrus (Valentino), Katherine Heigl (Escada), Anne Hathaway (Marchesa) and Helen Mirren.
Tilda Swinton (who wore almost no makeup) blended both black and red—her boyish hair was a show stopping shade of lobster, and her shirt-like, sable silk dress (Alber Elbaz for Lanvin) was a progressive twist on the off-the-shoulder goddess gown sported by almost everyone else. (Read this about Tilda Swinton's unconventional love life)

A pregnant Cate Blanchett wore an empire-waist Dries Van Noten silk gown with decorative beading on the skirt, and a beautiful pair of teardrop emerald earrings—a nice break from the tidal wave of diamonds that typically washes over Oscar's red carpet. (Speaking of diamonds—what was up with Nicole Kidman's messy and lopsided necklace arrangement? If you're going to rock 7,645 diamonds totaling nearly 1,400 carats by L'Wren Scott, you might as well put them on carefully...right?)
2008 brought an explosion of tufted feathers—Jessica Alba's somber eggplant Marchesa gown was brought to life by some lively plumage on the bust (and some serious gold bling), as was Penelope Cruz' black, floor-length number. Amy Adams looked nice in emerald Proenza Schouler, although her insufferable "Enchanted" warblings made us want to bludgeon her with the Oscar statuette. Cameron Diaz opted for a traditional Christian Dior ball gown in blush pink, with minimal makeup, and fresh-off-the beach hair. Her blondeness was accentuated by a startling inability to pronounce the word "cinematography." Cringe!
Thumbs down to Jennifer Garner for admitting she had very little to do with her Oscar de la Renta look. It was all Rachel Zoe, she said when interviewed on the red carpet. "I would never have picked this," she said. When are we going to start seeing stars' real personalities on the red carpet, rather than that of their stylists?

The winning look of the night, for me, was Marion Cotillard's siren-like Jean Paul Gaultier cream mermaid gown, complete with scallop details along the train. It was a relief to see her teeth, slightly coffee stained and utterly human, amid the day-glo white smiles of Hollywood. When will Tinseltown realize that perfection is never sexy?
"Juno" screenwriter Diablo Cody, who won for Best Screenplay, was true to character in a chiffony cheetah-print caftan number by Dior. I would have preferred her in something more fitted, more classically pin-up, à la Dita Von Teese. (Although maybe that would have been too obvious? I'm torn.) Some fashion commentators have slammed her for having visible tattoos. Um...what's the big deal, people? She has 'em, why not show them off?
Julie Christie was breathtakingly glamorous with retro curled hair and an orange ribbon in support of a campaign to close down Guantanamo Bay.

It's always fun observing how the men individualize their looks. Some guys

opted for large, somewhat retro bowties, like Best Actor winner Daniel Day-Lewis who, with earrings in both ears and long flowing hair, looked more pirate-like than Johnny Depp. In fact, hirsuteness seemed to be the general theme among Oscar's

leading men this year: Viggo Mortensen, accompanied by his niece Sydney, was sporting a huge woodcutter's beard, and Colin Farrell opted for wild, buccaneer locks. Javier Bardem, who became the first Spanish actor to win an Oscar last night, looked positively dreamy without the hideous bowl haircut his character sported in "No Country For Old Men". "That hair was a joke I had to live with for three months," he sighed.

Oh no, Javier. You'll be living with it much longer than that.

February 25, 2008 in LOS ANGELES | Permalink

Comments

Hi OOma - You will need to contact the Jean Paul Gaultier couture division in Paris. I can give you the phone number if you email me here: carolinemryder@gmail.com C xxx

Posted by The Stylephile | Feb 26 2008 12:12PM

Where would I find Jean Paul Gautier cream mermaid gown worn by Marion Cotillard? Thanks Ooma

Posted by OOma | Feb 26 2008 11:25AM