The biggest surprise at the Oscars this year for me was that I found that the best actresses wore the dresses I liked the least. Lots of light colors and neutrals were seen on the red carpet on stars such as Evan Rachel Wood in Elie Saab (who I will always love because I liked Thirteen so much). The darkest dresses are the ones I disliked the most, with the exception of Angelina Jolie in Elie Saab. I liked Natalie Portman’s dress more than Miley Cyrus’ – usually I hate Natalie’s style and love Miley’s. Here are my picks for best and worst dressed at the 81st Annual Academy Awards.
Best: Taraji P. Henson in Roberto Cavalli. The best thing about this dress is that it’s made of cascading ruffles, but they don’t compromise the overall silhouette of the dress. The dress is embellished but also a gorgeous shape. It looks amazing on her – and her hair and jewelry are also perfect!
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Worst: Marion Cotillard in Dior. This dress is depressing. The blue sequin pattern makes no sense and competes with the poufy bottom. Not a fan. Also, dark lipstick is almost universally unflattering.
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Best: Sarah Jessica Parker in Dior Haute Couture. SJP described the color as “almost mint” or “sea foam.” Whatever it is, it’s gorgeous.
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Worst: Vanessa Hudgens in Marchesa. I don’t like anything about this dress. It’s too much dark since Vanessa has dark hair. The flared bottom overwhelms her petite figure and the flowers and stripes are just tacky.
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Best: Jessica Biel in Prada. This is my favorite dress from the awards. I love the dramatic drapery, the black and white contrast, I love everything. It’s perfect! I wouldn’t have paired it with black shoes though, and I think her hair should have been washed styled more neatly (perhaps in an updo) to complement the glamour of the dress. It looked so much better on the red carpet than it did onstage though! I don’t get it. I think most people will hate it, but let’s not forget how similar it is to Eva Mendes’ gown at the Golden Globes last month.
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Worst: Amanda Seyfried. As soon as I saw this, I winced, because as a die-hard Mean Girls fan and a lover of Veronica Mars, I knew I was going to have to put Amanda on the worst-dressed list anyway. I love red, and I love big bows, and I love big red bows, but I don’t like this dress at all. It’s too chunky and overwhelms her. God Karen, you are so stupid!
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Best: Anne Hathaway in Armani Prive. The last Armani gown she wore was navy and made her look pale. This color actually gives her a healthier glow. Flawless.
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Worst: Frida Pinto in John Galliano. This dress would have been great in a different color. The shape is flattering and I love the one-shoulder design, but I think the blue really ruins it. I like that it’s slightly Bollywood, though.
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Best: Natalie Portman in Rodarte. It’s not just that I like pink. I love pink. This dress complements her skin tone as well as the pretty blush she’s wearing. It flatters her figure and drapes perfectly. Wearing her hair up and no necklace keeps all of the focus on the dress.
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Alicia Keys’ Armani Prive dress was a similar shade. In contrast to Jessica Biel, it looked better onstage than on the red carpet. Alicia’s makeup looked great though, which is the first thing I noticed when I saw her. That eyeshadow! Gorgeous.
Worst: Kate Winslet in Atelier Yves Saint Laurent. Best actress, but unfortunately not the best dressed. I don’t like that the lace only covers half of her body – it should be either all lace or all silk, but not both. I like the beading, especially on the back, and how the one-shoulder top fits her perfectly.
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Best: Marisa Tomei in Versace. She looks fierce! I love the pleats.
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Worst: Beyonce in House of Dereon. The print makes her look huge – and she isn’t.
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Best: Heidi Klum in RM by Roland Mouret. Heidi brings the fierceness as usual. Her dress reminds me a little too much of last year’s but I think her hair looks great long and slicked back and her jewelry is to die for - especially her earrings! Women everywhere are going to be after those.
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Worst: Miley Cyrus in Zuhair Murad. I’m so disappointed! I love Miley, but this dress is just too over-the-top and it looks like it’s covered in mermaid or fish scales. Sorry Miley :( I liked your Grammy dress and this Zuhair Murad dress better.
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Best: Viola Davis in Reem Acra. The shape is simple and keeps the focus on the beautiful golden bronze color. Very Oscar-worthy.
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Worst: Meryl Streep in Alberta Ferretti. I would have liked to see her in something with a little more sparkle. This doesn’t really do much for her. And Emily? That’s all.
Image: Steve Granitz/WireImage.com
