Advertisement
Dublin: 2 °C Tuesday 12 November, 2024
Doug Peters/Doug Peters/EMPICS Entertainment

The Red Carpet at the Oscars: who was the best dressed?

All things sartorial.

“WHO ARE YOU wearing?” Ryan Seacrest – probably the luckiest man in Hollywood – has uttered those words over and over in the past few hours, making the Oscars red carpet as much about the designers as the actresses wearing their creations.

The ladies certainly brought their A-game to Beverly Hills tonight with most of them leaving the usually ubiquitous nude and black gowns at home (even sultry Rooney Mara wore white).

Actually, white was a popular choice, as was the one-shoulder dress and the peplum detail. Angelina Jolie did go for black but then, it’s Anglina Jolie. Plus, there was a split, red lips, lighter hair colour and a cracking smile.

Although there was no one knock out dress, there were some major hits in Gwyneth Paltrow’s structured cape and dress, Octavia Spencer’s elegant and sparkly number and Jessica Chastain’s Alexander McQueen, which gets this author’s vote for the night’s best dressed.

Others, however, looked more Debs disaster (we’re looking at you Stacey Keibler and Penelope Cruz) than old-school glamour.

And then there were the “Marmite” dresses – Emma Stone, Michelle Williams and Viola Davis – which will divide us for days to come.

The red carpet shows during awards season are often more fun than the ceremony itself – unless it’s the less formal (read: boozy) Golden Globes. Moments captured by the voyeuristic backstage cameramen, such as P Diddy’s assistant preening him with a lint brush, gave us an insight into the life of a Hollywood A-lister.

Jessica Chastain brought her proud grandmother Marilyn in an awesomely-sized necklace, teamed with a Marina Rinaldi outfit. Both were delightfully charming with Seacrest and we were then totally rooting for Chastain in the supporting actress category (she lost out to co-star Octavia Spencer in the end).

It was a real family affair, actually, as Mara brought her sister and nominee Jonah Hill’s date was his mother. An unlikely nominee, Hill changed it up a little with a black shirt-bow tie combo and slicked-back hair.

Bridesmaids star and Academy Award nominee Melissa McCarthy brought the first tears of the night while being interviewed with her mother. The actress wore custom Marina Rinaldi, a name that was heard quite a bit on the night.

Trying to steal the show (or make a viral video), Sasha Baron Cohen came in full costume as a walking trailer for his latest offering The Dictator. The comedian wasn’t funny in his interview with Seacrest and his emptying of the contents of his “Kim Jong-il” urn onto the presenter was just a lame advert for his new film. Ryan was rightly unimpressed to be used so – it’s the Oscars dude, have some respect.

After two hours of red carpet coverage, we have so many questions…Did Stacey Keibler look too like an Oscar to look good at the Oscars? Was Emma Stone’s dress too similar to Nicole Kidman’s 2007 Balenciaga to be a real hit? When Ryan Seacrest said the fashion choices were subtle and elegant, did he really mean boring? Who did you miss more, Ryan Gosling or Tilda Swinton?

Have your say on who was best dressed in the poll after the slideshow and leave all your fashion thoughts in the comments section below.

We’ll have more photos of the men later but a tux is a tux is a tux, no?

The Red Carpet at the Oscars: who was the best dressed?
1 / 44
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Gwyneth Paltrow chose a structured Tom Ford gown with matching cape.
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Emma Stone in Giambattista Valli.
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Michelle Williams wears Louis Vuitton. She wasn't even sure about its colour but thinks it may be coral. We're going with red-ish or orange-y. Image: AP Photo/Matt Sayles
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    As Michelle has divided the crowd with this one, we've added an extra photo to help make up your mind. It's also just a really sweet image. Image: AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Angelina Jolie shows off some leg in this Atelier Versace.
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Leslie Mann with husband Judd Apatow.
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Jennifer Lopez in plunge-line Zuhair Murad. Image: AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Anna Faris
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Octavia Spencer stayed loyal to designer Tadashi Shoji. Image: AP Photo/Matt Sayles
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Penelope Cruz in piles of organza by Armani. Image: AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Cameron Diaz was one of the few nudes on show at the ceremony in this sparkly Gucci.
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Sandra Bullock also wore Marchesha. Another one that is more stunning at the back. Image: AP Photo/Matt Sayles
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Meryl Streep in gold. Not so subtle.
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    The Descendents' Shailene Woodley, 20, in Valentino Couture. Image: AP Photo/Matt Sayles
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Tina Fey in custom Carolina Herrera which also featured a peplum detail. The fashion house said it wanted to design for one actress only for the biggest night of the year - and Fey won out. Again, this one is dark navy and not black as it appears.
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Stacy Keibler (George Clooney's partner) in Marchesha.
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Vera Wang "did right by me," Viola Davis said of her dress. Deciding to go sans wig, she told E! that her mother did her hair. Image: AP Photo/Matt Sayles
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    She may not have won the Oscar but Jessica Chastain stole the show on the Red Carpet. Image: AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Chastain's dress actually looked much nicer on TV than it photographs so here's another image to try and even the score.
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Berenice Bejo in mint-coloured (and maybe Kate Middleton wedding dress-inspired) Eli Saab. Image: AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Natalie Portman glams up a vintage Dio rred and black polka-dot gown with Harry Winston diamonds.
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Glenn Close stunning in a fishtail, green number complete with short jacket. Image: AP Photo/Matt Sayles
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Kristen Wiig in J Mendel.
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Rooney Mara in white. In other words, Rooney Mara was not wearing black. She said she only picked the Givenchy dress this morning. Image: AP Photo/Matt Sayles
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Esperanza Spalding wins Best Hair of the night in my book.
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Kate Mara. Image: AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Rose Byrne in a loose-fitted Vivienne Westwood. Although it photographs black, it seemingly was navy or some shade of dark blue. It was also backless and very pretty from behind. Image: AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Busy Philipps came as Michelle William's date.
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Maya Rudolph. Image: AP Photo/Matt Sayles
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    More colour from Missi Pyle. Image: AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Wendi McLendon-Covey
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Ellie Kemper in what she described as rust Armani Privé Image: AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Jane Seymour - She's 61! Image: AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Bridesmaids' Melissa McCarthy in custom Marina Rinaldi, who must have been busy pre-Oscars. Image: AP Photo/Matt Sayles
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Lea Thompson.
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    For her first Oscars, Milla Jovovich chose a stunning one-shouder Elie Saab.
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Funny lady Judy Greer. Image: AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Modern Family's Sarah Hyland in Alberta Feretti.
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    TV presenter Maria Menounos.
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Kelly Osbourne was reporting for E! on the night and even her pink hair was subtle enough for the job. Image: AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Nancy O'Dell was the first on the red carpet on the night. Designer unknown.
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Supporting actress nominee Janet McTeer.
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Sherri Shepherd
  • The 84th Academy Awards

    Virginia Madsen.

Who was the best-dressed on the night?


Poll Results:

Gywneth Paltrow (126)
Jessica Chastain (38)
Penelope Cruz (31)
Cameron Diaz (28)
Angelina Jolie (22)
Milla Jovovich (21)
Jennifer Lopez (21)
Emma Stone (18)
Leslie Mann (18)
Maria Menounos (17)
Kelly Osbourne (16)
Tiny Fey (15)
Michelle Williams (15)
Lea Thompson (14)
Meryl Streep (12)
Sherri Shephard (10)
Natalie Portman (9)
Stacy Keibler (9)
Maya Rudolph (9)
Kate Mara (9)
Esperanza Spalding (8)
Jane Seymour (8)
Sarah Hyland (8)
Rooney Mara (8)
Ellie Kemper (7)
Rose Byrne (6)
Octavia Spencer (6)
Melissa McCarthy (5)
Sandra Bullock (5)
Kristen Wiig (4)
Janet McTeer (4)
Nancy O'Dell (2)
Viola Davis (2)
Berenice Bejo (2)
Judy Greer (1)
Missi Pyle (1)
Wendi McLendon-Covey (1)
Virginia Madsen (1)
Anna Faris (1)
Shailene Woodley (1)
Busy Philipps (1)

Author
Sinead O'Carroll
View 12 comments
Close
12 Comments
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.