Fashion Trends: Oscars 2010

Academy Awards Fashion Re-Cap

Now that the Oscars are over, the winners announced, parties partied, and Ryan Seacrest interviewed-out (if that’s possible,) it’s time to talk fashion.

The 2010 Oscar Red Carpet was awash with beautiful people dressed to the nines, and thanks to several bold statements we can now articulate the fashion trends for the upcoming season. Almost every important name in fashion was represented, with Marchesa, Elie Saab, Badgely Mischka, Chanel, and Armani Prive draping multiple beauties. The stars let the dresses take center stage, providing a simple palate for the courageous fashion choices that dictated the carpet. The 2010 Oscars was all about the strapless dress, bare neckline, and sophisticated, effortless updo.

Demi Moore, whose bronze bondage top Versace with a ruffled train was accented with simple Van Cleef and Arpels diamond and sapphire drop earrings, loosely upswept hair and no necklace—one of her best looks.

Penelope Cruz also went for strapless. Her voluminous Donna Karan matched the carpet—always risky—but no one can pull off red like Cruz. The jagged, dramatic neckline was offset by a bare neck and updo, and she kept the dress the main statement with simple Sergio Rossi black satin heels and diamond drop earrings by Chopard.

Elizabeth Banks was also on trend in a strapless pale blue Versace with a tight bodice, flowing train, no necklace and updo. Maggie Gyllenhaal went for a strapless Dries van Noten column dress recently seen on the Paris runways, which she wore with simply pulled back hair, minimal jewelry and a refreshing pink lipstick.

Ingenues Amanda Seyfried, Rachel McAdams, and Miley Cyrus, in Giorgio Armani Prive, Elie Saab, and Jenny Packham, respectively, were tasteful, polished, and on trend.

McAdams’ colorful, strapless gown from the Spring 2010 Elie Saab Haute Couture collection was whimsical and romantic, with a sweetheart neckline and a flowing organza skirt with prints of pinks, blues and green. She, too, rejected a necklace in favor of statement Lorraine Schwartz diamond pendant earrings.

Seyfried looked like an ice queen with her slicked back pale hair and flawless alabaster skin off-setting her sea foam green silk gown, whose structured Swarovski crystal bustier and blunt strapless neckline managed to be at once risky and classic. (One very welcome trend on the red carpet: the lack of spray tans!)

Cyrus was age-appropriate in a champagne gown with a strapless bustier bodice and flowing silk and tulle skirt. It fit her perfectly, and her loose updo was fresh and easy, accented with dazzling flower-shaped diamond and ruby earrings from Lorraine Schwartz.

The successful risk-takers of the evening were Jennifer Lopez, in Armani Prive, and Vera Farmiga, in Marchesa. Lopez’s iridescent, pale pink silk Prive could have gone horribly wrong, but it worked for a number of reasons. She paired the striking neckline and unusual silhouette with simple hair and makeup and minimal jewelry, which kept the look from being over the top. She looked elegant and ornate, and the color was beautiful against the red carpet. If you can’t wear a dress of that caliber to the Oscars, then when can you wear it?

Vera Farmiga’s fuschia Marchesa was a difficult color to wear successfully against the red carpet, and its theatrical ruffled pleats added to the challenge. However, Marchesa is a red carpet favorite, and once again the strapless cut teamed with simple hair and jewelry resulted in an overall look that was risky, eye-catching and unique. She reminded me of a brilliant sea coral—and that’s a compliment.

So who didn’t pull off the strapless/hair up trend to such good effect? Well, Kristen Stewart, for one. Although navy is always a welcome color on the red carpet, (Mariska Hargitay wore it well in her strapless Vera Wang,) Stewart’s was too stark. Her pulled back hair was harsh, and the dress seemed ill-fitting–simply too plain for her lack of jewelry.

Lets talk color. Pinks and purples were in abundance. In addition to Farmiga and Lopez, we saw Queen Latifah in a jewel-encrusted Badgley Mischka Couture light purple frock, Charlize Theron in a controversial Dior Haute Couture amethyst and lilac bustier gown with rose detailing, and Anna Kendrick in pale pink Elie Saab.

And then there was Zoe Saldana, in perhaps the riskiest, most statement-making dress of the night. Her purple Givenchy seemed a departure for the couturier as well, who is known for classic, understatedly simple silhouettes–the antithesis of this dress. The strapless, beaded bodice continued down to purple cloud-like folds at the bottom with a slit up the front. The stunning beauty paired it with an 80 carat amethyst Lorraine Schwartz ring. One thing’s for sure–love the look or hate it, eyes were definitely on Saldana last night.

Best Actress Winner Sandra Bullock went for a polished look in Marchesa, Neil Lane diamonds, and Jimmy Choos. She was one of the few women, along with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet, who opted to wear her hair down. Sculpted, immaculate, and worn over one shoulder, her hair was the perfect accent to the little capped sleeves and intricate detailing of her Marchesa frock. The splash of red lipstick was the icing on the cake to an immaculate look.

Cameron Diaz also rocked the hair worn over one shoulder trend, in a glittering Oscar de la Renta gown that, while not risky or groundbreaking, completed her flawless overall look. Kate Winslet also exuded polished perfection. With her perfectly styled hair, icy grey Yves Saint Laurent metallic column gown and a Tiffany & Co custom-made yellow diamond necklace worth $165,000, Winslet emanated classic old-Hollywood glamour.

So, who missed the mark last night? While there were no fashion disasters, there were indeed some looks that were lacking. Although undoubtedly a brilliant actress, Helen Mirren made an odd fashion choice. Unlike Meryl Streep, who was age-appropriate and resplendent in white Chris March, (that was long sleeves done right,) Mirren’s beaded silver satin Badgley Mischka fell short. The sheer jewel encrusted sleeves were, in a word, tacky, and her updo looked sloppy when it should have been coiffed. The 125-carat oval-shaped diamond necklace and drop earrings by Chopard tried their best to save the look, but nothing could be done about the bland color of the dress and the strange spaghetti-strap sleeves with the long sheer ones over them.

It saddens me to say that while I normally love Sarah Jessica Parker’s red carpet style, this look just didn’t come together. All the elements were in place; the pale yellow silk Chanel was an irreverent color choice typical of the fashion ground-breaker. The silver embellishment across the strapless neckline was on trend; however, the dress lost its cohesiveness with that strange yellow ribbon that ran across her throat, which Parker couldn’t seem to stop fidgeting with. The amazing silver jewels from Fred Leighton, featuring a 1950’s diamond swirl bracelet, cognac diamond flexible bracelet, rose-cut diamond bracelet in platinum and sapphire, and 9 carat cushion cut old-mine diamond moon shape ring, complimented the silver in her dress and were undeniably the best part of the ensemble, which was topped off with an unflattering hairstyle that was frizzy on top and stuffy in the back.

And now for the best dressed of the night. I have to give the honor to Diane Kruger and Carey Mulligan, whose personal styles shone through all the red carpet glitz and glamour. These two women wore their dresses as opposed to letting the dresses wear them, and the fresh little details of their respective looks speaks to a creative and humorous approach to a task so many find overwhelmingly stressful—getting it right for Oscar.

Sticking to Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, Kruger was the epitome of European chic. Not your usual Academy Awards gown, the cream dress with black insets was sophisticated and fragile, and fit Kruger’s silhouette perfectly. She kept the look simple, avoiding heavy earrings that would have distracted from the high neckline. She added Chanel’s black and white diamond “Camelia Nervure” brooch to her chic updo—the perfect accent.

Carey Mulligan balanced her Prada, with its heavy and dark shape and sweetheart neckline, with a blonde pixie look and shoulder-dusting Fred Leighton silver-on-gold diamond earrings. The jeweled bustier of the strapless frock was detailed with Swarovski crystal flowers, as well as tiny forks, knives, scissors, and other charms, making it a curious and stunning mix of whimsical and dramatic, much like the actress herself. And that is the key: the perfect Oscar dress, (or any dress for that matter,) isn’t necessarily the one by the most prestigious label. It is instead the one that is an extension of its wearer—the second skin that makes you feel at ease, confident, and, inarguably, best dressed.