And the Oscar goes to..

Last night the most glamourous event in the Hollywood social calendar took place; the 82nd annual Academy Awards. And although a few of my favourite films from the past year lost out (Inglourious Basterds), the red carpet did not disappoint.

Here are a few of the better ensembles:

Elizabeth Banks looked great in this blue/grey Versace number that matched her eyes, love all the different textures and detailing in the dress from feathers to diamantes to ruffles. Appropriately theatrical for the Oscars. Not to mention it fit her like a dream.

Jeff Bridges looked good in Gucci. Men don't have a lot of options but I thought this was one of the nicer tuxedos of the night.

Resembling her Oscar slightly, Sandra Bullock opted for a gold Marchesa-designed dress which was made using vintage fabric. I really like it, I think it's nice, it's unique. Her hair and makeup are lovely too, very elegant.

Penelope Cruz looked gorgeous in this blood-red draped Donna Karan dress. Flattering colour, flattering shape, very elegant - it's not overstated and trying too hard but it's still appropriately dramatic for the occasion. This is how the Oscars red carpet should be done. Just a hint of Chopard jewellery added that touch of glamour.


Another gold dress that's a big hit. Cameron Diaz looked absolutely stunning in this Oscar de la Renta dress! Very very flattering on her. The makeup really suits her but I'm not a fan of the hair, it's like almost 40s pin curls but not quite - wish she had stuck to some true old Hollywood glamour with the proper hair then this look would have been perfection.

Rachel McAdams looked beautiful in this gorgeous Elie Saab gown, it looks like watercolours. Love the shape of it so much, the draping detail on the bodice is heaven.

Colin Firth looked handsome in Tom Ford, of course. And Livia Firth, Vogue blogger extraordinaire, looked very nice in an eco-friendly gown designed by Orsola de Castro. I think they complement eachother nicely, great couple.

Love Maggie Gyllenhaal (always a red carpet favourite of mine because she has this offbeat style that would never occur to me but I always think looks amazing on her), love Dries Van Noten, a match made in heaven. Very flattering shape on her, love how the colour brings out her eyes. Beautiful pieces of Fred Leighton jewellery. Classic Maggie chic up-do and not overdone makeup, absolutely beautiful, if I went to an event like this I'd hire her as my stylist.

Maggie's brother, Jake also scrubbed up nicely in this Burberry tux.

Vera Farmiga (Best Supporting Actress nominee, Up in the Air) looked absolutely amazing in this Marchesa ruffled number. Love it. Love everything about it. The bold, rich colour really is beautiful. This works really well with her pale skin and matching lips. By far the standout dress of the night.

OK so I've never really been a fan of her style but Kristen Stewart looked amazing wearing one of my favourite eveningwear designers, Monique L'huillier. This is the kind of thing I would choose to wear definitely. Very flattering, and it really suits her gothic glamour vibe, kudos. Hate to say it but she's a definite contender for best dressed of the night.

I have a massive crush on James Cameron's wife. I wasn't really a fan of James Cameron's Versace suit but I though his wife, Suzy Amis, looked incredible - firstly because of how she is clearly just such a natural beauty. She must be in her late fifties but she looked phenomenal and like she really was embracing her age, such a refreshing thing to see in the Hollywood crowd. She had wrinkles, grey hair, hardly any makeup and she clearly was still one of the most beautiful women in the room, I couldn't stop staring at her. Her dress was the winner of a competition she set up designed to encourage eco-friendly fashion, in Avatar blue of course. She looks like a goddess.

Jennifer Lopez's hair and makeup was amazing, she looked really beautiful. This Armani Prive gown is lovely too, not 100% sold on the train coming out of the front/side of the dress but it's definitely interesting, I like the concept. Marc Antony actually looked good for once, thanks to Tom Ford (and the fact that he kept his sunglasses on, his eyes freak me out).

I thought Matt Damon and his wife looked cute-as-you-like, I thought they both looked very classic and elegant. She looked dreamy and feminine, love the pulled back hair and minimal jewellery - statement earrings are all you need with this strapless romantic dress, very simple. He was wearing a very nice Ferragamo tux.

Zac Efron looked great in this fitted Calvin Klein suit. Like I said before, men don't have a lot of options when it comes to dressing for the occasion, it all comes down to fit, good tailoring, the little details. This is a great example of that. I even quite like the shiny shiny shoes.

It pains me to say it but Miley Cyrus looked pretty damn good in this Jenny Packham dress. I'm a huge fan of anything with underwear detailing, I love the emphasised waistline too. It really is just a lovely dress, in a very romantic Spring hue. Although I'm most definitely with the general consensus on this one - it's just far too sexy for the underage Hannah Montana star, quite inappropriate. You'd think her parents would have said something, no?

Some of the blah:

Yes I know it's Chanel couture, but that doesn't give you a free pass. Sarah Jessica Parker looks so orange and this yellow pastel shade doesn't help. I can't put my finger on it. Maybe it's the shape that just doesn't seem extremely flattering? Don't get me wrong it's not bad, but it's not great either. The girl does get points for wearing Nicholas Kirkwood shoes, shame you can't see them.

I LOVE this dress. I am super jealous that John Galliano didn't create this Christian Dior couture masterpiece especially for me. I love the sexy detailing on the bust more than I could possibly say. I love that she keeps it simple and chic with no accessories other than her Harry Winston earrings, what more could a girl need? (This only made it into the blah section because I don't think it is very flattering on her - something about the way the material sits? And also possibly the colours? Maybe couture is best left to the runway.)

I was kind of disappointed by Kate Winslet's outfit choice this year, she's slowly been coming into her own and building momentum over the past couple of years as one to watch on the red carpet (and she's representing us Reading girls everywhere!). She looked phenomenal last year, maybe she made less effort this year because she wasn't nominated? I know it's Yves Saint Laurent but the corseted top feels slightly tacky and obvious on someone with her beautifully curvy figure. Gorgeous hair and makeup though, very dreamy as always. Love the Tiffany necklace as well, reportedly worth around $2.5million, could not be more jealous!

This Prada dress just really missed the mark for me. What is it covered in, tiny little scissors and forks and screws? Not really a fan of how it comes up at the front to expose the shoes either, that seems a bit off. Really not loving her 'elfin crop' everyone seems to be loving as well, I just don't think it suits her face. I'm still waiting to see any discernable style from her that the rest of the fashion world seems to see.

This Armani Prive gown is nice, I like the detailing, but it kind of blends into her orange skin colour - not good. She looked OK, not great.

Tina Fey looks OK, this cut is actually quite flattering, but we've seen this look on her so many times before. She played it very safe with conservative (boring) American designer Michael Kors.

Amanda Seyfriend looked lovely, very cute. Although when I look at this dress it kind of strikes me as playing Disney Princess dress-up a little bit. It's a shame that she picked an Armani Prive dress from the same collection as J-Lo (who I bet was super pissed haha) as they were so similar and it looked like Jenny got the better one.

We get it, Robert Downey Jr., you're a rebel. But sneakers? To the Oscars? Really? They're not even the gorgeous studded Christian Louboutins sneakers, which might have been acceptable. And I know you're wearing Lanvin but that doesn't mean you have to rip off Alber Elbaz's entire look with the quirky glasses and dickie bow, very unoriginal.

Kathryn Bigelow in Yves Saint Laurent. It's not too bad actually, I'm just unclear on the highneck/sleeveless thing going on here, it's not very flattering on the tops of her arms. And why are there like little cut-out hearts around the bust? If you knew you were pretty much going to win the Oscar, wouldn't you choose a better dress? It's kinda drab, kinda blah, nothing exciting about it at all.

I was very disappointed with Nicole Richie's efforts, I'm normally quite a fan of her look but she got it all wrong for me. The dress from Reem Acra is actually really nice but when paired with the slicked back hair in a bun and the over-the-top makeup; it's a disaster! She doesn't even look like the same person. It's too severe for her, it would have been nice to see her have a bit of fun with it.

Helen Mirren looked nice, she looked OK, she looked age-appropriate. HATE those sheer sparkly sleeve things that women of a certain age start doing because they think it covers up their bingo wings and looks flattering - for those alone she goes in the blah section, sorry Badgely Mischka.

And some of the worst:

Zoe Saldana needs a new stylist (I'm free in case you read this, Zoe). Whoever told her this dress was a nice choice for the Oscars is not her friend. To be fair, the chic up-do hair, the natural makeup and the simple understated jewellery all work for her. Her skin looks amazing and the top half of the dress is actually quite nice. But the bottom is horrific, the graduated colour in what looks to be crumpled up tissue paper is just so wrong that I can't really believe Ricardo Tisci for Givenchy couture made this. It just looks tacky.

OK so I hope I don't get lynched by a mob of angry fashionistas but, WOW did Karl Lagerfeld really got it wrong for me this year. Another Chanel couture misstep. Diane Kruger is so beautiful, I love her hair and neutral makeup. But I really hate this dress, it's just so wrong, too fussy. And I hate the fluffy black neck thing with the long ribbons hanging at the back.



This just looks like a bad high school prom dress. Tacky and pink with some rhinestones on it.


OK so by Mariah standards this isn't too bad, but for me it broke the cardinal rule of dressing: boobs or legs, never both. It would have been nice to see some elegance and some class for the Oscars. Granted Mr. Valentino can make a sexy dress, but Oscar appropriate? No. The over the top hoop earrings and the outdated 90s hair and makeup top it off for me. Sorry Mariah fans.

I loves me some Meryl Streep but she looked super-dated in this white 80s-inspired number by Chris March.

Antonio Banderas didn't look too bad (beard aside) but Melanie Griffith was one hot mess. They both looked old and tired in Versace. Her plastic surgery face seemed too tight and kind of wonky? And the dress is a sequin monstrosity that looks kind of old lady when paired with the sheer black shawl thing.

And just in case you didn't already know, here's a list of some of the winners:
Best Actor: Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
Best Actress: Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
Best Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique, Precious
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
Best Picture: The Hurt Locker
Best Animated Feature Film: Up
Best Costume Design: Sandy Powell, The Young Victoria
Best Make Up: Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow, Star Trek

More soon.
Follow the twitter for quicker updates at: http://www.twitter.com/thesculptedheel

Photos from Vogue.co.uk