As for my favorites…I agree with you on Natalie Portman. She looked gorgeous! My other favorites were Anne Hathaway, Freida Pinto, and Alecia Keyes.

I disagree with you on Evan Rachel Wood. The way she wore her hair and carried herself in that structural dress was a bit severe and scared me a little.

As for my least favorites…I agree with you on Jessica Biel. Her dress looked like a Geisha’s gown on sideways. And my least favorite hair was Kate Winslet–not sure how she even achieved that crazy style.

After the red carpet show, I LOVED watching the awards this year. I loved the multiple presenters for the acting awards, and I loved the song and dance routines. Best Oscars in years, in my opinion!

For me it is a tie between Taraji and Meryl. I agree Meryl looks completely age appropriate and stunning. This is how you rock an evening gown if you are over a certain age and don’t have a size 0 figure. Yeah!!! Of course, I adore Meryl and consider her the World’s Greatest Actress of All Time, so I may be a little partial

I love the shape of Evan Rachel Wood’s dress a lot, it is very lovely. However, I do not like the color of that dress on her at all – she looks completely washed out to me, and kinda ghost-like and scary. I don’t think it’s the dress color so much as the dark nail polish and way-too-heavy eyeshadow, plus severe bun, which is quite jarring. She looks like a goth/zombie bride to me! Nope, I think that Nicole Kidman, who has similar coloring, could rock this dress much better, because she’d have gone a lot more subtle on the makeup.

Meanwhile Taraji has a similar shade dress and it looks so lovely and fresh on her. She kept the makeup more subtle, and completely glows in the dress, without looking too bridal. I also love, love, love seeing a short hairdo that looks red-carpet ready without being up-do’d, hairsprayed, and tortured to death.

Angelina – love the dress, it’s fantastic. HATE the tattoos. I don’t mind tattoos on the right person, but not on Angelina, and definetly not with this type of classic, elegant dress. Without the tattoos, she’d be my favorite.

Worst dressed of the night for me was Tilda Swinton.

I almost completely agree with you Angie. The one dress you didn’t mention that I think was breathtaking was the one worn by Miley Cyrus – I thought it was princess-worthy.

Thanks, Meredith and Shiny. I’m sure they’ll be lots of different opinions on who looked fab last night. Don’t forget the blokes!

Angelina’s tattoos are what they are and part of who she is. Unfortunately there’s little she can do about that at this stage of the game! I hear you on Evan Rachel’s Ward severe look. I feel she pulled it off though. She’s so ethereal and mannequin like. Very dramatic. Loved it.

Tanya, Miley’s dress was a work of art for sure. Extremely ornate and beautiful. I’d have liked to see that on someone like SJP or Penelope Cruz. It was too much dress for a teenager IMO. But if she felt like a princess, I’m happy for her

I loved Taraji’s look as well as Natalie Portman’s. I did not understand Tilda Swinton’s dress at all. I thought it looked a bit like a sack. I also thought that Miley’s dress was way too much for her. Finally, I was shocked at how Reese Witherspoon looked when she was presenting – she looked awful and I know she is such a beautiful woman!

Thanks Angie, I missed the Oscars, so it is fun to have your recap of the fashion. I loved Freida Pinto’s royal blue indian inspired dress. I also like Marion Catillard’s belted black and blue gown. Natalie Portmen’s dress didn’t do anything for me. I agree on your dislikes and would add Amy Adams and Mickey Rourke. Did anyone see Marissa Tormei? She as so skinny. Way to much. I have seen her more rounded – much better.

Did my own recap actually!

FB’s Recap of the Oscars.

I like Evan Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomei, Meryl Streep and strangely, Jessica Biel’s dress grew on me.

I put Taraji and Natalie on my list too- and I’m putting together the men right now-you’re right, Hugh always looks fabulous!

Wow. This is REALLY interesting. Some people loved what I disliked and vice versa. So far, I’d say that Meryl Streep, Tarji P. Henson, Hugh Jackman and Natalie Portman are common “fabulous” contenders. Keep it coming.

I totally agree with you!

However, I have an interesting sidenote. Apparently, Angelina’s and Rachel’s dress are the same dress! Slightly modified for each, and in different colours, but originally the same. Obviously both actresses have very different looks and styles and so wore them very differently, but still…

And how funny that both are your top picks

That is interesting, Elika. I guess my style preferences are consistent. (Consistent with your preferences too).

I pretty much agree with your entire list. I too feel like the fashions were a bit lacking. It seems like there were better outfits in past years. I think my favorite from the list is Taraji – loved the dress and the hair is just killer. It made me want to take her picture right down to my hair stylist! Natalie Portman also looked lovely. I thought Angelina looked lovely, but I would have liked a brighter color dress. Overall, I love awards show dresses in bright colors.

Frieda Pinto is absolutely gorgeous, but I too wasn’t crazy about her dress. I think it would have been awesome if she wore a really pretty sari.

I thought Kate Winslet looked beautiful from the neck up, but I the dress wasn’t killer. She has done better in past years. I liked Anne Hathaway’s dress, but the color sort of washed her out.

As for the men, I agree with you on Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig and Philip Seymour. Did not care for Mickey Rourke or Sean Penn’s tuxes. For men, I prefer a more traditional look with a bow tie instead of a regular tie.

Jessica Biel’s dress was horrible. The length didn’t even look correct.I also didn’t care for Sarah Jessica Parker’s dress. I was never into Sex and the City and I just don’t get the SJP love. Also, add Tilda Swinton to the women’s worst dressed.

Whenever I watch these awards shows I find myself thinking how much better some of these actresses could do considering all the money and resources they have.

Oh Violet, now THAT’s a brilliant idea. Seeing Frieda Pinto is a dazzling Indian sari would have taken my breath away. Why, why, why did she not do it? Would also have loved to see Dev Patel in a Nehru suit. Now that would have been KILLER.

I LOVE Kate Winslet and have a soft spot for her (like I do for Cate Blanchett who wasn’t even there last night which made me sad). I thought her dress was quite nice, but not stunning. SJP did not look good. Too much bosom and awful hair. Amy Adams is another really pretty gal and yet I felt her dress looked matronly. Penelope Cruz is another one of my fav’s and I can’t for the life of me believe what her hair stylist did to her hair? And she has such beautiful hair. It’s such a shame.

I kept staring at SJP when she was presenting…expecting a mishap with the top half of her dress! Hated Jessica Biel – both that napkin dress and the messy, ‘just back from the gym’ hair.

I’m probably in the minority, but I loved Marion Cotillard. A completely different look from last years, but it still was something to look at. I also really liked Evan Rachel Wood’s monochromatic paleness – everything seemed to work with the hair, the cut and the colour. Plus it was so nice not seeing an overly tanned young woman.

I was actually disappointed with Tilda Swinton. I always look forward to seeing her wear some truly bizarre ‘high fashion’ styles and last night left me cold. Seemed far too boring.

Oh, and one last thing. Did anyone else notice the abundance of very dark colours for manicures?

And continuing on the consistency note: I just noticed that 4 of your favorites are strapless dresses (and the 5th one also has a clean shoulder line), while most of the least favorites have something big going on around the shoulders.

The 5 pictures side by side seem absolutely very consistent stylewise, and I’m now wondering if other people also find that there list of favorites have some things in common? This made me realize that for example I do in general like strapless dresses better than spaghetti straps. Funny how you recognize certain things coming back

Oh, and I also saw all the dark nails and was quite disappointed. Not my cup of tea…

I’ll admit that I didn’t watch the show (sorry!), but so far I’m just adoring both Portman and Hathaway … gorgeous gowns for gorgeous girls.

Bests: Evan Rachel Wood was hands down my favorite for the night. I’m always so impressed by people who can shine in nude colored dresses :] I also agree that Hugh Jackman looked great the whole night (but I didn’t expect any less from him). I actually also liked Marisa Tomei’s origami-cut dress.

Worsts: Heidi Klum actually turned me off the most. I also agree that Amanda Seyfried’s oversized bow made her look like a Christmas present you wouldn’t care to receive. Also, Kate Winslet’s and Beyonce’s respective dresses did nothing for me. Actually, Beyonce’s dress was such a shame since she has the body to work

Also, during the emotional acceptance of Heath Ledger’s best supporting actor award, I noticed that his mother and sister both looked absolutely beautiful.

I loved the hair and accessories more than the dresses this year.

My winner was the director of best documentary short film – I don’t even know her name! – she was tall and thin and wore this gorgeous deep red satin dress with beautifully contrasting ivory satin detail on the back. Couldn’t find a picture today but she obviously dressed for her body.

Loved Penelope in vintage Balmain (the detail of dress was lost on TV though) and Marian Cotillard. If you are going to do “princess” then they got it right.
Penelope’s hair – you are right Angie.
Anne Hathaway looked fabulous too.

Tilda should get a category of her own – she is the only major risk taker.

Awful – Beyonce, Marisa Tomei and Jessica Biel.
SJP and Miley didn’t rock their princess looks – too much on Miley and SJP’s dress didn’t fit well in the bust.

Kate Winslet – kind of safe? Not sure on her dress.

There were a couple of other stars whose dresses I found pretty:

Lisa Rinna = I liked the vibrancy of the color of her dress and it fit her well.

Virginia Madsen = I’m not a fan of red but in this dress it worked for me.

Kate Winslet= Love the dress!!!

I didn’t like Mary Hart’s dress…..she was blending with the background behind her in one photo. Way too flowery!!!

Another trend that was not my favorite was the mermaid-like dresses that several stars were sporting. The only one I did like from that mermaid crowd was that of Vanessa Hudgens.

Like you Angie, I was really pretty disapointed with the overall choices of the dresses. I can’t say I was blown away by anyone. That said:

Taraji was at the top of my list. Beautiful hair, dress, accesories. Gorgeous.
Marion Cotillard’s dress looked striking and original.
Natalie Portman looked lovely (as always). Nice fresh color.
I thought Alicia Keys looked nice in her bright lavender too. Too much eye makeup and false lashes, though. She could barely keep her eyes open.
Angelina’s emerald jewlery was a knock-out. The dress was beautifully dramatic.

YUCK list: Beyonce! (Las Vegas hotel curtains) Jessica Biel (bath towel) Sofia Loren (crazy cupcake) Philip Seymour (bad black beenie) Mickey Rourke (enough said)

And Tilda Swinton just looks like she’s from another planet. But at least she’s interesting. Everyone else was neither here nor there. Safe, boring, or pretty but not worth mentioning. I like Angie’s choices for best dressed men.

Interesting comment that ERW and Angelina’s dresses were the same (with a different bodice, I guess). I liked ERW’s better because the detailing was more apparent thanks to the color of the fabric. There was one photo that really showed the details of Angelina’s dress and I liked it much more once I saw that photo.

Otherwise, for me, Natalie Portman was best dressed, but I am partial to the color.

I agree with your choices Angie except for ERW. As much as I liked her dress, I felt the color really washed her out. Taraji was the top of my list – that same color suited her skin tone so much better and I adored her statement necklace. Violet, I was totally thinking of you when I saw her hair – it looks gorgeous! Loved the color of Natalie Portman’s dress but I thought her makeup was so so. It seemed like everyone else was trying to play it safe this year and I felt that there way too many nude/white/cream dresses. Freida Pinto’s dress was a disappointment too – gorgeous color, not so great dress. I too wished that she wore a sari….

BTW, I have loved Tilda Swinton ever since I saw her in Orlando many years ago. As weird as her dress was, at least she’s a risk taker (in the same vein as Cher or Bjork!).

I haven’t seen anyone yet mention Goldie Hawn’s look, which was quite dreadful. She is a beautiful woman, but seems not to realize that she isn’t 19 anymore.

I was very disappointed with how much messy, unstyled hair was in evidence this year. “I have The Dress. I have The Jewels. And to top it all off, I think I’ll just wear my hair the way I would if I were dashing out to Starbucks…”

I seem to be in the minority, but I really disliked Mylie Cyrus’s dress. To me, it looked like a gingerbread house. (Interesting, since I see that Tanya adored it, and I adore Tanya’s own personal style.)

I had mixed thoughts on Tilda Swinton. I didn’t see the full-length dress until I saw a photo this morning, and when I saw the whole thing, I understood it better. Last night, when she was presenting the supporting actress award, they were showing her from the waist up and I thought she might have bed linens knotted around her neck. The full look is certainly a lot better.

Meryl Streep was lovely, though the gray alongside her daughter’s taupe was a bit subtle for television.

Angie, you are so right about Freida Pinto — a sari would have been a spectacular choice. I was recently at a very fancy, traditional Hindu wedding, and almost every sari I saw there was more magnificent than almost any gown I saw at the Oscars.

Does anyone have an all-time favorite Oscar gown? I loved the famous “absinthe green” embroidered Galliano-for-Dior dress that Nicole Kidman wore in 1997. Remember that one?

Watched the Oscars for the first time (!) and was blown away – I think it was a cut-down version for late-night Australian tv (hardly any red carpet business). So proud of “our” Hugh, who presented with charm and elegance. But to the fashion! Sorry that so few of you liked Tilda Swinton. I thought she looked wonderfully stylish – OK, not princessy meringuey, but I thought her sculpted hair worked (unlike poor Kate Winslet’s, which appeared to have been concreted) and while she didn’t double-cross her angular style, the lovely drape of the Lanvin outfit looked superb. Like Meryl (Queen of the Night), Tilda stood out for looking her age and looking fantastic.

I thought Heidi Klum’s hair looked awful. It was flat, greasy, and it looked like she didn’t even bother to touch up the color. The makeup and dress didn’t help either.

I’m going to weigh in on Frieda Pinto: I am actually glad she didn’t show up in a sari. I’m sure she gets a good dose of glamorous saris at home. But how many chances does she have to sport a lovely couture dress? It would have been incredibly easy and predictable to show up in Indian garb, IMO. Having said that, I wasn’t crazy about her dress, but I understood it. It had a sort of Indian feel to it with the sheer sleeve and the beading, and the color did look beautiful on her. It was just kind of awkward in how it was constructed, though it was a thousand times better than the rumpled mess she wore to the Golden Globes. I did love her hair though. It was so feminine, neat, and pretty. She gets my award for most natural beauty. I didn’t notice her makeup at all.

I’m the only one in the world who didn’t care for Meryl Streep, but she was certainly far from the worst dressed there. That honor goes to Jessica Biel.

For me, the show-stoppers were those slum kids! I am not really a kid person, but I was so delighted to see them in little tuxedos and a pretty dress. That must have been a complete fairy tale for them. I also wish I saw Pinki from “Smile Pinki”, the movie that won the award for best short documentary. No dress can compare to the warm and fuzzy feeling I got from these kids!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7886089.stm

I have to vote for Kate Winslet, I really liked her dress, the blue color, the asymetrical neckline, it all worked for me.

But the biggest thing I noticed was the strapless look ruled. (And what is with all the white and offwhite?) And I don’t think strapless is always the most flattering choice, there were a few people who looked lovely in them, and a few who – altho in mostly wonderful shape – were showing a bit too much skin. Little things show up like arms that are tan and toned, but still show the aging texture that skin gets in your 40s (Jennifer Anniston) on the underside of your arms. Or busts that looked like they had been hoisted up beyond what is natural (Sarah Jessica Parker). It was refreshing to see some different looks – halters, sheaths, etc. I liked the red dress the documentary winner wore.

And Sophia Loren is still gorgeous, but cleavage at that age, just isn’t attractive.

I really appreciated the jewelry, some art-deco type pieces that were really terrific.

It was fun, but I agree with Angie, not the best year for dresses.

Hehehe I love your site, but I so often don’t agree when it comes to award ceremonies! I thought Jolie looked dull – in part because of her face and bearing, she seemed plastic and haughty. The dress was OK but not startling.

I loved Viola Davis’ gold halter neck, as well as Marisa Tomei’s frock – I thought the sculptural pleats were startling and worked really well on the red carpet. But otherwise yes, a boring year for fashion.

And oh yes, Nancy … what was going on with Sarah Jessica Parker’s breasts? Egads!

Absolutely agreed on your bests! Angie was by far my favorite. I love when the jewelry is the focus.

My biggest disappointment was SJP, she looked like Glinda the Good Witch!

I loved Kate Winslet’s dress, I also love Taraji P. Henson’s dress. I thought Angelina Jolie looked boring – very average black dress – nothing to write home about.

I was scared by the bosoms of both Sarah Jessica Parker and Goldie Hawn, neither who seemed to have enough fabric to keep their breasts covered.

There was very little excitement or interest this year – maybe because of the recession, but it was all pretty conservative.

Horses for courses, ladies. There is little consensus between what was fab and what was drab on the Oscars red carpet last night. That’s okay. That way there was a different favourite for everyone. Good going.

But no one joined me in loving the Nehru suits of the male Indian slumdog crew. Come on!

I thought that Lisa Rinna’s dress was amazing. Sadly the rest of her was not up to par with the dress. But the dress’ style and color just thrilled me.

However, best looking couple absolutely went to Sean Penn and his wife. WOW! They both looked sleek and elegant and just plain beautiful.

Worst for me by far were Phillip Seymore Hoffman and Heidi Klum. ICK

I just find mens’ style in general to be boring, and it seems to cut across cultures. If a man shows up in an expensive, impeccably tailored suit (Western, Nehru, or otherwise), he’s a hit. They don’t get any remarkable choice in color or silhouette. While I enjoy subtle details, I also enjoy some variety.

Women are just far more interesting to see. The dresses are much more varied, they get bags and jewelry to accessorize with, and hair and makeup as well. Really, every man there looked the same except for Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Mickey Rourke, who both looked awful.

Dev Patel looked adorable. I wanted to pinch his cheeks and give him a noogie!

It goes without saying that woman are aesthetically more interesting to look at than men from a style and fashion point of view, which is why there is a multibillion dollar fashion industry about WOMEN. Maya, what’s a noogie?

I saw “Fashion Police” last night (a tele program that devotes an hour to discussing that was fab and drab on Oscar night). It was amazing to hear how opinions differed between the fashion and style gurus. The fact that they also differed here was totally expected. But Natalie Portman came out tops while Jessica Biel reigned as worst dressed. Robert Downey Junior was crowned best dressed male, while Phillip Seymour Hoffman came out as worst. Our personal preferences will weigh in. For example, what I found perfect, Imogen found boring. What I felt didn’t work, others felt was fab. It’s great that we can voice our opinions freely and constructively here on YLF. I hope that never changes.

I didn’t see the actual ceremony, but after looking at the pictures, I’d say I have two favourites:

Taraji P. Henson. The hair, the necklace, the perfectly fitting ruffled dress. Gorgeous!
And Natalie Portman. I absolutely adore her dress too. It drapes beautifully and the colour is stunning on her, not completely convinced about her make-up though.

I didn’t care much for Angelina’s black dress (fantastic earrings though) and was very disappointed with Jessica Biel’s choice. I think both of them could have done much better…

All in all I have to agree with Angie: 2009 was not the most exciting year for Oscar dresses;-)

you you please please give us more pics of the worst dressed? thanks for providing pics of the best dressed ladies!

please send us more pics!!! and what about the pics of the worst dressed?? I want to seeeeee

I didn’t see a lot of outstanding, but I didn’t think Beyonce even had competition for worst dressed. And it was her own label. words can’t describe the stiff curtain rod mermaid look.

SJP always walks the edge but would have been a reasonable choice… if the top half had fit.

Really like marisa tomie’s. all those pleats and the length. very interesting and elegant fun. Taraji look nice as well with the dressing being both interesting and glamarous.

Wish I could critique the guys more, but I’m so bored that all we ever get to wear is tuxedos, and even when the cut or material is interesting, the all black makes it irrelevant on tv and in pics. That said, Robert Downey Jr looked good, though I couldn’t put my finger on why his was any better than anyone elses (well, I could put my finger on why his was better than Mickey Rourkes!)

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