I am a little tired of strapless gowns and that was the look at the Academy Awards last night. Again. I’d love to see more variety at this extremely formal and glamourous event. Separates, a few more sleeved options, and more sleeveless options that are not strapless.

All that said, my two favourite looks of the evening were strapless gowns. 

Best Dressed Ladies

  • Jessica Chastain and Charlize Theron: I have a tie for first place. Minimal, classic elegance from Jessica Chastain was old hollywood glamour at its best. Red lips, cascading red locks and luxurious tonal sparkle. She was spectacular in an Armani Prive strapless gown. Charlize Theron was statuesque perfection in a bright white sculptured Dior gown. Her tomboy pixie hairstyle injected a whole lot of modern spunk into this retro classic. I LOVED that juxtaposition. Both ladies took my breath away.
  • Octavia Spencer: She shone in an apricot tulle Tadashi Shoji off-the-shoulder gown that beautifully highlighted her hourglass figure. Extremely attractive and radiant. 
  • Halle Berry: I loved her striped Versace number with sharp shoulders and plunging V-neckline. Modern Retro Chic. A breath of fresh air amidst a sea of strapless gowns. Halle dared to be different and it worked.
  • Naomi Watts: Her sci-fi Giorgio Armani gunmetal gown with asymmetrical cutouts was unique, flattering, chic and modern. It’s not easy to look stunning in this style of dress, but Naomi had it down. 
  • Jennifer Hudson: Another breath of fresh air in her long sleeved, shimmering, Roberto Cavalli blue form fitting frock. Her stick straight long hair with severe fringe complemented the texture rich fabrication of the dress. 

I also liked what Jennifer Lawrence, Anne Hathaway, Queen Latifah, Jane Fonda, Kerry Washington, Jennifer Aniston, Adele, Jane Fonda and Stacy Kiebler wore, but they didn’t make my list of absolute favourites. 

Best Dressed Blokes

  • Chris Pine, Jamie Foxx, Christopher Plummer, Hugh Jackman, Christoph Waltz, Robert Downey Jr. and Seth MacFarlane,

Favourite Surprise Gown:

  • Helen Hunt in an H&M frock that was adorned with $750,000 worth of jewelry. 

Best Hair

  • Charlize Theron, Jennifer Hudson, Jessica Chastain, Halle Berry and Reese Witherspoon. 

Best Accessory

  • Nine year old Quvenzhane Wallis wearing her favourite puppy purse, which happens to be a Yorkshire Terrier.  

If you didn’t catch the awards ceremony last night you can see what the stars wore on OK Magazine, Red Carpet Fashion Awards and E Online. Many of the frocks looked better in motion so you won’t see them in all their glory, but you will get a good idea. Please share your best dressed list with us in the comments section.