And The Oscar Goes To...

The Oscars, from the red carpet to the onstage appearances, were a smorgasbord of fashion.
There were plenty of fashion do's and don'ts to enjoy.
One trend we noticed (and liked) included the naked neck - ladies leaving their necks bare of bling, bringing focus to the detailing on gowns and some stunning earrings. It's a trend we first noticed earlier this awards season and one that's growing on us.
One trend we could have done without - the neutral color palette. We know the whole beige, nude, light grey thing is au courant, but we like bolder tones. And frankly, a lot of women need a bit of color to avoid looking washed out.
Oh well, they didn't ask us what to wear, did they?
Here are some of our own Oscar Fashion winners and losers.

Among our clear cut winners from the night:

Oscar host Ellen DeGeneres.
Her first two outfits were especially sharp - femmed up versions of the classic tuxedo.

The garnet velvet tux was a bit Vegas, but very Ellen. And I loved the ivory tux that followed, too.

















Helen Mirren.
She always seems to step out looking just right - the right amount of style, class and maturity. Here, she looked stylish without looking frumpy or like she had borrowed her daughter's outfit.














Cate Blanchett.
Her sleek, silver one-shoulder mesh gown, with an overlay of jet black paillette flowers was gorgeous and she looked spectacular in it.



















Jada Pinkett Smith.
Now here's a woman who knows how to show off the body definition we all wish for without looking too muscular. This gold Carolina Herrera is a beauty and shows off Jada's wonderful skin tone, too.














Rachel Weisz.
This champagne-colored Vera Wang was a stunner. Too bad Weisz felt the need to accessorize with that doorknocker pendant. The dress was enough on its own.














Penelope Cruz.
So what if we've seen this dress before (remember Charlize Theron's pale blue Dior gown a couple of years ago?), this version by Versace looked beautiful.












In the Not Sure (as in I'm not sure if I liked it or not) category:










Jennifer Lopez.
The empire-cut is a hard look to carry off, even for a woman like J Lo. The gown, by Marchesa, was stunning, and yet, in some pictures like this one, she looked frumpy. And am the only one who thought the short, bouffant hair was a bit too dated, and not in a good way?













Jennifer Hudson.
I think we're all thankful that Hudson got rid of that awful metallic python shrug she was wearing on the red carpet. The gown underneath was safe but bland.














But the gown she performed in later was a stunner.
































The Truly Bad

Beyonce.
I love Beyonce but sometimes she doesn't know when to say when. The gown alone might have been fine, but then the strip of chunky beads cutting across the body just makes the whole thing look like a bad arts and craft project. I also could have done without the slit. It ruined the lines of the gown.













Anne Hathaway.
What was up with the big black bow? Not a good look, especially when you're associated with a fashionista fest film like "The Devil Wears Prada." It's one thing for Meryl Streep because well,l she's Meryl Streep and she has never really cared about what people think. But Anne needed to step up and this wasn't it.












Nicole Kidman.

What, is it Christmas already? Take away the big gift wrap bow at the neck, and this might have worked.














Kelly Preston (a.k.a. Mrs. John Travolta).
Words fail. It's just, just.....No.