Thank you for my fashion.*

Well, the much-anticipated (at least, much-anticipated by me!) Academy Awards were on last evening. I enjoyed all five hours of the show, from the first few minutes of the E! pre-show to the credits displaying all of the upcoming movies of 2009. Yes, I'm one of those people, the drink-up-all-the-celebrity-buzz types. Not that you couldn't already discern this fact from perusing a few pages of my blog.

I must admit that I wasn't completely sold on the gowns of choice. These are the Oscars, people! Time to pull out the big guns! White and red seemed to be common selections, but I'm sure my best friend Pretty Cheap Dress will have plenty to say on the trends of the night, so I'll just stick with my favorites:


Taraji P. Henson, nominee, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I thought the dress was simple, yet glamorous. The perfect complement to the stunning bauble that draped her neck.



Marion Cotillard, attendee, Best Actress Winner 2008. This is the kind of dress I look forward to seeing at awards shows! Daring and original! I'm really loving the blue and black combination, though I must admit that Reese Witherspoon's attempt was not such a success.



Jennifer Aniston, presenter. I was rooting for her to be stunning, and she did not disappoint. She was not too adventurous with her look, but she didn't need to be-the hair, the dress, pure loveliness. Take that, Angelina! (You won't find any pictures of HER on my blog, though I do admit her dress, with the accompanying jewelry was quite nice.)



Penelope Cruz, nominee/winner, Vicky Christina Barcelona. It took me a while to warm up to this dress, but the longer that I watched, the more I liked it. Penelope usually makes great choices on awards show evenings, and at first, I thought her dress was a bit too conservative. Closer examination definitely proved me wrong.




Marisa Tomei, nominee, The Wrestler. I loved Marisa's dress, despite the fact that she might be a teensy bit too pale for the silver white shade. This was the one gown that my mom and I disagreed on-sorry, Mom! I just can't help it! I love the satin, the layers...



Whoops! I have NO idea how that got in there! Who is THAT guy?



Tina Fey, presenter. Now, some of you may look at this dress and wonder why I singled it out for special consideration. It’s not that unique, and really not all that flashy. My answer is this: I love seeing Liz Lemon all dressed up! In both of the past awards shows (for which she was nominee and winner), Tina Fey really hasn’t gone out of her way to look glamorous. This was her best effort so far, and I was super-pleased to see it!



Kate Winslet, nominee/winner, The Reader. A wonderful dress for a wonderful actress. I love Kate because she recognizes that, as a nominee, there is an expectation that one will truly “look the part.” It’s not the time to play it safe (I’m NOT talking about you, Bjork! Be daring, within reason!). She chose a beautiful and unusual gown, opted for sleek, stylish hair, and exuded grace and poise. By the way, I highly recommend The Reader. It’s an excellent film.

I had to include these post-Oscars pictures from the Vanity Fair Oscar bash, because I absolutely love both dresses.



Marion Cotillard. She’s on fire tonight!



Rosario Dawson. Love, love, love this dress. Even though it’s white.

*the words of my cousin’s darling daughter-she’s only four, but she obviously appreciates a nice dress!