Glamour was on display from head to toe at the Academy Awards, from the jewels Hollywood’s leading ladies wore in their hair to the diamonds dotting their sandals.
And then there were the gowns that clung to every curve. Competing for the best-actress honors as well as the best-dressed actress on the red carpet were the young, sexy Catalina Sandino Moreno, in cleavage-baring white Roberto Covalli, and Hilary Swank, whose backless blue Guy Laroche gown showed off her sculpted physique.
It was a night for heavenly bodies. These gals looked like they’ve been busy with their personal trainers and surviving on diets of water and endive leaves. Among the standouts were Salma Hayek, in a Prada gown that nipped in at the waist and had a mermaid hemline, to Rene Zellweger in a strapless red stunner by Carolina Herrera.
It was also clear that the seamstresses were busy custom-tailoring clothes – Virginia Madsen told an interviewer she was undecided until the last moment but picked the blue Versace because it fit her so well.
Also stunning in blue was Kate Winslet, whose Badgley Mischka gown was accented with jewels. (The design team was popular, with Regina King and Helen Mirren wearing their gowns too.)
Gray isn’t a color you would normally think of as one to dazzle the millions of viewers who tune into the Academy Awards, but that didn’t stop some of Hollywood’s leading ladies from choosing it. Laura Linney’s dove gray J. Mendel gown was beautifully accented with ruffles on the skirt and a pearl lariat necklace. Kim Porter, arriving with Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, chose gray lace by Zac Posen, while Halle Berry’s dress had a silvery sheen.
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2005 ACADEMY AWARDS
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Golds and yellows were the other color stories. Cate Blanchett wore a buttery Valentino Couture gown, and Penelope Cruz modeled a pale strapless Oscar de la Renta style. Oprah Winfrey went for the gold.
The guys were the fashion rebels, with Spike Lee wearing a goofy-looking black velvet fez and Air Jordan XXs with his white Dolce & Gabbana suit. Johnny Depp is always on his own path, this time wearing a blue shawl-collared suit.
Some awards
Biggest coup by a music mogul-turned- designer: Chris Rock wore formalwear from Sean Jean’s red carpet collection, the line by Sean “P. Diddy” Combs.
Biggest letdown: The normally stunning Charlize Theron got lost in all the ruffles on her pale gown.
Most photogenic couple: No contest, Leonardo DiCaprio, in his Prada suit, and supermodel Gisele Bundchen, in a white strapless Christian Dior gown.
Bending my ears award: Madsen, whose massive ear bobs threatened to damage her lobes.
Jewelry overdose: The necklace Beyonc Knowles wore to sing “Learn to Be Lonely” from “The Phantom of the Opera” looked like it was stolen from a chandelier.
Most glamorous return to the red carpet: The cool and chic-looking Gwyneth Paltrow in a pale, clingy gown by Stella McCartney.
