2011 Oscars: Belle's Best Dressed

Feb 28, 2011

While none of last night’s gowns made me go weak in the knees, there were a number of lovely dresses on the carpet.  And this year, lovely was enough to make the list.  Think of it as grading on a curve.

Michelle Williams in Chanel

This dress really couldn’t be simpler, but the look is sublime.  Flawless skin and an adorable short hairstyle mix with the lightly-colored, sequin gown to create a lovely ethereal look.

Jennifer Lawrence in Calvin Klein

I disliked her Globes dress, so I wasn’t expecting much from Jennifer Lawrence, but this brightly-colored frock is really fabulous.  Because when you have a rocking body, less really is more.

Hilary Swank in Gucci

At first, the feathers on this dress left me cold.  Then I noticed that they were colored in this dramatic gradient-effect, and I was sold.  What can I say? I’m a sucker for ombre.

Mila Kunis in Elie Saab

I really loved this dress.  The Parisian draping on the skirt, the lace embellishments on the bust, and the lilac color make the dress sexy, ladylike and pretty all at the same time.  

It would have been my Best Dressed, but every time I look at the photo, I see Taylor Swift.  Even the hairdo is pure T. Swift.

Sandra Bullock in Vera Wang

After the bang fiasco at the Globes, Sandra Bullock is redeemed in this wonderfully classic and bold gown.  This, ladies, is how a movie star dresses.

Cate Blanchett in Givenchy

This dress was the closest that I came to a wow-moment, and no one is more surprised by my adoration than I am.  This dress should be too strange, too pastel and too armor-like for me.  But every time I look at it, I like it more.  

This gown walks the fine line between interesting/cool and just plain weird.  Cate took a chance and it paid off in a big way.

I also love that she kept the hair simple.  An intricate updo would have ruined the whole thing for me.

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  1. I agree with you almost across the board, though I despised Mila Kunis' dress. I thought she looked like a tacky little hooker, which is too bad, because she's really lovely. Better luck next time, I suppose. But everyone else? Like I said, good pics for your Best Dressed. I thought Cate Blanchett & Michelle Williama,s in particular, looked very, very pretty & classy.

  2. prosecutordc says:

    I'm surprised people liked Cate Blanchett's dress. She looks like a stylized milk-maid to me. I guess I just don't get it. And to me Michelle Williams looks washed out. I guess I don't get ethereal either. Or maybe its the gray winter and I just desire some color. I do appreciate the increasing sleeved dresses at awards ceremonies though.

  3. MAB in VA says:

    On Sandra Bullock – “This, ladies, is how a movie star dresses.” I couldn't agree more!!

  4. Katie says:

    Cate Blanchett's dress was hands down my favorite of the evening. At first I wavered a bit, leaning towards “like”. Then I saw the back and was completely sold.
    I agree completely with the Sandra Bullock comment. She looks beautifully glamorous.

  5. mascara_queen says:

    Jennifer Lawrence = Stephanie Pratt-esque in this image.

  6. Taylor says:

    I completely agree about Cate Blanchett's dress. I thought it was weird at first, but it ended up being my favorite of the night because it's different and funky.

  7. VA says:

    Love Cate Blanchett's dress – glad to see SOMETHING avant-garde on the red carpet!

  8. Zoe says:

    Cate Blanchett and Michelle Williams were also on my fav list. I agree that Jennifer Lawrence's look was a definite improvement from the Globes, but it was a little too Baywatch for me.

  9. VA says:

    See… I thought Hilary Swank was just showing her support for Black Swan. Really was not a fan of it.

  10. K says:

    I didn't think you'd like Jennifer Lawrence's dress. I thought she seemed underdressed. Almost like she just had on a long tank top.

  11. EG says:

    K– I agree. It seemed like a jersey dress you could have bought at Forever 21 for $30.

  12. Allie says:

    I thought Jennifer Lawrence looked like a Sports Illustrated model on the red carpet. That's not a good thing. I found it inappropriate for the Oscars.

  13. EAC says:

    I think that Hillary Swank's and Halle Berry's dresses were quite similar. Just swap out the tulle for the feathers. But you panned Halle's dress. Hmm, go figure. While I loved Michelle Williams' dress, I just didn't think that there was enough contrast between the color of her dress and her skin-tone.

  14. Belle says:

    They're not that similar. The feather's are uniformly distributed and compliment the overall shape of the gown. The tulle is haphazardly clumped on the bottom.

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