Fashion Review: 85th Academy Awards Red Carpet Arrivals – Best Dressed

March 5, 2013

By: PHILLIP D. JOHNSON for L’Etage Magazine

The 85TH ACADEMY AWARDS has come and gone but the truly important debate continues to reverberate throughout the land: Who were the best dressed people on the Oscar Red Carpet this year? Everyone has their own personal favorites but some do stand out above the rest. BEST ACTRESS WINNER JENNIFER LAWRENCE was stunning in DIOR HAUTE COUTURE—she later changed into aCALVIN KLEIN COLLECTION number for the Vanity Fair Oscar Party. AMANDA SEYFRIED (in ALEXANDER MCQUEEN) and JESSICA CHASTAIN (in ARMANI PRIVE), Oscar®-nominee for Actress in a Leading Role, both looked beyond beautiful in youthful elegance. AMY ADAMS rocked the house in a pastel OSCAR DE LA RENTA that truly made her the belle of the ball. Academy Award winner (Chicago)CATHERINE ZETA-JONES was a golden statue herself.

Academy Award winner JENNIFER HUDSON (Dreamgirls) in a high slit dazzling blue (ROBERTO CAVALLI) gown and NAOMIE HARRIS (Skyfall) in a dress designed by Ghana-born (MICHAEL BADGER) both looked fabulously beautiful in their gowns. Two-time Academy Award winner (including a win for her role in On Golden Pond)JANE FONDA showed everyone how to be sexy when you are not in your 20’s by wearing a yellow VERSACE that had the red carpet buzzing. With its deep v-front and hour-glass waist with crystal embellishments, LA FONDA was one of the sexist women on the red carpet and at the ceremony itself.

KERRY WASHINGTON (of ABC’s Scandal) was replenish in a red strapless red gown. Among so many beautiful women, she managed to stand out very well with her complimentary hair and make-up look. Bravo on a job well done.

QUVENZHANE WALLIS, Oscar®-nominee for Actress in a Leading Role, in GIORGIO ARMANI, and FATIMA PTACEK wore BONNIE YOUNG both looked wonderfully age-appropriate. ANNE HATHAWAY in Prada made red carpet news. Hathaway was originally slated to wear a gown by Valentino, but backed away after learning that another actress would be wearing a similar gown. We thought it was okay although we have issues with the necklace. There are two camps when it comes to her Oscar dress: some felt it was very Audrey Hepburn-esque (especially with the pixie hair cut) and others were distracted by the pointiness of the top of the dress. What should have been a ticker tape parade after her win has become a “what was she thinking?” situation. Maybe she should have worn the VALENTINO after all.. CHARLIZE THERON (in DIOR HAUTE COUTURE) and HALLE BERRY (in a Grecian-inspired black and gold stripe gown) were also major standouts on the Oscar Red Carpet.NAOMI WATTS, a past Academy Award nominee, was the essence of futuristic glamour in GIORGIO ARMANI. ZOE SALDANA andSAMANTHA BARKS (Les Miserables) gave a good showing, with Miss Barks in a starkly elegant column gown and Saldana in a white dress with a banded hemline and flower cut-out top.

Like JANE FONDA, Best Supporting actress Nominee SALLY FIELD and Best Actress Nominee EMMANUELLE RIVA both showed an elegance that the young actresses attending the ceremony should take note of. They were the epitome of true regal beauty, especially Miss Riva.