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Fashion
There will be blood (red) — on the Oscar carpet
By Jessica Michault
olor made its triumphant re-
C turn at the 80th Academy
Awards show, where beige
was banished, pale was passé,
and nude-colored dresses were a no-no
on the red carpet.
The only actress who chose a pale
color and made it sing was the Oscar-
winning French star Marion Cotillard
(‘‘La Vie en Rose’’) who showed her
Gallic pride in a glistening silver-scaled
white mermaid gown from Jean Paul
Gaultier’s haute couture collection.
Until the Oscars, the awards season
had been a subdued affair, with the
Golden Globes going dark in deference
to the writers’ strike. But with a settle-
ment and the good news that the Oscar
ceremony would go on, it seemed that
the lovely ladies of cinema decided to
celebrate in living color, with one act-
ress after another stepping out of her
limousine and taking to the ruby run-
way in a gown that glowed in vibrant
hues.
If there was a favorite color this year,
it was red, which has become the new
‘‘sa fe’’ color to wear to the Oscars if a
star doesn’t want to go with a classic
black ensemble. It is hard to go wrong
with red and it never runs the risk of
going unnoticed.
From ingénue (Miley Cyrus in
Valentino) to Dame (Helen Mirren in
George Chakra gown with Swarovski
crystal sleeves) and many starlets in
between (Anne Hathaway in Marchesa
and Katherine Heigl in Escada) it was a
crimson moment on the red carpet.
A palette of other colors also dabbed
the Oscar runway. The fashion maver-
ick Cate Blanchett wore a deep purple
Dries Van Noten halter gown with a
chunky Lorraine Schwartz necklace
that accentuated her expectant belly.
Plum was the pick for another mother-
Lucas Jackson/Reuters (Kidman, Alba, Adams); Andrew Gombert/EPA (Blanchett); Mario Anzuoni/Reuters (Diaz)
A pregnant trio, above: Nicole Kidman with her husband, Keith Urban; Jessica Alba in Marchesa; Cate Blanchett in
Dries Van Noten. Below: Kelly Preston in Roberto Cavalli; Amy Adams in Proenza Schouler and Cameron Diaz in Dior.
to-be, Jessica Alba, who chose a drap-
ing Marchesa gown for her moment in
the spotlight.
A forest-green fishtail Proenza
Schouler gown took the fancy of Amy
Adams while emerald was the shade
that young Saoirse Ronan selected
from Philosophy. The Roberto Cavalli
strapless marigold gown worn by Kelly
Preston added sunshine to the ceremo-
nies and Cameron Diaz’s powder pink
pleated Christian Dior seemed a per-
fect fit for the effervescent actress.
The stark contrast of a white gown
on the red carpet was the choice not
only of Cotillard. Jennifer Hudson, best
supporting actress last year,
shimmered in a white Roberto Cavalli
gown spiced up by a bit of abstract an-
imal trim outlining the bodice. And
Renee Zellweger looked like a shooting
star that had fallen to earth in her
strapless silver-beaded Carolina Her-
rera.
For actresses who did go with black,
the key was to make the gowns any-
thing but basic — be it Nicole Kidman’s
custom Balenciaga (which incorpor-
ated her baby bump) covered in a 1,399-
carat diamond necklace designed by
L’Wren Scott, or Hillary Swank’s
pleated Versace gown, which used flor-
al appliqué to add interest.
For Tilda Swinton, who won the
award for best supporting actress, the
distinction was made with the unusual
cut of her one-sleeved velvet Lanvin
creation. And Jennifer Garner's de-
cision to top off her silk taffeta Oscar
de la Renta with a striking Van Cleef &
Arpels diamond necklace kept her en-
semble from melting into the back-
ground.
That is something Ellen Page should
iht.com/style
More red carpet fashions
International Herald Tribune
Tuesday, Februar y 26, 2008 11
Lucas Jackson/Reuters; Mario Anzuoni/Reuters; Paul Buck/European Pressphoto Agency; Francis Specker/Bloomberg News; Lucas Jackson/Reuters; Carlos Barria/Reuters; Francis Specker/Bloomberg News
From left, Marion Cotillard turned heads with a white mermaid gown from Jean Paul Gaultier, and Tilda Swinton with a one-sleeved velvet Lanvin creation, while a bevy of
stars saw red: Helen Mirren in George Chakra; Julie Christie in a short dress; Anne Hathaway in Marchesa; Heidi Klum in John Galliano; and Miley Cyrus in Valentino.
Paul Buck/European Pressphoto Agency (Heigl); Lucas Jackson/Reuters (others)
Katherine Heigl as glamor girl; Saoirse Ronan in Philosophy. As for jewelry, it was either
the necklace, as on Keri Russell, or the bracelets, as on Renee Zellweger — but not both.
have thought of when the 21-year-old colored Nina Ricci gown, or bypassed within an inch of its life (think Heigl necklace of large stones. On paper, the
nominee for best actress decided to go the necklace entirely for a bejeweled and Paz Vega) looked dated and dis- combination reads like disaster but on
the vintage route, pairing a plain black bracelet — or preferably two, stacked tracting. the red carpet this unusual mix
Jean-Louis Scherrer tiered gown with a on the same wrist. But all of Hollywood's leading ladies worked. It was not just another pretty
simple long pearl necklace. Hours spent on hair resulted in the should take a lesson from Julie dress but rather an external expression
Those who skirted the color conun- informal look of a casually put-togeth- Christie. The actress, 66, showed up in of the spirit of the woman wearing it.
drum — not wanting to wear black but er style, with the youthful ponytail be- a short burgundy dress with sheer pink Isn’t that what every woman wants her
not daring to be bold with color — were ing particularly popular. Hair styled to elbow-length gloves and a multicolored gown to do?
the real wallflowers of the fete. Laura
Linney's midnight-blue Michael Kors
with a bustled back looked too tame for
an Oscar night celebration. The same
could be said for the first-time nomi-
nee Amy Ryan, who went with a one-
shouldered navy Calvin Klein number
that was overwhelmed by the prestigi-
ous environment. And even an Oscar
regular, Penélope Cruz (in a lovely
Chanel Haute Couture navy feather
embroidered gown) seemed to be giv-
ing the public a sense of déjà vu.
For jewelry there seemed to be only
two options. Stars either wore a multi-
www.gianfrancoferre.com
strand long necklace à la Keri Russell,
who paired her 46-carat diamond H.
Stern necklace with a Champagne-
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