Best Dressed At The Oscars! 2011

 

It's the most prestigious and glamorous event in the global calendar, but at the 83rd annual Academy Awards last night the stars were determined to have fun. There was a rainbow of colourful dresses - from Natalie Portman's purple Rodarte gown to Jennifer Hudson's bright orange Atelier Versace halter-neck dress - and lots of happy faces; it seems the Oscars is loosening up.

Watched by an estimated audience of 41 million, the stars were monkeying around for the world's press; a passing Cate Blanchett pinched Michelle Williams' bottom as she twirled around for the cameras; Sandra Bullock, posing next to Nicole Kidman, accidentally dropped her clutch and said 'Oh, Nicole now look what you've done....', and later joked about her scarlet Vera Wang gown; 'my [two year old] son recognizes the colour red, so I figured if he saw me on television he'd look at me instead of Gwyneth or Nicole, which is what usually happens.'

But for 14-year-old Supporting Actress nominee Hailee Steinfeld, there were no such worries; she designed her oh-so-pretty pale pink beaded ballgown - with a little help from Marchesa designer Georgina Chapman.

Gloriously quirky Helena Bonham Carter gave the Hollywood reporters more than they bargained for by admitting 'I wanted a bustle so I wouldn't worry about my bum looking too big.' But - shocker - HBC didn't wear Vivienne Westwood! Instead, the actress chose a black corset dress by costume designer Colleen Atwood, who went on to win Best Costume Design for Alice in Wonderland; telling reporters, "[I] thought it would be nice to celebrate film rather than fashion."

But the biggest shocker of the night? There were no major fashion boo-boos. Or were there? Let us know, in the comments below and stay tuned as we bring you more of the Best Dressed from the Oscars 2011!

Natalie Portman wore a deep purple draped gown in silk chiffon by Rodarte accented with Swarovski crystals

Gwyneth Paltrow wore a silver lame Calvin Klein Collection dress

Hostess with the mostess, Anne Hathaway wore a vintage (well, 2002) Valentino scarlet ballgown with rose rosettes and a ruched bustle

Cate Blanchett wore a lilac  Givenchy Haute Couture by Riccardo Tisci silk chiffon gown embroidered with leather pearls and crystals

Ooh, and another shocker - Celine Dion (who just gave birth to twins) looked awesome in a raw silk long-sleeved column dress by Armani Prive

Hooray for Mila Kunis who made our dreams come true by wearing a lavender chiffon gown with tiered lace detailing and grosgrain ribbon belt from Elie Saab Couture

Michelle Williams wore a pearl beaded column dress by Chanel Haute Couture

Penelope Cruz (with hubby Javier Bardem) wore a purple L'Wren Scott dress with sequined flames

Jennifer Lawrence wore a hot red figure-hugging Calvin Klein Collection silk crepe vest dress

Halle Berry wore a nude and crystal encrusted corset Marchesa gown with organza and silk tulle ruffles

Amy Adams wore a midnight blue fitted sequinned gown by L’Wren Scott

Jennifer Hudson in orange Atelier Versace

Scarlett Johansson wore a purple Dolce & Gabbana dress

Nicole Kidman wore a white Dior Haute Couture gown

Sandra Bullock wore a red corset dress by Vera Wang

Hilary Swank wore a silver beaded Gucci Premiere gown with a feathered hem 

Reese Witherspoon wore a black-and-white Armani Privé column gown

Florence Welch in Valentino Haute Couture

Mandy Moore wore an off-the-shoulder nude crystal embellished gown by Monique Lhuillier

Marisa Tomei in a midnight blue satin sheath with asymmetrical voluminous layers by Lily et Cie

Melissa Leo wore a white and gold textured lace gown by Marc Bouwer

HBC might've surprised us, but Helen Mirren made up for it with her Vivienne Westwood: “I’m flying the flag to support British fashion. She just opened a store here in Los Angeles so I wanted to show everyone how beautiful her dresses are."

So there you have it, folks. Now we want to hear YOUR thoughts. Are you loving crimson ruling the red carpet or is it a major fash faux pas? Are you wowed or underwhelmed by the most anticipated frock-a-thon of the year? Remember, the best comments will be printed in our mega Oscar coverage in the next issue of Grazia magazine!