Oscars Best Dressed: the afterparty!

Having uncovered the mystery that is Marisa Tomei's dress choice - she totes should've worn that fuscia frock on the Oscars red carpet rather than saving it for the afterparty - Grazia Daily decided we'd better investigate the partywear of the rest of those A-List attendees. For the evening celebrations, the glad rags tend to be shorter, sexier and more colourful, but can they top those that we'd drooled over earlier in the day? Well, this is the very reason why we've popped our Best Dressed hat on in order to examine the frocks at the hottest post-ceremony party in town. We'd love it if you could join us, so let's begin!

First up, we bring you some dazzling golds and shimmering nudes, which came courtesy of Jessica Biel (in beaded Atelier Versace), Gwyneth Paltrow and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (in Burberry). What glamazons they are! Seeing as Rosie and Jess didn't grace the red carpet earlier in the day, let's focus our attentions on Gwynnie. Staying true to the minimalist approach, she followed up that metallic Calvin Klein number with another sleek gown from Michael Kors' A/W'11 collection, so how does her party frock compare? Well, the suntan tone is super flattering, the draping brings a touch of interesting elegance and the crystal embroidery makes it party-appropriate, which all add up to make it our personal fave. Agreed?

And here's more sparklers. Elizabeth Banks (in vintage Versace), L'Wren Scott and Taylor Swift may have skipped the ceremony but they sure got their glitter on at the afterparty, didn't they? Quite frankly, who needs one of those gold statuettes when you're kitted out like Swifty? The magpies within us are loving her Zuhair Murad gold and silver beaded strapless dress, which Tay teamed with a Jimmy Choo clutch and matching platform sandals.

In the blue corner, we find Juliette Lewis, Rosario Dawson and Lea Michele. Rosario's electric blue stunner is from Diane von Furstenberg's A/W ‘11 catwalk while Miss Michele glammed it up in the trusty charms of Roberto Cavalli. And - excuse me! - can we add how blooming, and unexpectedly, brilliant Juliette looks! Of course, Jules is best known for her rock 'n' roll threads - namely ripped tees, tight leather trousers and er, Viking hats - so this midnight blue Georges Hobeika Couture gown, with a jewel encrusted sash, has seriously got our jaw dropping. Honestly, we barely recognised her.

The red-on-red trend that washed the Oscars ceremony (we're talking Anne Hathaway, Jennifer Lawrence and Sandra Bullock in scarlet show-stoppers) continued for the Vanity Fair soiree thanks to Anna Paquin, Ginnifer Goodwin and Zoe Saldana, but their avoidance of floor-sweeping lengths prevented any unslightly clashes. Phewf! Speaking of which, how are you liking the pink and cherry mix Zoe is championing with her two-tone Prabal Gurung S/S '11 frock? We're undecided... 

Either way, it's certainly a nice change from the gallons of black, chic though these ladies are. Kate Beckinsale went for a sparkling Julien MacDonald gown, Naomi Watts funked up her LBD (that's Long Black Dress) with on-trend feathers while the lovely Liv Tyler kept things simple in a Givenchy Haute Couture by Riccardo Tisci custom made outfit.

Also on the black bandwagon, but bringing some lacy layers, were Eva Mendes, Madonna and Mia Wasikowska, who wore an adorable Stella McCartney dress with cap sleeves from the Pre-Fall 11 collection, teamed with Brian Atwood suede pumps. As for her Madgesty, Grazia Daily is reminded of a cross between this and THIS >gulp<

Onto Madge's mini-me, we say hooray for Lourdes - oops, we mean Lola who provided a quirky twist with her playful aztec print and leg-flashing hemline, despite her being a sprightly 14 years old (gosh, we're old). In fact, you may recognise this one from the current issue of Grazia (out day!) where the skirt version of Lola's frock appeared in our Fashion Charts and, get this, it's from highstreet hero, All Saints. Yippee! We're also taking our hats off to Emma Stone whose all round cheekiness was sorely missed during the red carpet parade, but she more than made up for it when the up-and-comer arrived at the afterparty in this Chanel couture dress, covered in pretty paillettes, from the A/W '09 collection. What a coup!

And we leave you with Hailee Steinfeld who proved that you can wear your Oscar-worthy gown, look like a pretty fairy and party the night away - if you have a pair of comfy pumps handy. Yep, the Oscar nominee ditched the ladylike heels she sported with her Marchesa gown and threw on a pair of Converse hi-top chucks. Aw, a girl after our own heart...
So having feasted your eyes, how do you rate the Oscars party crew? Let us know below please!
- Jessica Vince