Nude on the Red Carpet - Oscars in Neutral Territory

Right. Oscars. Did you watch? Do you care? I'm not a huge fan given my limited attention span, but I had to tune in this year to see how fellow Australian Hugh Jackman handled the spotlight.

But first things first! The red carpet. Just as the trends of the Golden Globes foretold, the carpet was dominated by nude, neutral tones coupled with metallics and the occasional splash of bridal whites and delicate lace. These were the very looks I was surprised to find myself loving on the Golden Globes carpet, and here they are again.

So just in case you haven't had enough of the best and worst dressed of the night, here's my Top 5...

#5 Tilda Swinton in Lanvin Pre-Fall 09

The Lanvin sack makes another controversial appearance! Just like Maggie Gyllenhaal's controversial Golden Globes Lanvin outing, this is yet another Love It or Hate It outfit. I'm not usually a fan of Ms. Swinton, but I adore this look on her. Watching her on stage later in the show, the blouse in particular was far more flattering than most any still images managed to capture.

#4 Jennifer Aniston in Valentino Spring 09 Couture

I know this could be considered blasphemy, but this Valentino dress could have looked incredibly, dare I say, trashy, on the wrong figure. All logic tells me that this dress is a recipe for disaster. It's sparkly, it's glizty, the colour washes lighter skin tones out, and it emphasises the bust and hips which can sometimes be far from flattering (sorry again Beyonce, first the Golden Globes, and now THIS?!) And despite this, Jen looks elegant and relaxed, with softly waved hair and neutral, sun-kissed makeup. (Note: Strapless dress sans necklace. I likey.)

#3 Penelope Cruz in vintage Pierre Balmain Haute Couture

It's white. It's puffy. It's lacy. It's super bridal, and I freakin' love it! It's not over-the-top bridezilla (a la Miley Cyrus in Zuhair Murhad), and coupled with a diamond collar necklace, a cute yellow clutch, demure makeup and an Audrey Hepburn-esque up-do, it's simply perfection. The dress dates back to the 1950s, and Ms. Cruz somehow manages to effortlessly channel the old world glamour that the dress demands.

#2 Anne Hathaway in Armani Prive Spring 09

If you happen to recall my previous Anne Hathaway rant, you'd probably be a little surprised to see her as one of my favourite red carpet looks of the night. I may be biased usually, but I can't deny that she looked stunning in her Armani Prive Spring 09 number. Her hair and makeup were suitably sublime. (Note: Another strapless dress sans necklace. I likey even more.)

And now, the moment you probably haven't been waiting for.

Drumroll please.

*Opens empty envelope to extend the suspense*

#1...It's a tie!

Ok so I cheated. And I couldn't decide. And I'm not even sure if Nicole Kidman walked the red carpet at all, let alone in my dress of choice. But this is my Top 5, and it doesn't have to make sense if I don't want it to! Anyway...

Evan Rachel Wood in Elie Saab in Spring 09 Couture

This is yet another contentious dress. Some lament that the colour washes Ms. Wood (Ms. Rachel Wood? People with 3 names confuse me), and whilst I suspect that there is still an unwritten rule that light colours only work for those with darker skin, I for one think this is one example (of many on the red carpet) that us lighter skinned chicitas can wear whatever the bejiminies we want. The dark smokey eyes, coiffed auburn hair and shiny red nails might also have something to do with Ms. Wood pulling this look off beautifully. (And yes, another strapless dress sans necklace!)

Nicole Kidman in L’Wren Scott Spring 09

Ok, so the lady likes to wear white L'Wren Scott dresses. A lot. I'm still at a loss as to why this fact alone seems to place Ms. Kidman on many a Worst Dressed list. Is it really so horrible that the woman has found a look she likes, or should she test the waters of Lanvin sacks so she can cop some flack for taking a risk? Whatevs. I love this dress, feathery frayed bits and all! Combined with the hair and makeup, it's Nicole at her Moulin Rouge glamourous best. And yet another strapless dress sans necklace, but the chandelier earrings and the hair clip finish off the look.

Oh, and apparently there was an awards ceremony too?

There were two highlights for moi. Firstly, Heath Ledger being acknowledged for his work and remembered as he should be: A talented artist, a devoted father and an old soul.

And secondly, Hugh Jackman's opening number. Mr. Jackman, another talented Australian and an all-round nice guy, seems to be known by most as Wolverine, without being aware of the impressive body of work he's racked up, both on screen and on the stage.

So although many thought Hugh was surprisingly at home on stage last night, it seems that many others are taking his self-effacing opening number (and the rest of his performance) a little too seriously. Lighten up kids!

And let's not forget Anne Hathaway's contribution to the aforementioned opening number. Yep, you heard correctly, I'm mentioning Ms. Hathaway twice in one post. And both times I'm saying nice things! Because this moment...

...Right here, was the moment that I officially crossed Anne Hathaway off my Top 5 of my Most Inexplicably Detested Actors. In fact, I would even go so far as to say...I like her. Sure, Bride Wars was pretty terrible, but she is, on the whole, pretty damn cool.

Not cool however, is Channel 9 hacking apart their prime time Oscars telecast. Us Aussies had to resort to Youtube for Ben Stiller's painfully hilarious Joaquin Phoenix skit, and we also missed out on Robert Pattinson and Amanda Seyfried presenting the 2008 romance roundup. I speak on behalf of all tragic Twilight fangirls when I say, loud and clear, not cool Channel 9, not cool at all!

But all's well that ends well, right?

Super props to whoever finally convinced Mr. Pattinson to wash his hair. Improvement over past red carpet events: 3000%.

What did you think of the Oscars this year? Any surprises?

[Images via Just Jared + FabSugar + Red Carpet Fashion Awards + Socialite Life]