Oscars 2011 Coverage - Wackadoo Magoo Makes a Surprise Appearance!

Get ready my few, yet loyal readers! Oscar Coverage 2011 is about to begin! I fully expect this to take all week, so bear with me. I'll be covering the winners, the losers, the fashion, my own fun-filled Oscar party, and I will try to decipher exactly what mix of pharmaceuticals Franco was smoking, snorting, or ingesting. Again, it may take me all week.

As discussed earlier, I truly love Oscar fashion and get excited to see exactly what the stars (or their stylists) have chosen for the red carpet. I focus mainly on women's fashion, because honestly, it's just more fun. To me, a tux is a tux, unless of course you're this handsome devil:

As you can clearly see in the closeup, Colin is sporting SPARKLY buttons. Anyone who knows anything about me knows that I am a sucker for the bling. Mr. Darcy made my night with his acceptance speech (more on that later this week), but truly won my heart with his event-appropriate, yet still manly, sparkle.

But onto the ladies! These are my best-dressed of the evening. Some of my choices are unconventional and I will explain my reasoning, so reserve judgment until you hear me out. Disagree violently? Let me hear it in the comments!

 

Might as well start with one of the most controversial! Cate Blanchett continually rides the cutting edge of fashion, and last night was no exception. I enjoyed this dress and loved that it was interesting, especially on a red carpet that overall played it safe. I think the details were interesting and the shape was lovely on her. One marine-minded participant at my own Oscar party compared her to a barnacle, which I can see to a certain extent, but I still contend that she was one of the best, and, at the very least, most interestingly dressed of the night.

Hailee Steinfeld looks like a wee princess in this dress. She told Seacrest that she had a hand in designing it and that comment completely took me back to my 14 year old self and is pretty much exactly what I would have wanted to wear at the Oscars at that age. It's age-appropriate, a lovely color for her skin tone, and I will bet you $37 that she twirled in that dress before leaving the house. That is totally a twirling dress, right?

Speaking of Seacrest, he did his darndest to get anything out of Michelle Williams on the red carpet. Maybe she wasn't in the mood to talk or maybe she just didn't want to talk to Ryan (who I'm convinced was standing on a box), but she came across as quite affected and uninterested. It's too bad, because if we were just given a shot of her in the dress I think it comes off quite well. The slim-fitting beaded column dress works well with the close-cropped bleach blond pixie cut that I only wish I could get away with. The photograph really doesn't do it justice, but it fit her frame and sense of style well.

I love this navy blue dress on Amy Adams. Again, noting my love of all things sparkle, this should not come as a surprise. A full sequined dress is right up my alley and this fits her perfectly.The high neck, cap sleeves, and slight flare add to the understated drama. I am purposely leaving out commentary on "the necklace of doom" until tomorrow. Just wait.

There was a lot of red on the red carpet this year and I thought Sandra Bullock pulled it off beautifully. Red is a good color for us brunettes and the simple, yet structured construction of the dress added to the sleekness of her look.

 

This Best Actress winner has been a fixture on the awards circuit this year for her dramatic, somewhat sociopathic turn in Black Swan. She's had some fashion ups and downs, but she clearly saved the best for the big show. That mommy-to-be glow also doesn't hurt either!

Much has been said already of Anne Hathaway's turn as Oscar host and I will definitely weigh in on it later in the week, but today I want to focus on my favorite of her many dresses. This strapless red number has interesting detail, is fit to perfection, and is accessorized beautifully.

I was very undecided about this dress for quite a while. After sleeping on it and paging through the online photo books of the red carpet, I've decided I like it. I did fear for Mila that she would be the first wardrobe malfunction of the evening, but apparently they make double sided tape stronger than they used to, so good for her! I think it's an interesting color on her and I like that it incorporates lace without verging into the Victorian era. No Anne of Green Gables jokes from me this time!

I know, I know! You're thinking to yourself, Sarah has finally lost it. All of the award shows this year have warped her mind and desensitized her to Wackadoo Magoo up there. Yes, Helena Bonham Carter (HBC to her confidantes) has her own style, which the polite will call unconventional and the snarky will call outright crazytown. Here's what I love about her - she does her own thing and is unapologetic about it. She clearly has fun with fashion and dresses for herself. She's not manufactured by a stylist and puts her own spin on the red carpet, which quite frankly was kind of a snoozeville last night.

Which leads me to the other end of the spectrum. Jennifer Lawrence was the first to arrive on the red carpet last night, and for me, no one could top her. I was blown away by the simplicity of the dress, the perfect hair and makeup, the minimal jewelry and the overall glow she exuded as a first-time nominee for her breakout role. Many have already criticized her for not blinging it up more, and I realize this is a shocker coming from me, but she doesn't need it. She has a rockin body in a perfectly fit dress that hits the red carpet at just the perfect length to be formal. She is my best-dressed.

Thoughts? Opinions? I want to hear them! This is the best part of the Oscars - everyone disagrees! That's what makes it fun.