Cool Stuff. Interesting Things: Oscar Best and Worst Dressed

Oscar Best and Worst Dressed
This year's fashion offered a few hits and as always some startling misses. This year the predominant color seemed to be no color at all. Many gowns were some form of beige or nude.

Best
Men
1) Ludacris's tasteful black-on-black Armani ensemble.

2) Paul Giamatti's Hugo Boss suit, tasteful, elegant and quite slimming.

3) Will Smith's midnight blue David August tuxedo. Not all men can pull off wearing a vest but it looks quite handsome on Mr. Smith.

Women
1) Reese Witherspoon's elegant vintage Christian Dior.

2: Ziyi Zhang's Armani bustier and Swarovski crystal-covered skirt. As fabulously dazzling as the costumes she wore in "Memoirs of a Geisha."

3) Salma Hayek's azure satin gown by Versace. The color was gorgeous but it did show the lines of her foundation garments.

4) Jessica Alba's gold Versace gown. I'm not sure what she's doing on at the Oscars but she looks good.

5) Jennifer Garner's Michael Kors gown. Shimmering, flattering, and takes good advantage of that post-baby cleavage.

Worst
Men:

1) Phillip Seymour Hoffman's tuxedo. On a man of a certain girth on all black ensemble with a silver tie is not flattering.

2) Jamie Foxx: turquoise shirt and shadow-striped suit seemed like an attempt to attract attention now that it's not his year anymore.

3) Was Morgan Freeman wearing an ascot around his neck?

4) Gary Busey, ah, Gary Busey.

Women:

1) Maggie Gyllenhaal's Bottega Veneta gown. It looked liked living room drapes hanging on drooping gold chains. And what's with all the gowns with pockets this year? Is there a purse boycott I was unaware of?

2) Jennifer Lopez's vintage gown from Rita Watnick at Lily et Cie. There's just too much going on here, wraps, pleats, surplus fabric. Her impressive figure looks best in simpler outfits.

3) Michelle Williams's screaming yellow gown from Vera Wang. A beautiful girl but that color is not flattering with pale skin and the tulle frills at the top combined with the drapery over the lower half seem to draw attention to all the wrong areas. In nearly every picture the neckline is flapping up. Also the necklace which uses blackened metal is too harsh with such a delicate look.

4)Naomi Watts's shredded catastrophe from Givenchy. The color made her look washed out and the dress looked as if she had a bad run in with a lawnmower.

5) Charlize Theron's black Christian Dior. We realize she probably has to wear Christian Dior since she shills for their fragrance line but this dress would be a beauty without that giant shoulder pouf.

Most gorgeous accessories

1) Keira Knightley's Asprey Bulgari collar. It probably would have worked better with a strapless dress but it's a show-stopper of a necklace.

2) Amy Adams's aquamarine and diamond earrings (a loan from Carolina Herrera who designed her gown). They look heavy but so gorgeous with her big blue eyes.