The Herald's fashion experts, Viva editor Fiona Hawtin and fashion writer Cathrin Schaer separate the fashionable from the frumps on the red carpet at the Academy Awards.
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The days of conspicuous consumption are numbered if the annual glamour fest that is the Academy Awards is anything to go by. When you can't wear your bling to the Oscars, something's going on. Celebrities were doing their utmost not to offend - or get on to someone's worst dressed list - taking few risks and favouring strapless dresses with long trains in dark colours and bare necks. This year's lack of in-your-face bling could have something to do with actresses wanting to look more in tune with what's happening and not have blood diamonds around their necks - although it's okay to wear simple white diamonds in your ears. Best dressed: Fiona's pick: Cate Blanchett. That's what happens when you cross one of the most elegant, glamorous actresses with some pretty amazing couture. Faultless. Cathrin's pick: Nicole Kidman. She's not afraid to go out on a limb with a giant big bow. This year she's red hot when everyone is more muted. Worst dressed: Cameron Diaz. She looks like she's just stepped out of the shower and wrapped a white towel round her, then gone to the biggest fashion show on earth. Such a waste of her usually high fashion IQ.
Best: Cate Blanchett & Nicole Kidman. Worst: Cameron Diaz
Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon: She's got a new lease of life now she's rid of her husband. The hair extensions and deep purple look great.
Cate Blanchett
Cate Blanchett: Cate is a complete clothes horse. She could wear anything and look good.
Kate Winslet
Kate Winslet: Oh Kate - ewwww! Such a bad colour.
Kate is flying the flag for retirement home colours - she's on the wrong side of minty green. It looks like she refuses to pay good money for a stylist and does it herself. Valentino dresses are the curse of the young actresses. They're for old ladies.
Abigail Breslin
Abigail Breslin: Abigail could teach Valentino a few tricks
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman: We love the red! Elegance personified, despite the bow on the neck. Everyone else is quite toned down, but she's wearing statement glamour in blood red. She needs to change her hair though - it should be up.
Anne Hathaway
Anne Hathaway: Anne Hathaway: Far too much eye make-up. With the boring pearl earrings and the Valentino dress with the big bow across the chest Anne looks like a nana.
Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow: The dress is beautiful - it's got real art deco lines - but you can't see it because it's covered by her hair.
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The days of conspicuous consumption are numbered if the annual glamour fest that is the Academy Awards is anything to go by. When you can't wear your bling to the Oscars, something's going on. Celebrities were doing their utmost not to offend - or get on to someone's worst dressed list - taking few risks and favouring strapless dresses with long trains in dark colours and bare necks. This year's lack of in-your-face bling could have something to do with actresses wanting to look more in tune with what's happening and not have blood diamonds around their necks - although it's okay to wear simple white diamonds in your ears. Best dressed: Fiona's pick: Cate Blanchett. That's what happens when you cross one of the most elegant, glamorous actresses with some pretty amazing couture. Faultless. Cathrin's pick: Nicole Kidman. She's not afraid to go out on a limb with a giant big bow. This year she's red hot when everyone is more muted. Worst dressed: Cameron Diaz. She looks like she's just stepped out of the shower and wrapped a white towel round her, then gone to the biggest fashion show on earth. Such a waste of her usually high fashion IQ.
KEY POINTS:
The Herald's fashion experts, Viva editor Fiona Hawtin and fashion writer Cathrin Schaer separate the fashionable from the frumps on the red carpet at the Academy Awards.
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