80th Academy Awards

While the Hollywood stars are resting, here I am to reminisce about the 80th Academy Awards just passed, which has been a truly international success this year. Apart from The Austrian film the Counterfeiters who was awarded for Best Foreign Film, to my joy, French actress Marion Cotillard and Spanish actor Javier Bardem (first Spanish actor to win the Oscar) were crowned King and Queen of the night, next to a nonchalant Daniel Day-Lewis and an algid Tilda Swinton.

Possibly due to the US economic recession and writers’ strike, the red carpet was rather contained this year: many blacks, reds and strapless gowns patronned the event. The most opulent one was undoubtedly Heide Klum’s Dior dress, which was commissioned to Galliano for the Oscars and promised to charity auction soon after.

Expecting women sparkled on the red carpet: Cate Blanchet left her metallic choices for a wearable and soft navy blue dress with emerald embellishments on the neckline. Nicole Kidman was rather modest in her black dress and chandelier diamond collier. Jessica Alba was the shiniestbumpy lady in her aubergine Marchesa dress.

In Marchesa was also Anne Hathaway, whose deep red gown complemented very well her pale skin, as Superqueen rightly observed.


It is not a mystery that I am a fan of French actresses. Names such as Charlotte Gainsbourg (half English half French), Valeria Bruni Tedeschi (half Italian half French), and Eva Green (half Swedish half French and bi-lingual English/French) have all featured at some point in my blog. Marion Cotillard is not exception. Known to favour French designers on the red carpet, Cotillard, who modelled a white and silver prince frock by Chanel at the Baftas, rocked a stunning mermaid dress by Jean-Paul Gualtier at the Oscars and exuded confidence and regal deportment. Her smile and lyrical thank-you speech made her Star of the Night.

“Thank you life, thank you love, and it is true, there is some angels in this city."

Although Cavalli is my anti-hero, Diablo Coldy, winner for best orginal screenplay of Juno, looked striking in leopard print both at the Baftas, in cavalli, and at the 80th Academy Awards, in Dior. In this occasion she paired the dress with flat pumps defying all the Oscar etiquettes. To be noted is also her LAMU-style tattoo. Although I enjoyed Juno as a cunning comedy, my mention of her is homage to the fact that she is a blogger as well as a scriptwriter.

Allow me to drift away with my imagination for a moment. If I could have designed an Oscar gown (mind you – I did not say “if I could have worn an Oscar frock”), I would have chosen a green shade similar to Alberta Ferretti’s, sported by the young Atonement protagonist, Saoirse Ronan. The tint would have matched the colour of a green-eyed actress and it would have been made up of a structured bodice, to enhance a superb décolleté, and a toe-long high-waist skirt covered with light fringes and contrasted with some black touches: a black belt, black opaque tights and black platform shoes. It would have been feathery and a bold statement at the same time. In other words, it would have been an art-deco-inspired piece injected with a contemporary feel and softness. I would have coupled it up either with icing diamonds and bright red lipstick or warm yellow gold with rubies and cherry nail polish… depending on who was going to wear it, of course. ; )

You can admire a wider selection here and here.