IN LIVING COLOR PASTELS, JEWEL TONES BRING LIGHT, (NEW) LIFE TO OSCAR NIGHT.Byline: Sandra Barrera and Nancy Dillon Staff Writer Goddess gowns in body-hugging fabrics, deliriously layered trains and dreamy pastel tones. The single-most-important night for Hollywood is also the biggest fashion show in the world. And the stars did not disappoint Sunday as they made their way down the red carpet under a cloudy sky outside Hollywood's Kodak Theatre The Kodak Theatre is a live theatre in the Hollywood and Highland retail, dining, and entertainment complex on Hollywood Boulevard and North Highland Avenue in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles. for the 79th annual Academy Awards. As usual, the most anticipated gown of the evening was the one on best supporting actress nominee Cate Blanchett ("Notes on a Scandal"). The single-shoulder, Swarovski crystal mesh gown by Giorgio Armani Prive sparkled right to the hemline hem·line n. 1. The bottom edge of a skirt, dress, or coat. 2. The height of the edge of such a garment, measured from the floor. , where tiny roses exploded in pops of red. Blanchett called the choice "absolutely painless," saying she made her selection the moment she saw it at the Armani show in Paris. Blanchett was nearly alone in her choice of smoldering smol·der also smoul·der intr.v. smol·dered, smol·der·ing, smol·ders 1. To burn with little smoke and no flame. 2. metallic gray. Mint green, chic neutrals and shades of blue dominated. One of the most stunning gowns belonged to fashion supernova Jennifer Lopez. Her mauve, Grecian-inspired Marchesa mar·che·sa n. pl. mar·che·se 1. The wife or widow of a marchese. 2. An Italian noblewoman ranking above a countess and below a princess. 3. Used as the title for such a noblewoman. gown glowed with a crystal-encrusted neckline neckline The line that connects the two lowest points on the intermediate declines of a head-and-shoulders chart pattern. In an inverted head-and-shoulders formation, the neckline connects the two intermediate tops. that fell in thick strands over her shoulders. Penelope Cruz's blush satin Versace gown was piped at the strapless strap·less adj. Having no strap or straps, as a dress or an undergarment. n. A garment having no strap or straps. strapless Adjective bodice and erupted into a sumptuous skirt and train swathed in feathery feath·er·y adj. 1. Covered with or consisting of feathers. 2. Resembling or suggestive of a feather, as in form or lightness. feath wisps. Beyonce and Kate Winslet looked minty in their knockout pale green gowns. Beyonce got hers from Armani. And when one too many reporters asked Winslet who created her gown, the best actress nominee ("Little Children") made an operatic tune out of "Valentino" to spread the word. Reese Witherspoon wowed in a deep-purple, strapless Nina Ricci. And pals Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts were beacons of color as they held hands amid the sea of subdued hues. Kidman dazzled in her stunning red Balenciaga halter halter the simplest form of restraint for the head of farm animals. Comprises a poll strap, a nose band and a halter shank that brings the ends of the nose band together under the mandible. Made of leather or cotton or manila rope. gown with a billowing bil·low n. 1. A large wave or swell of water. 2. A great swell, surge, or undulating mass, as of smoke or sound. v. bil·lowed, bil·low·ing, bil·lows v.intr. 1. bow at the neck. Watts radiated beauty in her sunshine yellow Escada gown with a sapphire blue sash. In a seemingly gauche move, the Escada news release announcing the choice outed the star as being pregnant. The gown "set off her most precious new asset -- the baby she is expecting with longtime boyfriend Liev Schreiber," it read. Rachel Weisz evoked the timeless nostalgia of old Hollywood in her platinum satin Vera Wang gown adorned with a Cartier floral diamond broach broach (broch) a fine barbed instrument for dressing a tooth canal or extracting the pulp. broach n. A dental instrument for removing the pulp of a tooth or exploring its canal. on a chain. Best supporting actress nominee Rinko Kikuchi was a vision of elegance in flawless black Chanel. CAPTION(S): 7 photos Photo: (1 -- 4 -- color) Rachel Weisz, above, goes Old Hollywood with a platinum satin Vera Wang gown. Adding more color to the evening are Penelope Cruz, near right, in a blush satin Versace, and Kate Winslet, looking minty in her Valentino. Cate Blanchett, opposite, is a stunning show-stealer in a Swarovski crystal mesh gown by Giorgio Armani Prive, which explodes with pops of red roses. (5 -- 7 -- color) At top, Reese Witherspoon stands out, arriving in a deep-purple, strapless Nina Ricci. Also making a colorful appearance is Naomi Watts, in a sunshine-yellow Escada gown with a sapphire blue sash. She may have good reason to glow -- the news release announcing her outfit outed the star as being pregnant. And making a more subdued yet stunning showing is Jennifer Lopez, left, in a mauve, Grecian-inspired Marchesa gown with a crystal-encrusted neckline. Photos by Andy Holzman and John McCoy/Staff Photographers |
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