2009 Oscar Red Carpet Hits

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Half the fun of Oscar Sunday is watching the stars come down the red carpet in their designer gowns and tuxes, awaiting the fate of the fashion police to either praise them, or rip them to shreds.

This year’s ceremony brought out all the A-listers, and you might be surprised to hear that there weren’t that many fashion misses! The guys looked great for the most part, but we’ll get to them later. We know you’re dying to hear about the ladies! And stunning they were this year.

Many took risks, which we love in fashion. From Natalie Portman’s bubblegum pink dress, to Sarah Jessica Parker’s “barely mint” number, to Miley Cyrus looking all grown up in her glitzy gown, these ladies did not disappoint.

-- We’ll begin with the biggest trend of the night, which was white. So many of our favorite gals opted to lighten up instead of going with the traditional black.

Miley Cyrus was one of the first down the carpet, dazzling in a sparkly Zuhair Murad gown. She looked incredibly grown up in the bejeweled tiered silver and sapphire gown.

Taraji P. Henson up for Best Supporting Actress for Benjamin Button, wowed in a gorgeous Roberto Cavalli ivory gown with a diamond necklace that certainly made a statement.

Keeping with the white trend was Best Actress nominee Anne Hathaway who never disappoints. She wore a ivory sparkly strapless Armani Prive dress adorned with thousands of large circular sequins. She looked like the epitome of elegance.

Supporting actress nominee Penelope Cruz got the white memo, and showed up in a vintage cream-colored Valmain gown that she said she had seen eight years prior. Good thing the dress waited around for her, because she looked ravishing!

-- The next trend to dissect is the sparkly one. Sarah Jessica Parker, Viola Davis, Marion Cotillard, and Marisa Tomei all went for the glam and nailed it.

Sarah Jessica Parker referred to her Dior Haute Couture gown as “barely mint” and it “entirely” looked amazing. It was very princess-ey with the A-line shape, but if anyone can pull that off, it’s Sarah. Or was that Carrie Bradshaw?

Viola Davis, nominated for Doubt, looked stunning in her gold halter Reem Acra gown with a very plunging neckline. Va-va-voom!

Marion Cotillard looked super cute in a blue sequined dress that definitely made her stand out on the carpet.

Marisa Tomei looked amazing in a silver-toned Versace dress.

And Evan Rachel Wood looked so so elegant in an Elie Saab ivory satin gown with a timeless swept-up hairdo.

A couple of definite yeses on the carpet were Natalie Portman and Meryl Streep, who never end up on the worst dressed list. Nat opted for a splash of color with her bubblegum pink gown, which off-set her rosy cheeks, and flapper-style updo. And Meryl, who always dresses age appropriate, still managed to look sexy with her off-the-shoulder taupe-colored gown. Some may think it was dressed-down, but it’s Meryl Streep, who’s been up for 15 Oscars in her life. So she can do what she wants.

Angelina Jolie is in a category of her own as usual. Even though she showed up in a “safe” black Elie Saab strapless gown, she popped her look with piercing green-jeweled earrings by Lorraine Schwartz.

And lastly, let’s talk about the risk takers! Someone who loves to take risks…Heidi Klum! You could have spotted her from a mile away with her asymmetrical constructed Roland Mouret coral gown with a massive slit up to the knee. And newcomer Frieda Pinto certainly made a statement with her royal blue John Galliano Bollywood-inspired one-shoulder gown. She may get some flack from the fashion community for rocking this look, but it definitely speaks to who she is and her culture.

But only one lady can win best dressed! And this award has to go to Kate Winslet, who looked stunning in a steel gray Atelier Vyes Saint Laurent by Stefano Pilati gown. She not only looked age appropriate, but so different than anyone on the carpet, which is a tough task to manage. The one shoulder gown featured a black beaded lace overlay on one side, making the dress multi-dimensional.

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