So much for the Oscar blahs. In the week leading up to the big night, the media belabored declining ratings and small box office, but there was little to disappoint the tens of millions who tuned in for the red carpet extravaganza. On the contrary. The colors were brilliant, from Best Supporting Actress winner Cate Blanchett's sunny yellow Valentino couture to Emmy Rossum's ruby red Ralph Lauren, and the bodices were tight. Scarlett Johansson grumbled that she could barely breathe in her corseted Roland Mouret gown, while Beyoncé, ladylike in vintage Versace—one of the night's major winners, with no fewer than five gowns—kept such complaints to herself. (Best Actress Hilary Swank's navy Guy Laroche column, demure in front, dipped dangerously low at the back.) And where would the Academy Awards be without a little bling? Catalina Sandino Moreno wore a white Roberto Cavalli number trimmed in crystals; Natalie Portman's Lanvin frock was cinched with gems, and a diamond tiara sparkled in her hair.

There was some low-key drama, thanks to Laura Linney's silvery gray J. Mendel and Gwyneth Paltrow's nude Stella McCartney. Most, though, opted for full-on glamour, from newcomer Sophie Okonedo's hourglass Rochas to Salma Hayek's décolletage-framing Prada in the color of the evening, midnight blue. And leave it to Leonardo DiCaprio's lucky lady, supermodel Gisele Bündchen, to wear an up-to-the-second Empire dress by John Galliano for Dior couture.

—Nicole Phelps

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