Academy Awards organizers may have been concerned about the irreverent indie nominees' ability to draw the billion hoped-for viewers, but on the red carpet at least, there were plenty of bona fide crowd-pleasers. Vera Wang had two big head-turners: one a structured aubergine one-shoulder showstopper worn by Keira Knightley; the other, a saffron-color gown with a ruffled, deep V neckline on Michelle Williams. Rounding out the color guard were Salma Hayek in teal silk Versace (which dressed at least four major stars for the event), Jennifer Lopez in moss-green vintage, and Jada Pinkett Smith in a royal-blue Roberto Cavalli column.

Floor-sweeping trains, such as Amy Adams' rich chocolate-brown Carolina Herrera, outnumbered even the "I wish I knew how to quit you" jokes. And asymmetric gowns like Naomi Watts' one-shoulder Givenchy were another theme—with Charlize Theron's ink-dark Dior Haute Couture taking home the prize in that category, thanks to the elegantly inflated pouf that hovered up near her left ear.

Evening standards like black, gold, and silvery white were, of course, well represented. Nicole Kidman wore an alabaster beaded Balenciaga column as luminously pale as her skin. Supporting Actress winner, the very pregnant Rachel Weisz, looked so chic in her black Empire-waist Narcisco Rodriguez that the designer should consider launching a maternity line. And Best Actress winner Reese Witherspoon's silver sequins struck just the right balance of glamour and girl next door for America's perennial sweetheart.

Jessica Alba, brought in to add some sex appeal to the proceedings, was absolutely up to the task in a ground-skimming, curve-hugging, molten Versace. Leave it to Dolly Parton, though, to add some real sass to this year's event. Talking to the E! channel's interminably chatty Isaac Mizrahi, Parton announced the retail price of her Fred Leighton earrings, "These cost $1,200,000," she said, adding that her other sparkly accessory was "four cans of cheap glitter." Long live Dolly… and Oscar, too.

—Christine Lennon

See the list of Academy Awards winners >

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