Outfitting the Oscars: All Glam, All of the Time!

If you watched this year’s Oscars you weren’t in good company. Millions of people tuned out as a scarcity of quality movie hits kept viewers away. Still, millions of people did tune in, if not to see what the stars won, but what they wore. Yes, only Juno seemed to stir up a lot of interest as this low-budget hit won the best Writing (Original Screenplay) category. But, it was the red-carpet bling that got the tongues wagging, glittery excess that is the talk at office water coolers everywhere right now.

When it comes to gowns at the Oscars, fashion designers hold full sway. Not to be left out, jewelry designers get to showcase their wares too as starlets carefully mix and match exquisite pieces with flowing gowns. Let’s take a look at some of the headline grabbers this year, shall we?

Jessica Alba wore a plum strapless Marchesa gown but it was her choice in Cartier jewels – earrings and a bracelet – that set her apart.  Alba is currently filming Sin City 2 where she will reprise her role as that exotic dancer, Nancy Callahan.

Sporting a Fred Leighton necklace was Ellen Page who also chose a two-strap black Jean Louis Scherrer gown which she wore very well. Page came to prominence this year as Juno MacGuff, the title character in Juno.

Hilary Swank is no stranger to high fashion, having shined previously at the Academy Awards and at earlier Oscars. This year, Swank chose a black Versace gown and added Chopard bling including hairclips, a diamond bracelet, and diamond earrings.

Making a fashion statement with her Cartier jewels was Renee Zellweger who wore a stunning silver hand-embroided lace gown made by Carolina Herrera. Arguably, Zellweger – who is currently filming Chilled in Miami -- was a crowd favorite.

Amy Ryan’s sweeping one-strap Calvin Klein gown gave her the toga look, but the H. Stern diamond drop earrings and diamond stud bracelet provided an elegant touch. No word yet whether Ryan will land a new gig as juicy as her role was opposite Ben Affleck in Gone Baby Gone.

Iconic jewelry from Tiffany & Co. found its way on the ears and wrist of Kristin Chenoweth who wore a dark brown strapless gown from Armani Prive. You can catch Chenoweth in Four Christmases, a romance story to be released later this year.

Chopard was again chosen, this time by Marion Cotillard who wore a champagne necklace layered with brown diamond beads and a square-cut yellow diamond ring. The mermaid gown look was courtesy of Jean Paul Gaultier. Marion may appear in the theater production of Nine, expected to begin filming shortly.

One of the youngest starlets present was the affable Miley Ray Cyrus who cut the rug wearing a red Valentino chiffon gown, selecting ruby Swarovski crystal earrings to go accentuate her appearance. You can bet that we’ll be seeing a lot of Miley over the coming years, an actress who is only at the beginning of her career.

Although this year’s Oscars had a record low television audience, that won’t stop Hollywood from filming nor will it keep the actresses off of the red carpet. Chances are that next year’s Oscars will be a major improvement, but then who watches the awards other than to see which starlets wore what gown and which designer’s diamond necklace, bracelet or ring?