Like the Academy did with their Best Picture picks, I chose my top nine. In no particular order, here are my favorites:
jennifer garner in gucci
 |
| Purple perfection: The best part of this violet confection of a dress is the dramatic ruffle in the back. The $2.5 million worth of Neil Lane jewels don't hurt, either. |
amy adams in oscar de la renta
 |
| This de la Renta dress makes Amy Adams look every bit the princess she is. The photo doesn't capture its magnificence, but the beaded bodice and tulle-embellished skirt is absolutely gorgeous. |
jessica chastain in giorgio armani
 |
| Va-va-voom! Jessica Chastain channels Jessica Rabbit in this sexy, sparkly form-fitting Armani gown. Thank you for getting it right this time, Jess (a welcome departure from the disappointment that was your ill-fitting Golden Globes get-up -- and I still won't forgive you for that awful center part in your hair!). |
charlize theron in dior haute couture
 |
| Charlize, you are God's gift to the Red Carpet. You are every bit of the glamazon goddess in this white peplum Dior dress. Clean lines, glowing skin and that million dollar smile. Perfection. |
halle berry in versace
 |
| I think Halle Berry took the Red Carpet by storm with this show-stopping Versace gown. I love the Art Deco vibe and how the geometric lines of the dress hugged every curve perfectly. Cool points for the messy, tousled hair and understated jewelry. Nicely done, Ms. Berry! |
kerry washington in miu miu
 |
| The soft coral hue and simple lines of this Miu Miu dress reflect Kerry's fashion personality -- classy, lovely and girly. |
sally field in valentino
 |
| I ran into Sally Field once when I was fresh out of college, working on the Disney studios lot. She's tiny and I almost missed the fact that I was in the presence of Hollywood royalty. But in this striking candy-red ruffled Valentino gown, she embodies the creative powerhouse that she is. |
octavia spencer in tadashi shoji
 |
| Cream bliss: This vanilla Tadashi Shoji dress looks gorgeous on Octavia. And I love those sexy, smoky eyes and her perfect up-do accompanied by those perfectly smooth bangs. How do I get mine to do that? |
zoe saldana in alexis mabel couture
 |
| Some critics hated this dress. But what I love about Zoe is her willingness to take a risk. It shows not only in her fashion choices but her roles, as well. I enjoyed the playfulness of this gown. The ombre-inspired ruffles, the floral bodice, the belt. Perhaps the bow on the belt was a bit overboard, so sue her. |
The jury's out on the following three dresses. A lot of people liked them. But these are my unfaves.
naomi watts in armani prive
 |
| I appreciated how Naomi mixed things up. No one else went with the asymmetrical neckline and gunmetal sequins. Still, I feel like the dress had a bit of bipolar disorder: "Shall I be a strapless gown with a sweetheart neckline or a cap sleeve dress?" |
jennifer aniston in valentino
 |
| I know Jennifer Aniston is everyone's Red Carpet darling but I'm sorry, this Valentino number is boring, boring, boring. If I had Jen's hot yoga body, you can be sure I would be rocking that carpet with something more daring and imaginative. I mean, who in 2013 still wears a strapless dress with banded bodice? So 90s prom. |
jennifer williams in dior haute couture
 |
| I know, I know. Katniss is on everyone's Best Dressed List. But this Dior Haute Couture gown screams David's Bridal to me. Maybe it's the weird floral print or the mermaid fishtail thing. I'm just not feeling it. The only thing I liked was Jen's Chopard diamond necklace which went cascading down her back. |
Not a lot of unfaves this year. But of course, what's the fun of a Best Dressed article if there's no Worst Dressed roster?
anne hathaway in prada
 |
| Apparently, Anne changed her mind three hours before the Oscar ceremony, opting out of her original choice (Valentino) for this awful, badly-seamed Prada sheath. I think the Academy needs to send out a dress code memo like they did for the Grammys -- in this case no, ahem, visible nipples allowed on the Red Carpet. |
amanda seyfried in alexander mcqueen
 |
| She's only 27, but in this stiff Alexander McQueen dress and with that badly frosted up-do, Amanda Seyfried doesn't fit the part of young A-list starlet. |
salma hayek in alexander mcqueen
 |
| Tacky was the first word that came to mind when I laid eyes on Salma's Alexander McQueen dress. The black velvet with that gaudy jeweled halter was just too much paired with that puffy up-do. Sorry Salma, but I expect more from someone married to a billionaire fashion mogul. |
jane fonda in valentino
 |
| Jane's lemon yellow Valentino gown with that Xanadu-esque gilded "belt" feels outdated and uninspired. Ms. Fonda needs to whip her stylist back into shape. |
 |
| No surprise Helena Bonham Carter made my Worst Dressed List. I don't think Helena cares anyway. She doesn't dress for us. I'm having a near allergic reaction to this Vivienne Westwood gown -- the ruffles of black, gray and white that make no sense, the boring neckline and that hair. Please get those strands out of your face! |
melissa mccarthy in david meister
 |
| Some may think I'm picking on Melissa's David Meister dress because she's not a Size 2. But that's not it at all. The color is blah, the embroidered detailing on the cuffs and shoulder is tacky and her stylist went a little too crazy with the Brazilian blowout. I much preferred her Marina Rinaldi dress from last year's Oscar Red Carpet. |
