ent from gloating in blush to a drab cement grey dress with a bronze sequined neckpiece that seemed lifted from a figure skater s trunk.Amanda Seyfried went from blah grey and lavender to bold strappy orange  Prom Dresses Christmas , Jane Fonda went from canary yellow Versace into another long-sleeved black and white abstract print stunner tailored to her lithe figure within an inch of its life.Two of the fussiest, fouffiest gowns of the night were thankfully put away, thereby ensuring room for more party-goers: Best Actress winner Jennifer Lawrence left the enormous Dior gown and slipped into a metallic bugle-beaded gown with a plunging neckline, and Amy Adams abandoned her grey-blue wedding cake tulle for a similarly slinky fringed platinum column.Naomi Watts stuck with her sequins, but switched the twinkly Armani grey with the cutout neckline for a one-armed black number, this time with interesting triangular shape of gold inset sequins at the hip.Everybody has their personal favourites, both on the red carpet and later for the Vanity Fair party and after-parties, on the town.Natalie PortmanThe swan has kept out of sight lately, busy with new-motherhood, but she floated in to the Vanity Fair party wearing a very, very simple tailored empire waist gown in ivory, with a stark black satin ribbon bow tied over one shoulder as though she d never left.I wonder if there will ever be a time when Portman doesn t give good ingenue.Perhaps once she is well into her 50s?Elizabeth BanksHere the elements of the traditional grandiose ball gown silhouette get tweaked by Alexander McQueen: instead of yards of stiff taffeta or damask, it s in a gossamer printed tangerine watercolour floral, for example.And a twist on the prim sweetheart neckline, cut in a pronounced way and deeper, then cinched with an almost-clashing tortoise belt.Banks adds to the forward-thinking twist with a sleek Updo 2.Emmanuelle RivaThe 86 year old grand dame of French cinema celebrated her birthday at the Academy Awards and while she didn t win her category, she looked much more chic than her fellow nominees.The caped teal gown is by Alber Elbaz at Lanvin and while look could have been merely clerical (there is something of a cassock robe about it, certainly, with its seemingly severe neck and long sleeves), the perfect flowing proportions and choice of colour  Girls Dresses Christmas , as well as the futuristic geometric diamond necklace and earrings, make it both elegant and interesting.Leslie MannMann always goes her own way on the red carpet I always have the (refreshing) feeling she s dressing to please herself, that even with the aid of a stylist it s an offbeat dress she d have chosen anyway.It turns out she s got great taste a little offbeat.For the VF party, Mann wore a long, red matte Andrew Gn with cuffed balloon sleeves that recalls an early-1970s hostess dress (yes, a little like Susan Saint-James s incredible wardrobe on MacMillan Wife).And there was just enough embroidery and three-dimensional detail at the neckline to make it festive.it s confidently new-Hollywood, a vibe that would be nice to see on the main red carpet more often.Sunrise CoigneySpeaking of contemporary and with an artistic bent, let s talk about Mark Ruffalo s spouse.Her edgy, cool dress landed her on some snarky worst-dressed lists, but not by me.This is a sort of futuristic flapper look, with a drop waist, angular hem and fishtail (it is very Maria Cornejo).Here s another woman dressing to please herself and wearing something she likes.The non-traditional dress has a geometric effect, with the striped black and white skirt falling in triangles in several directions, but it s not odd, it s simply out of context on a very staid, typical red carpet.It s unusual for an Oscars outfit to be so very fashion rather than all that yawn-inducing old-Hollywood glamour blah blah blah (that all look exactly like the vintage costume illustrations that were decorating the red carpet, in fact).st century as she does.The shocking blue clutch adds another unexpected pop, too.came from gunmetal grey sequins.Best actress nominee Naomi Watts, in an asymmetrical sequined liquid glittering gown with cutout neckline, positively glowed triumphant.Even if her Official Best Friend Nicole Kidman also chose to show up in head to toe sequins  Christmas Dresses for Girls , a scaly dress by L'Wren Scott.Performer Jennifer Hudson, who reprised her Oscar-winning Dreamgirls role with a song midway through the ceremony, slinked in a gunmetal sequins on mesh figure-hugging long-sleeved gown.but the colour made it one of the most memorable carpet looks of the night.recalled Anne Hathaway's from a couple of years ago (also Armani) and her hair, set in a sheen of controlled curls, recalled Veronica Lake.It was gorgeous and tasteful but exceedingly safe (read: boring).So was Jennifer Aniston's red taffeta prom dress, worn with her usual beach-tousled hair.Anticipating the Gatsby movie and its era's trend, Stacey Keibler and Halle Berry both wore optical illusion geometric effect Art Deco motif gowns that glittered (Armani, Versace).Both dresses were tailored perfectly and stunning, even if neither quite suited its wearer.Sandra Bullock and Kristin Chenoweth's black beaded dresses were virtually identical; Kerry Washington shone in an encrusted Miu Miu dress.But white and nude was the colour of the night, at least in terms of repeat appearances.Queen Latifah, Octavia Spencer and Zoe Saldana donned it, and Marchesa co-designer and Harvey Weinstein's other half Georgina Chapman (quite pregnant) wafted in in white lace-trimmed white chiffon;velvet strapless, a waste of a gorgeous dress on a girl who couldn't care less.One of the best cream dresses of the night came from the documentary-winning team, a pleated, fluted column with rosettes at the neckline that recalled a timeless Fortuny Delphos gown.Jennifer Lawrence was drowning in pale pinkish-white floral strapless jacquard from Dior Haute Couture, with yards of skirt and yet another ill-fitting, too-low bodice.To .