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Health & Fitness

Oscar Ovation

Red Carpet Fashion for the 2012 Academy Awards

Watching the Red Carpet for the Annual Oscar fashions is something I begin counting down for every year after the x's and o's and gobs of chocolate kisses of Valentine's Day...thus this year was no exception.

I have to say I was really impressed with gowns that floated down the red carpet for the 2012 Academy Awards.  Although I have my favorites, which you’ll see below…we were graced by the presence of Valentino, Elie Saab, Givenchy, Alexander McQueen, J Mendel, Louis Vuitton, Vintage Christian Dior, Giambattista Valli, Marchesa, Versace, Tom Ford…I could go on and on.  Overall the the celeb-worthy choices I thought were spot-on and made for quite an enjoyable evening of munching on Hors d’oeuvres while drooling over the gorgeous gowns…although nearly choking on my mini pizzette when Sasha Baren Cohen (otherwise lately known as “The Dictator”) spilled ashes down the front of Ryan Seacrest during his E News interview on the Red Carpet.

This year's awards evening brought forth an emerging trend that tends to favor the elder, sophisticated female actors but was refreshing on young starlettes Shailene Woodley and Amara Miller both dressed by Valentino.  Long sleeved sheaths were donned on Oscar winner Meryl Streep in Lanvin, and new-to-the-red-carpet-celebrity-scene Berenice Bejo who looked absolutely ravishing in Elie Saab.  Glenn Close opted for a deep shade of green in a corseted mermaid gown with matching tuxedo jacket by Zac Posen, while Anna Faris went for an edgy black Diane Von Furstenberg backless sequin floor-skimming gown.

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Shades of red, green, blush, and gold danced their way down the carpet, but the most unexpected that we saw on multiple leading ladies was winter white.  Mila Jovovich wore a jaw-dropping Elie Saab one-shoulder dress with matching white nails, while Best Supporting Actress Oscar Winner Octavia Spencer shined in a waist-cinching Tadashi Shoji gown.  The unique Rooney Mara was reminiscent of old hollywood glamour with a touch of mod in her Givenchy gown, but by far my utmost favorite from the night of glitz and glamour was the minimalist and clean-lined Tom Ford dress with matching floor-sweeping cape worn by Gwyneth Paltrow.

Overall, I was impressed with the caliber of dress choices of the Academy Awards attendees.  If I were to pretend that my life would ever bring me to grace the Red Carpet, I would have opted for the coral chiffon peplum gown by Louis Vuitton that Michelle Williams wore to dance the night away.

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