Oscars 2013: and the award for the best outfit goes to…

My first pick of the Oscars, undoubtedly one of the most important nights of the year as the fashion world looks to the red carpet for the final time of awards season, goes to Amanda Seyfried- who had not one but two glorious outfits. Her first, a lilac Alexander McQueen creation that looked fit for a princess. In my opinion, Amanda hasn’t put a foot out of line in the fashion stakes during awards season so I had high expectations, which were luckily totally met. The McQueen suited her beautifully and the ice cream coloured detailing lent some intrigue and interest to a fairly simplistic style. The key hole neck line is extremely flattering but my only problem with the dress is the odd wraparound halter neck, which cuts off in a strange position, leaving Ms Seyfried looking like she has no neck. But combined with the classic up do and fairy-tale pink makeup, Amanda look like a princess.

Her second dress appeared during her stirring performance of One Day More. The striking tomato red Givenchy creation contrasted greatly with the rest of the main cast, all of who wore either black, dark blue or beige. Was Amanda’s dress supposed to be the fashion version of the red flag of the revolution? How knows whether the producers had intended a more symbolic meaning to Amanda’s fashion choices but what I do know is that she looked stunning. The full tulle skirt was reminiscent of real old Hollywood glamour and the red looked glorious with her blonde hair and fair skin. However, she opted for another overly complicated neckline that made the poor thing look like she was being strangled, something to be avoided when you are belting out huge musical numbers on the Oscar stage. Odd placed necklines aside, Seyfried scores highly for me because of her more original choices, classical yet extremely pretty.

My second favourite of the evening was our very own Adele Adkins. The thing I find most admirable about Adele is that she knows what looks good but she is never boring. Black is normally her colour of choice and tonight was no exception as she walked the red carpet in a floor length Jenny Packham creation. What made her dress interesting was the sparkling detailing which could be seen particularly well under the lighting as she went to pick up her much deserved Oscar. On closer inspection, the jewels were multi-coloured instead of merely a uniform black, which brought more interest to her shimmery gown. She twinkled like the night sky and, as is the norm for Adele, looked classier than most of the other women there. I have a great respect for anyone who wears sleeves to events like the Oscars; there are never enough sleeves. Her hair and make up looked impeccable, her signature red lip and eyelashes visible from a mile away.

Honourable mentions also go to Jennifer Hudson, who looked spectacular in a petrol blue Roberto Cavalli dress with a leg split to rival the infamous Angelina Jolie dress of last year. Hudson just oozed cool and looked so contemporary with her blunt fringe and incredible long, straight hair. Jennifer Hudson proved that you don’t always have to go over the top to look incredible at the Oscars. The incredible electric blue heels she sported clashed with the rest of the blue ensemble, making the whole outfit pop with intense colour.

Quvenzhané Wallis, the youngest nominee at just 9 years old looked adorable in dark blue Armani Junior. The most striking thing about this outfit was that it was entirely age appropriate. There had been no attempt to make her look older as is often the case with young Hollywood starlets. She wasn’t forced into tiny high heels or squeezed into a dress that was unsuitable; she just looked like a little girl dressed up for the biggest party of her life. Every budding star should have a signature look and Quvenzhané rocked hers by bringing her puppy purse, this time in grey. Never before on the Oscar red carpet have accessories been so much fun and Quvenzhané, with her huge level of confidence and humour was just the right girl to pull it off.

Because it wouldn’t be fair to ignore the boys, a special mention goes to Eddie Redmayne who brought a touch of Old Etonian charm and class to the proceedings. Redmayne has given us an extremely impressive display of velvet suits over the past few weeks and so when he appeared in a black Alexander McQueen I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed that he wasn’t sporting velvet. But as I looked down I spotted that the sly Mr Redmayne was wearing a stunning pair of McQueen skull emblazoned velvet slippers. It is the slippers and the classy black bow tie that gains Eddie my best dressed male of the evening.