Remakes are rarely as good as the original.
But at the 73rd annual Academy Awards, Hollywood still tried its hand with vintage fashion: Kate Hudson as a Victorian bride, Ashley Judd and Juliette Binoche as flapper girls and Sarah Jessica Parker as an '80s barfly with a '60s updo.
Fortunately, Angelina Jolie showed up in a razor-sharp white Dolce & Gabbana pantsuit to remind us that we were in the 21st century.
Not that there's anything wrong with vintage fashion: Julia Roberts in Valentino and Renee Zellweger in Lily et Cie pulled off bygone eras beautifully.
It's just that some celebs are taking retro so seriously it looks like their pricey designer threads were actually borrowed from wardrobe in a period flick.
Truth is, the stylists have managed to clean up celebs to the point where dishing about the Academy Awards is a chore.
This year even finished with nary a Cher in sight. Now where's the fun in that?
And except for Jennifer Lopez' lame attempt to show off her body (again), only Britney Spear's sassy Pepsi commercial turned up the heat during the breaks.
Here's a breakdown of the celebs and what they wore:
Belle of the ball
Julia Roberts in a black vintage Valentino gown with white piping and sheer inset (supposedly she doesn't even use a stylist). The enormous hair add-on was a bit much, but the overall effect was very glamorous.
Losers
- Russell Crowe looked like he just wandered over from the Country Music Awards with that hairdo, string tie and long jacket (even if it was Armani)
- Jennifer Lopez - - in a putty colored dress with see-through top by Chanel. "I always choose at the last minute...whatever I feel good in at the time," she confessed on the red carpet.
- Juliette Binoche in Jean-Paul Gaultier -- overaccessorized in a feathered hair clip, layered opera length pearls, long handless gloves, tall boots.
- Sarah Jessica Parker in a thigh-high, long sleeve black dress with a bulbous updo. For a supposed style icon, she screws up alot at awards shows.
Winners
- Halle Berry in Badgley Mishka lilac beaded dress with low-cut draped halter neck.
- Catherine Zeta-Jones in Versace black bustier and fitted skirt. She rarely misses a beat at awards shows.
- Angelina Jolie in a white Dolce and Gabbana pantsuit (sans shirt.) Definitely wins "Most Improved" over that dreadful goth look she did last year.
Who the others wore
- Julia Stiles in beaded Vera Wang.
- Kate Hudson -- fringed capelet and dress, Chloe by Stella McCartney.
- Joan Allen -- coral Michael Kors long gown.
- Morgan Freeman in 14-karat Ray-Bans, black satin shirt, bow tie and tux.
- Laura Linney in couture red one-shoulder Valentino.
- Sting in classic tux by Gucci.
- Tom Hanks in a Gucci tux, too, fumbled with a crooked bowtie on the red carpet and said it was driving him crazy.
- Goldie Hawn in a nude Vera Wang dress.
- Michelle Yeoh in a black and gold beaded gown by Barney Cheng
- Bjork in a totally original swan dress that she said her friend made for her.
- Hilary Swank in a gold Versace that barely contained her ample bosom.
- Marcia Gay Harden looking classic Hollywood in a Randolph Duke strapless red satin dress.
- Sigourney Weaver in a red John Galliano for Dior couture. One-shouldered with huge flower, and laced up slip. "It makes me feel like Cinderella," she said.
- Joaquin Phoenix in Armani in a long tie he promptly loosened up once he sat down.
Trends
- One-shouldered and strapless
- Red
- Major updos
- Curls and waves
- Trains on dresses
- Vintage looks
- Either nude lips or matte red
- Diamonds and pearls
- Hair accessories
