Best of Oscar Red Carpet Fashion 2012 Rundown

From Penelope Cruz’s retro-Hollywood inspired Armani Prive gown to a parade of matronly gala dresses, you never know what to expect from the style scene at the Oscars and this year’s 84th annual Academy Awards served as no exception -although a cold one indeed.

The problem with the stylization of Hollywood is the banal red carpet scene as of late with its too safe & ho-hum attempts and now rare misfires. With the infiltration of stylists amongst Tinseltown actresses have been dressing increasingly flat, mundane, less daring & less personal.

And though we’ve selected our top five favorites of the evening, they do bring to mind that Hollywood style has changed little over the years and like a good fashion show, the best inspirations continue to come from the usual suspects.

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In Tom Ford, Gwenyth Platrow was able to make a typically flawless appearance that brings so many thoughts to mind as she looks truly modern yet gloriously glamorous in the most old-school of ways while nailing today’s need for paired down elegance.

And although its such a strict look, the beauty which radiates from the actress is unquestionable and its not that she looks uptight, its that she’s proven that she’s mastered refined age-appropriate dressing with deiginity.

Although a combination of a clean, classic sequined one-shouldered column punctuated with a sleek bob maybe be nothing new, on Rose Byrne, her Vivienne Westwood stunner works as a wonderful way to highlight her lithe frame while adding an untouchable elegance to the actress’s look.

Sahsa Baron Cohen and Angeline Jolie’s leg may have been the only laughs any celebrity gave us last night, intended or not.

Making a wickedly funny appearance as his ‘Dictator’ character, Cohen set the night a blaze with his witty antics.

Her first major leading role has brought Michelle Williams inimitable style to a heightened frenzy and her latest statement maker from Louis Vuitton featured an achingly elegant silhouette in a textured fabrication that looked fresh.