Oscar's Golden Girls

Here are my Oscar favourites only a few hours after these beautiful women walked the red carpet. The night undoubtedly belonged to Sandra (okay, okay~ after Kathryn Bigelow of course!). Bullock has been touted to win the Best Actress award for weeks and besides that, this weekend she actually turned up to collect her two wins for the "Razzies" (the worst of the worst acting awards, for which she "won" for All About Steve). Who could not love a woman who doesn't take herself at all seriously?

I love her and am so thrilled she won tonight for The Blind Side.

Sandra's speech for Best Actress tonight was everything the very best of acceptance speeches always are~ unrehearsed, witty, tender and touching (without being hysterical). There were tears pouring down my cheeks for two reasons: 1) When she choked up mentioning her late mother and how she had supported her no matter what she wanted to do, and 2) The obvious adoration she has for her husband, Jesse James, displays to me what I believe a true, forever kind of love to look like. Plus, her references to her competition with Meryl Streep were laugh out loud hilarious. Hands down my favourite part of the evening!

Sandra's dress was absolutely one of my favourites. Her metallic and lace Marchesa gown looked so vintage to me and it was lovely on her. Her sideswept hair and gutsy bright pink lipstick were also beautiful. Oscar's golden girl looked perfectly the part this evening.

My absolute favourite dress of the night, however, definitely belonged to presenter Cameron Diaz. Her gold beaded, strapless Oscar de la Renta gown was the stuff of dreams, as was her ridiculously gorgeous hair and red lips. I worshipped everything about this look and I can't say enough enthusiastic things about it. This now belongs in my All Star roster!

Second on my list was the always incredible Rachel McAdams. Her watercolour-esque Elie Saab gown was original and daring and I feel like her brave choice paid off. Painterly prints are still very hot, even after being so popular last spring and summer. I hate to label this look as trendy. Hopefully it will stick around for seasons to come as it's just so feminine and artistic and inspiring. To me, Rachel looks like a goddess. Everyone else may not love it but I think it's drop dead gorgeous. This is how Canadian girls can rock it!

I adore Elizabeth Banks (you would too if you caught her episode of Modern Family a few weeks back) and she looked like a vision in this grey blue Atelier Versace gown tonight. Calling to mind for me Penelope Cruz's Versace in 2007, it is comprised of a lot of ruffles. A lot. I would never wear this many ruffles in a million years, but it's the Academy Awards for crying out loud! If you can't strut around in something this unabashedly girly on Oscar night when the heck can you? I don't adore this angle but the girl looked genuinely amazing on that huge stage and she has the Grace Kelly-like, blond, patrician good looks to pull off so big a dress. Not my number one choice, but one I surprisingly adored.

I hope you had fun watching tonight and feel free to share with me your favourite moments and gowns! I suppose I should see The Hurt Locker now...!!

Oscar Love

Photo of Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly backstage at The 28th Annual Academy Awards, March 21, 1956

This weekend is one of my favourites of the entire year~ it's Oscar time, friends! I'm so excited to watch the ceremony on Sunday with my family! We can get pretty competitive, betting on the outcomes of every category... for money, of course! I haven't seen too many of the films up for consideration this year but, nevertheless,

I better win this Oscar pool!

My favourite part of the evening (after the speeches that always make me teary eyed) is the fashion! This is the best night of the year for drop dead, fantasy fashion~ plus jewelry, shoes, hair and makeup! All the over the top gorgeousness makes my heart quicken! Here are a few of my absolute favourite dresses over the past few years...

My all time favourite Oscar dress is Renee Zellweger in vintage Jean Desses from Lily et Cie. I became obsessed with owning a yellow dress after this. It's a bold colour choice but the silhouette is so perfectly subtle and feminine. Years later I still love it just as much.

I adored Gwyneth Paltrow in this pale pink Stella McCartney gown. The structured, corset-like bodice and full skirt are unfathomably romantic, her diamonds were crazy beautiful and I loved the simplicity of her long, wavy hair. Perfection.

Angelina Jolie was impeccable in the above white, Greek goddess gown by Marc Bouwer. So simple, so glamourous, so hot! This woman makes anything look amazing!

I'm not one for wearing red personally, but Anne Hathaway was lovely in this ruby red Marchesa gown with floral detail. The draping is so beautiful and I adored her perfectly, curled ponytail as well. A ponytail to the Oscars! Love!

Nicole Kidman has worn more famous gowns to the Academy Awards, but my favourite is this pale blue Chanel gown with its irreverent feathered skirt. The pale shade suits her to perfection and I thought she was at her most ice queen loveliness in this. Plus, her upswept hair and diamond collar are incredible. Coco would be proud.

While Tom Ford was still designing for the house, Julianne Moore wore this emerald green strapless gown by Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche. Redheads are often perfect in green and this is no exception. Julianne looked sexy and confident in this ruffled number and it proves that bold colour certainly works on the red carpet. Sigh.

I miss you, Tom Ford!

Last but not least, Kate Hudson looked simply enchanting in this nude lace Versace gown. What is not to love here? Romantic lace, cap sleeves, full skirt, gorgeous hair, copious diamonds... everything is flawless on this golden girl. This is consistently voted the best Oscar look of all time and I am hard pressed to not choose this as my number 2. This is everything that Oscar fashion should be~ timeless, elegant, romantic, fashionable, feminine. Perfect.

Have fun watching! I'll share my favourites from this year on Monday! I can't WAIT for Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin as presenters. And I better win that darn Oscar pool!

Oscar Nominations

The 82nd Academy Award nominations were announced this morning and it's a day I look forward to every year. Though I haven't seen many of the films at the centre of attention right now (no, not even Avatar yet), I'm certainly planning on it before the ceremony on Sunday, March 7. Every year there is always much discussion on who was rightfully nominated versus who was callously snubbed (read that here) but regardless of that, the nominations announced this morning were much expected.

See the full list of nominees here.

I, for one, can't wait for three things: seeing my huge man crush George Clooney in Up in the Air, the amazing gowns the actresses will wear and the ceremony's co-hosts Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin one upping each other all night at the big event. So excited!

The Hollywood Issue

Ever since I was in high school and a little obsessed with being an actress (ha ha ha) I have been transfixed by the Hollywood issue of Vanity Fair. It is always, by far, the dreamiest and coolest issue of the year, from the collection of the hottest actresses (and once in awhile, actors) of the moment on the cover to the ingenious, photographic magic of the spread inside. This year is no exception. With the Academy Awards pushed back this year until March (to accomodate the Winter Olympics here in my hometown, Vancouver) the issue will be released well before the most important night of the year in Hollywod, but no matter. An issue like this stands alone.

This years collection of fresh, young faces on the cover are (from left to right) Abbie Cornish, Kristen Stewart, Carey Mulligan, Amanda Seyfried, Rebecca Hall, Mia Wasikowska, Emma Stone, Evan Rachel Wood and Anna Kendrick. Lucky, lucky girls. I can't wait to get my hands on this issue!

See some behind the scenes footage here.

(Photos via Vanity Fair)

Seeing Double

While I absolutely loved Diane Kruger on the red carpet at Saturday's SAG Awards and she was undoubtedly my fashion favourite, I couldn't help but feel this look had been done before. From her pulled back blond knot to her red lips to the incredibly distinctive shade of her marigold yellow gown, Diane could be a double for Michelle Williams in Vera Wang at the 2006 Academy Awards. No matter. Fashion is nothing if not cyclical and both look equally breathtaking.

Rainbow Bright

Now this is what I like to see! There was a wealth of vibrant colour on the red carpet at Saturday night's SAG Awards and I absolutely loved it! My absolute favourites? Diane Kruger's marigold Jason Wu gown (especially with her red lips) and Glee's Lea Michele in emerald Catherine Malandrino. Even though it's still January it makes me feel like spring is in the air!

Golden Globe Favourites

The Golden Globes were last night and sadly I missed the telecast because I was at work. However, the first thing I did when I got home was pounce onto People and Us Weekly online to see what the beautiful people of Hollywood were wearing. A rare rain in Los Angeles gave the red carpet a twist, as many of the actors were photographed under umbrellas, which I thought was charming. Hey, even the stars have to worry about humidity ruining their hair (the bane of my very existence)! The fashion itself was not as spectacular as I had hoped~ lots of black and did everyone call each other before the show to agree on wearing one shouldered gowns?! There was a shocking lot of them (Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon here, not to mention Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Drew Barrymore and Anna Kendrick). 

I am giddy in anticipation of the Academy Awards. Oscar night is one of my favourites of the entire year! My family gets together at my parent's house, we eat dinner and bet on every category! We still laugh at my brother for the year he lost every category because he kept betting on Ratatouille! I won (naturally!) 

Here are my favourite three dresses from last night...

Reese Witherspoon (above) presented in a simple and elegant inky navy blue column. I love that she wore blue over the more obvious choice of black. Her hair is sexy, tousled perfection and the girl seriously glows (as usual). Poor, poor Jake Gyllenhaal (I'll take him)! 

I'm a girly girl so Best Actress nominee Emily Blunt's pale pink Dolce & Gabbana is dreamy perfection to me. I think she looks angelic and subtly sexy. She is going to make one beautiful bride. She's ridiculously talented and she gets to marry my dream man (John Krasinski and no, I don't like him from The Office. More along the lines of It's Complicated)! Lucky girl! 

I've been watching a lot of Friends reruns lately and I'm loving Jennifer Aniston again. Rachel! I often find her boring on the red carpet (come on, Jen, would it kill you to do your hair a little differently once in awhile?!) but last night she looked A-mazing! Her black Valentino is a more obvious sexy (hello, cut up to there slit!) but she majorly owns it. I love her wavy hair and her skin literally gleams. All I can say is... wow!