And the Oscar for glamour goes to...

We've seen how they've fared with the Awards, but how did the leading actresses compare in the fashion stakes? Designers know that a nominee wearing their couture at the Oscars is worth anything from £10 million in free advertising. So they fall over themselves to clothe the top names - and sometimes trip up. But stars are also becoming wary of designers who are too avant-garde. No one wants to risk being dubbed worst-dressed experiment on the most seen-to-be-seen night of all nights in the calendar.

This year saw a balance between those that wanted to stay elegant and safe and trailblazing dames who dared to be different.

Nicole Kidman dazzled in fire engine red

"One trend in evidence was sexy shoulders. Bare skin was visible, but shoulder blades rather than cleavage. Long, flat-ironed hair was also a popular choice and long golden tresses (wonderful if identical) were on display from Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Helen Mirren and Jennifer Hudson won Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress respectively - but did their dresses measure up?

The vote for Mirren was generally in the affirmative. A champagne-coloured gown with lace bodice and gold-leaf embroidery on the skirt.

"It chose me," she said. "It makes me feel comfortable. I don't feel like I'm trying to be something I'm not." Mirren also garnered praise for showing that a 61-year- old can look ravishing. Collier Strong, consulting makeup artist for L'Oreal Paris who worked with Diane Keaton, praised mature women, saying "I think they add something vitally needed - confidence and a sense of themselves. They don't need to pose a certain way, they don't need to make sure a picture is from the right angle."

Her plunging neckline was "not too low" and appropriate to her age, and the ruched, nipped-in waist showed off her figure nicely.

Jen was no Dreamgirl in her 'bacofoil' bolero

"Dreamgirl Jennifer Hudson has had some ups and downs fashion-wise in her meteoric rise from American Idol to her award-winning role in star-studded musical Dreamgirls. She told reporters on the red carpet how she has exercised assiduously to lose weight.

Her hair looked beautiful, cascading over her shoulders but the dress still has to be right - and this one wasn't. A brown ruched gown from Oscar de la Renta might just have worked on its own, but for the red carpet she had also added a metallic shrug which made her look as if she'd wrapped her shoulders in tin-foil.

Another fashion disaster came, ironically, from the woman who gave us the immaculate fashion-industry movie, The Devil Wears Prada. Best Actress Nominee Meryl Streep was looking determinedly Bohemian, with one critic dubbing it, "Devil Wears Oxfam". Was she playing a personal joke? Maybe. She looked awful in a black Prada radzmire coat, with a black skirt and green belt. To top it off, she had a hippie-festival abundance of chunky coral-and-silver jewellery. Hmmm. It looks as though she may have taken a favourite ironic line from the movie to heart: "That's really what this multibillion-dollar industry is all about, isn't it? Inner beauty!"

Other nominees fared much better. Kate Winslet, who often makes jokes about her weight, looked divine in a Grecian-goddess style Valentino dress. The length and bias-cut perfectly suited her figure (much better than the austere horizontal lines she has wore at the Baftas). The colour - pale green (sea foam?) was most unusual. It had unfussy ruching across the chest, leading to a single strap trailing over her shoulder.

Japanese nominee Rinko Kikuchi, (in Babel) opted for a fabulous black mermaid look in a figure-hugging strapless gown by Chanel - marking an excellent recovery after her pink tulle pompom fiasco at the Golden Globes.

But the real eye-poppers were Cate Blanchett (Notes On A Scandal) and Penelope Cruz (Volver).

Blanchett looked as stylish as ever

On this year's red carpet Blanchett wore a one-shouldered crystal mesh gown from Armani Prive with dark red embellishments as it fell to the floor. Most critics agree she was elegance personified. Penelope Cruz was slightly more controversial, but had the satisfaction of wearing the gown that dominated the Red Carpet. An intricately swirled, strapless bodice from Versace exploded into an exaggerated feathered skirt. The blush colour matched her olive skin beautifully and the frothy, trailing skirt (made of fur) grabbed everyone's attention.

Penelope Cruz in a cross between a carpet and brush... or one of the loveliest gowns, you decide

"Not all loved it - if you were feeling critical, you could say it looked a little like a cross between a shag carpet and a toilet brush - but most would disagree and even hail it, if not as the dress of the evening, as a close second to Blanchett's.

What of the other big names?

J-Lo feeling "chic and sexy" with hubby Marc

Jennifer Lopez looked relaxed and happy arm-in-arm with husband Marc Anthony. Speaking of her dress, she said, "It makes me feel very glamorous, chic and sexy!" Apparently Marc had chosen it for her. A Grecian-style, billowing Marchesa empire gown, it featured an elaborate antique jewelled neckline front and back.

Gwyneth Paltrow, another star unafraid to take chances, wore a very attractive apricot-coloured spider-web gown of delicate tulle and chiffon from Zac Posen. Accordion pleats radiated from the centre and neckline in strong art-deco patterns. This was one dress unlike any other at this year's Oscars. Her accessories included a platinum and diamond ring, bangle and link bracelet by Neil Lane (worth, according to a press release, £500,000 in total).

Perhaps the last word should go to Giorgio Armani, who attended the ceremony (presumably in his own design). "It's very important," he said, "to be elegant and simple rather than be flashy." With Cate Blanchett proving that true for him this year, many others may well take note.

Here's a rundown of the glamour girls:

Beyonce Knowles - Armani Prive Mint green Grecian look with a slit that shows off her nice legs and silver sandals. Ornate beading from the shoulder and continuing across her body down to her waist.
Jessica Biel - Oscar de la Renta
Cate Blanchett - Armani Prive
Emily Blunt - Calvin Klein
Penelope Cruz - Versace
Catherine Deneuve - - Jean Paul Gaultier
Cameron Diaz - Valentino: Bold lines in pure white fabric, big Cartier oval green drop earrings and silver shoes.
Celine Dion - Vintage James Galanos from Lily et Cie: Dark green wrap-style gown. Silver loop earrings. Diamond cuff bracelets.
Kirsten Dunst - Chanel Couture: Light blue tulle embroidered dress with enough feather trim for a boa. Sheer lace sequinned neckline.
Jodie Foster - Vera Wang: Crinkled silk chiffon gown.
Maggie Gyllenhaal - Proenza Schouler: Venetian glass embroidery, fitted bodice and a feathered hemline. Inky black and blue asymmetrical look.
Anne Hathaway - Valentino: Strapless dress from the Devil wears Prada set. Adorned with a large black bow at the front and complemented by a smaller one at the knee bend. Diamond bangles and bracelets on left wrist and pearl earrings add to the classic look.
Jennifer Hudson - Oscar de la Renta
Nicole Kidman - Balenciaga: Eye-wateringly lovely in fire-engine red halter gown and oversized bow trailing down to the carpet. Less enthusiastic admirers say she looked like a huge wind-up toy or a Christmas present. Matching red slippers.
Rinko Kikuchi - Chanel
Jennifer Lopez - Marchesa
Helen Mirren - Christian Lacroix
Gwyneth Paltrow - Zac Posen
Jada Pinkett Smith - Carolina Herrera: Corset-style strapless gown in gold lame.
Kelly Preston - Dolce & Gabbana: Animal print gown.
Portia de Rossi - Zac Posen: Eye-catching halter gown. midnight blue gown with black fringing detail
Meryl Streep - Prada
Naomi Watts - Escada: Shone in a strapless lemon dress with sapphire blue sash.
Rachel Weisz - Vera Wang: Lovely strapless ivory silk dress with a shimmering train; diamante detail and bow sparkling at the bustline, and diamond pendant necklace on her décolletage. Layers of tulle, diamantes, and crimped satin. She described it as "very romantic." Cartier diamond medallion that complemented the jewels sewn into the bodice and bottom of the gown.
Kate Winslet - Valentino
Reese Witherspoon - Nina Ricci: Intense deep purple silk bustier dress tumbling to the floor in delicate scalloped layers. Van Cleef & Arpels jewels and Christian Louboutin shoes.

And it wasn't just the women who were in the spotlight. Here's a list of some of the fellas following fashion:

Clive Owen - Evening dress complimented with black shirt open at the neck, matching his co-presenter's gold outfit (Blanchett) perfectly.
Clint Eastwood - Sports a red top handkerchief to brighten up the standard menswear.
Leonardo DiCaprio - Still looks like his mum dresses him and tends to look better in casual gear. Accessories said to include a platinum 'Master Minute Repeater' limited-edition watch with a hand-stitched alligator leather strap by Jaeger-LeCoultre ($175,000).
Al Gore - Ralph Lauren

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