Flesh and Some Flash
It was a new nude Hollywood on the red carpet Sunday night. Not peekaboo fashion, but a wonderful palette of understated blush and beige tones that stood out in a sea of mostly black.
Best supporting actress winner Jennifer Connelly was stunning in a flesh-hued, strapless Balenciaga gown, a fitted top with a long skirt with tiered ruffles. The only accessories were a matching long scarf and simple diamond studs. “I love the elegance and simplicity of the gown. I feel very relaxed in it,” she said.
Nicole Kidman favored a similar color in a delicate Chanel Couture gown, as did Jennifer Lopez in a strapless Versace. Ditto for Kirsten Dunst, in a sequin-splattered John Galliano for Christian Dior. All three wore simple jewelry.
Others went a tad bolder. “This was my early favorite,” Halle Berry said, spinning in a taffeta skirt and burgundy tulle top embroidered with silk flowers by Beirut-based Elie Saab, who shows in Paris. “I saw so many gowns, but this one just felt the part: classic, couture, modern and sexy,” she said as her proud mother, Judy, decked out in Escada selected by Berry, looked on.
Kate Winslet was a splash of color in a red Ben de Lisi gown adorned with a silk flower across the shoulder. Anne Jeffreys’ red dress was the perfect backdrop for her heart-shaped purse. And Renee Zellweger, with her hair pulled back in a simple bun, looked like old-school Hollywood in a Carolina Herrera black gown accessorized only with dangling diamond earrings.
There was no Bjork swan outfit this year, but there was Sally Kirkland in a Julia Gerard gown with pulleys on the skirt.
Men got their share of double takes in their classic tuxedo looks. Russell Crowe in a below-the-knee Armani tuxedo coat, Ron Howard in a two-button Versace tux and Will Smith in a black-on-black pinstripe tux by Ozwald Boateng (his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, wore a 1963 vintage Lanvin Castillo gold gown from a New York boutique).
Marisa Tomei in a navy blue Jurgen Simonson tulle gown said it was “nerve-racking” trying to decide what to wear but was happy with her “glamorous” selection.
“You can’t just come along in any old thing,” summed up Judi Dench, showing off her black Escada dress and matching floor-length coat.
