Today I want to continue my homage to Hollywood icons, and I have chosen to focus today on the amazing Brigitte Bardot!  This French bombshell exploded onto our screens in the 1950s, and American men became mesmerized by her vixen like looks and dangerous pout!  She gave rise to the phrase 'sex kitten' and became one of the most talked about actresses of that time.  She was known for her risque roles in foreign movies, where appearing nude did not phase her at a time when women in America were commended for being buttoned up and virtuous! She only ever starred in one American made movie, 'Dear Brigitte' in 1965 with James Stewart, where she appeared only in one scene.  She was 'discovered' by the Director Roger Vadim at the tender age of 15, and by 17 years of age she married him, though the marriage was a short-lived 4 year union.  However, Brigitte shunned the limelight and retired from movies when she turned 40!  Since then she has lived a very quiet life and has been dedicated to animals, and is a leading spokeswoman for animal rights.  But taking a look at these photos of a young Brigitte there is no denying the sex appeal, unique style and certain 'je ne sais quois' that this woman possessed.....

I'm going to continue my critique today of the Oscar fashions as I wasn't able to cover all of it yesterday.  I hope you've enjoyed my comments so far, and I would love to hear from you to see if you agree or disagree with my choices of best & worst dressed.  I know there has been some controversy over some of the fashions with some 'experts' having completely opposing views!  But that as they, is the beauty of being able to speak your mind!  So, let me continue with some of the other celebrity fashions who walked the red carpet on Sunday.

I am a big fan of Penelope Cruz.  I think she is beautiful, classy & talented and she has worn some amazing dresses to a variety of events over the years.  However....I was not a fan of her dress on Sunday.  She chose a blue Armani dress, and while I liked the color, I did not think the dress was anything special.  In fact, I thought it was a little too princessy or frou-frou.  Sorry Penelope, I hate to do this but I just didn't like it!


Another celebrity I think is amazing is Natalie Portman.  Stunningly beautiful & incredibly talented, but the dress?  Sorry, but I did not like this red polka dot Christian Dior Vintage Couture dress.  It was just very....well, ordinary and did not do justice to this incredibly beautiful lady!



Now, Meryl Streep.....I love her, she is an amazing actress, but usually she gets the clothes completely wrong.  And when I first saw her gold lame Lanvin dress I thought "oh no, not again Meryl"!  But the more I've seen it on TV and in photographs I have to say it has grown on me!  Certainly it doesn't make my best dressed list, but it's not terrible.  It could have been fitted better, but overall she looked better than in the past.  So that's kind of good, right?




Cameron Diaz...I like her.  I think she's pretty and smart and funny and her fashion style can be creative and edgy.  That's the good news!  I did not like this dress!  The Gucci white dress for me was nothing special.  Pretty yes, but nothing to get excited about, and for the Oscars I think it should have been something special.



One that I did like was Bridesmaids actress Ellie Kemper in a rust(ish) strapless sequinned Armani Prive dress.  She looked beautiful and I love this color!  There were a few rust/coppery/bronze/gold dresses on display on Sunday and I love these colors.




Another one I loved was Glenn Close in Zac Posen!  She rocked this emerald green dress with tux style jacket.  She looks amazing for a mature woman and her hair and makeup were simple and appropriate.


Melissa McCarthy is one of my favorite ladies, but that dress!  Oh my, I'm sorry but it was just awful!  As you know I'm a huge fan of the curvy ladies, but this dress did nothing for her.  The color was okay, a pale nudish look, but the design did not flatter her curves.  I was disappointed as she has looked amazing all award season long.

What a night it was last night at the Oscars, not only for the movies and nominees but for the fashions too!  I loved it, and couldn't get enough of the glamor & glitz of this annual extravaganza!  I was overwhelmed by the dresses, the jewels, the accessories and hair & make-up.  I was surprised that some of the trends predicted did not appear on the red carpet, like brightly colored dresses as well as nude and pastels.  The pale colors were not as abundant as I had anticipated, but those who did wear these colors wore them well.  There was a lot of black and a lot of sequins, which surprised me!  And of course a BIG congratulations to winners Octavia Spencer, Christopher Plummer, Meryl Streep & Jean DuJardin - all well deserved!

Now onto the fun part for me....the fashion hits & misses of the night!  Tell me who were your hits and misses, I'd love to know!

For me Michelle Williams was a big hit last night and my top pick for best dressed.  She has always been one of my favorites, both as an incredibly talented actress and fashionista!  She has an eclectic, quirky style that I love, and she looked fantastic in a coral Louis Vuitton dress with peplum detail.  Her simple pixie hair and simple jewels finished off her look perfectly.

Another big hit for me was Stacy Kiebler.  She surprised me with her glamorous and chic look in her coppery gold Marchesa dress.  She looked statuesque next to the always dapper George Clooney in his classic Armani suit.  They made a very handsome couple!

Octavia Spencer rocked it in a beautiful white/silver beaded shimmery dress that flattered her curves, and she remained faithful to her friend and designer Tadashi Shoji.

Rose Byrne looked amazing in a black sequinned Vivienne Westwood.  She looked glamorous and fashion forward in this simple but chic dress.

Gwyneth Paltrow looked sleek in a beautiful Tom Ford white dress and matching cape. 

Angelina Jolie looked amazing in a structured Atelier Versace black dress, and I loved the detail at the back with the sparkly pin.

Jennifer Lopez looked beautiful and showed off her curves in a shimmery Zuhair Murad dress.

Mila Jovalich was the epitome of old hollywood class in her beaded Marchesa gown.

Sandra Bullock looked stunning in her black and white Marchesa gown.

Tina Fey surprised me with her stunning Carolina Herrera classic peplum black gown.  She looked the best I've seen her!

Berenice Bejo was one of the few who went with a pale color and wore the mint Elie Saab gown with beautiful detail.

I also liked Shailene Woodley in Valentino Couture.  Not everyone liked this, saying it was too old for her, but I loved this look and think she pulled it off with style!

Now.....the looks I wasn't too keen on...

I was really on the fence about Jessica Chastain in Alexander McQueen.  I am a huge fan of McQueen but I couldn't decide on this dress.  There's no denying the craftsmanship in this dress with the coppery gold beaded overlay on black, but something about it didn't quite work for me.

Also I was disappointed with the dress Viola Davis wore.  I love the color on her, the green looked beautiful with her skin tone, but I wasn't a fan of the cut and detail of this Vera Wang dress.

Another miss for me was Emma Stone in Giambatista Valli.  While I love the color red I think this dress was reminiscent of the dress Nicole Kidman wore to the oscars a few years ago, and I didn't like that one either.  The bow and neck detail was just too much.

Rooney Mara for me looked awful in that white structured Givenchy Couture dress and she is the worst dressed of the night for me.  She looked washed out to me, this dress was not flattering on her at all in any way!

Kristen Wiig was another miss for me in a nude  J. Mendel that just looked very blah!