Through the Opera Glasses - 5 - My Top Ten Oscar Gowns From the 2009 Red Carpet

The Oscars is my second-favorite night of the year, after Christmas Eve. I'm still feeling the buzz!

Not only does it celebrate one of my favorite art forms - film - but I love the marriage between the film industry and the fashion industry: The Red Carpet.

For someone who doesn't bother much about what I look like day-to-day, I am someone who loves to dress up for special occasions. And I love haute couture. Oscar Night sends me into paroxysms of glee.

For today's Through the Opera Glasses, here are my personal favorites among the gowns that appeared on the Red Carpet Sunday night.


1 - My favorite: Evan Rachel Wood is stunning in this sculpted cream-colored Elie Saab gown.















2 - Natalie Portman is radiant in her pink strapless gown by Rodarte.















3 - Nancy O'Dell in a graceful white grecian gown by Pamela Rolland.















4 - Virginia Madsen in a dramatic red Kevan Hall strapless gown.















5 - Daniela Barbosa de Carneiro, Lady Kingsley with her husband Sir Ben Kingsley. She wears a frothy orange grecian gown whose designer I couldn't identify.













6 - Alicia Keyes in a beautifully-draped lavender Armani Prive gown.















7 - Diane Lane with her husband Josh Brolin. So elegant in a black strapless Dolce and Gabbana gown.














8 - Producer Susan Levin with her husband, Robert Downey Jr. She wears an artfully-draped red strapless Blumarine gown with a rhinestone belt detail.













9 - Taraji P. Henson glows in this white tiered Roberto Cavalli gown.















10 - Amy Adams is bold in a classic red strapless gown by Carolina Herrera.














Both Diane Lane and Amy Adams made my list last year. You can check out my 2008 picks HERE.

Charmed by Enchanted

My mom and I went to see Kevin Lima's Enchanted this afternoon. It was the perfect thing for me. A sweet, tongue-in-cheek romance, Enchanted plays around with both fairy tale and Disney animated musical conventions. Rather like Shrek.










Starring Amy Adams as an animated princess about to marry the prince of her dreams, the film switches gears into the hardcore reality of New York City. Our heroine must make her way through this confusing new world. Luckily the force of her plucky belief in the best of life has a way of rubbing off on even the most jaded big city dweller.



One of these New Yorkers is a single father played by Patrick Dempsey. He ends up regretting his decision to bring the confused young woman out of the rain and into his apartment. The self-styled 'princess' sweeps him along and before he knows what's happening, he's falling in love with this odd result of his Good Samaritan moment.



Dempsey discovers his new roommate has been telling the truth when her royal intended shows up. James Marsden has a lot of fun with this puffy-shirt role!


Evil step-mom and queen Susan Sarandon grabs onto her villainous role with both hands. Pursuing her nephew's bride-to-be for purposes of elimination rather than family bonding, she puts both of the princess's beaux through their paces as the romantic triangle tries to sort itself out.


Amy Adams is really amazing. Making an animated personality work in live action is quite a feat. I'm also a big fan of James Marsden and got a big kick out of his joyous aren't-I-too-fabulous? prince. It was left to Patrick Dempsey to anchor the film in reality and he provides the perfect bridge between the 2D and 3D worlds.