The Dancehall: March 2011

We're preparing to leave for Paris this afternoon, so until our next post from across the pond we bring to you Meredith's fashion picks from, you guessed it, The Oscars...

I had really bad second-hand embarrassment for this year's Oscars. Even the fashion bored me for the most part, but there were a few standouts:

Best Dressed Woman: Michelle Williams

It's funny to me that others didn't like this dress, notably, Eric Wilson of the NY Times "...you would think that Ms. Williams could have come up with something a little more lively than a blahsy white T-shirt dress covered in white beading. (A colleague remarked that it read on television like a pilled sweater.)" I thought she looked like an absolute move star. The overall styling worked well with the dress, in terms of hair, makeup and jewelry as an overall statement of minimalism. Her hair color has been a bit off recently in certain photos, but here, it's just perfect. I also love that it's so recognizably Chanel even though there isn't one thing I could actually pinpoint to actually say why.

I just wish she had invested in better spanx...in other pictures, things were a bit too visible underneath.

My Favorite Male Ensemble: Russel Brand

I guess it wouldn't be politically correct to call him Best Dressed Man, but he was certainly my favorite. I might have picked a different shirt, but I loved that he didn't compromise his own personal style. And there is nothing better than the combination of navy and black-a Dagny & Barstow favorite. Ps...cute mum!

Almost There: Mila Kunis

Despite a serious lack of genetic girly-ness, this year's Spring 2011 Elie Saab couture show was one of my favorite shows of the past few years-just heart-wrenchingly beautiful (http://www.style.com/fashionshows/review/S2011CTR-ESAAB/). I have to give Mila Kunis props for choosing a dress from that collection, but I thought there were far better options, especially in terms of color. In fact, I was generally surprised that more stylists didn't pull from this collection, with the vast array of on-trend blush gowns, as well as the beautiful silver-gray and muted olive green hues.

I have to say, though, that my favorite dress of the entire awards season has to be her red Mcqueen bombshell from the SAG awards. I wish she had saved it for the Oscars, even though some would say it's not dressy enough.

(Actually I lied...it's a tie between this dress and Angelina's green Versace from the Golden Globes-my dream gown to actually own myself!!!)

Honorable Mention: Florence Welch

It wasn't perfect, but you have to appreciate her point of view. She's just so damned cool.

You Can Do Better:

Cate Blanchett was impeccably styled; her hair and makeup were flawless, but I have to unfortunately admit that this Givenchy Couture was not my favorite. The chiffon-covered pearl embroidery is really amazing, though-the Times had a close-up of the technique in their review of this presentation. The splash of chartreuse at the shoulders is inspired, but the circular motif is a bit awkward. Our friend Melissa put it most eloquently: "It reminds me of Death Becomes Her, when Goldie Hawn has that hole in her stomach!" Ouch.