Oscars Best Dressed?

I've always been fascinated by Hollywood and as a kid, dreamed of attending the Academy Awards, winning an Oscar and most of all, having designers beat down my door dying to dress me in their fabulous duds!  

As much as I love and appreciate the movies, when I watch the Oscars I watch mostly for the fashion and last night was no different except...Jacob was right by my side excited when movies and songs and actors that he was familiar with were snatching up awards.  

No surprise since the other day he announced that he finally decided that when he grows up, he wants to be a "Directer-slash-Actor and in that order".  An homage to Zoolander in case you didn't catch that!

While he was selecting his best picture, song and actor, I was scouring the red carpet for best dressed and after careful consideration, here are my top picks and...in that order!

Kate Hudson who will probably never win an Oscar of her own sure looked worthy of sharing the red carpet with the nominees in this ivory beaded Atelier Versace gown...

Fabulous from the front and back, Hudson is newly single and looked like she was ready to mingle...Jared Leto anyone?

Next up for me is Charlize Thereon who honestly, can do no wrong and looked statuesque in this black Dior complete with a plunging neckline and beautiful translucent train but...

the straps or, see through panels that cut off midway are weird...still #2 but why the panels???

Bringing a flash of color was 12 Years A Slave Best Supporting Actress Winner Lupita Nyong'o who opted for a custom pastel blue Prada that made her look like she was floating down the red carpet.  I like the dress but hate the headband that everyone oohed and aahed about so that landed her on my #3 spot...

Best Supporting Actress nominee, Jennifer Lawrence’s orange-red Dior gown was stylish yet simple and you can never go wrong with that combination.  I liked the colour but not a fan of peplum on her or anyone else for that matter...

What I AM a fan of is the $2 million Neil Lane necklace that she wore backwards...again!

So, what do my Top 3 have in common?  Plunging necklines of course, flaunt them if you've got them Ladies!  

As for the biggest and best moments of the night?  
In 1 word...Ellen!

From Pitt Popping Pizza...

to this Epic Twitter-crashing Selfie orchestrated by the host generated a record braking 2,972,385 re-tweets and counting!

Ellen ruled the Oscars...Love Her!

Anne Hathaway Apologizes

as she should...to good friend Valentino for the Oscar dress snub!  I hated her dress but then again, I'm just not a big fan of Prada...I just don't get it as I don't get Mark Jacobs but that's me.

Anyway, even if this story is true, who cares if she and Amanda wore similar but beautiful dresses? and...are you telling me that her stylist Rachel Zoe -with a showroom full of designer duds begging for the wearing- didn't have a back-up plan?  Yeah right!  

Anne Hathaway is apologizing for what she wore to the Oscars ... but not because it was widely panned.  The Best Supporting Actress winner explained on Tuesday that the pale pink Prada gown with the unfortunately placed darts was not her first choice.  Instead, a Valentino with embroidered tulle illusion and a high neck was going to be her pick -- until the night before the big ceremony.

"It came to my attention late Saturday night that there would be a dress worn to the Oscars that is remarkably similar to the Valentino I had intended to wear, and so I decided it was best for all involved to change my plans," the "Les Misérables" star -- who has been good friends with Valentino Garavani for years and even wore his design for her September 2012 wedding -- tells People magazine. "Though I love the dress I did wear, it was a difficult last minute decision as I had so looked forward to wearing Valentino in honor of the deep and meaningful relationship I have enjoyed with the house and with Valentino himself. I deeply regret any disappointment caused."

I'm sure she had her pick of gorgeous gowns and could have at least selected one that was more flattering...come on!

That other dress she feared was so close to her Valentino selection?  An Alexander McQueen creation draped on none other than her "Les Mis" co-star, Amanda Seyfried!  Aren't these two known freneamies?  

According to Us Weekly, Hathaway asked Seyfried to send her a photo of her own dress on Saturday and when she did, "an aghast Hathaway quickly changed course, ultimately going with the controversial Prada dress...wrong!

"Hopefully, Valentino won't hold a grudge.  In September, just days before Hathaway married Adam Shulman, the iconic designer gushed to E! Online that he "did the dress" for her big day. "She's a very good friend of mine," he added. "She's like my daughter!"

If that's the case Valentino, just give her a time-out and have her write 100 times...I promise to respect my designer...I promise to respect my designer!

Best Dressed @Oscars 2013

Naomi Watts in this amazing Armani Prive dress, Jimmy Choo shoes, Roger Vivierbag and Neil Lane jewels was my favorite!


Salma Hayak look glamorous in black velvet and gold ...
 


Halle Berry can never go wrong and last night was no different...

I would totally steal this Valentino look from Samantha Barks...

When I first saw Zoe Saldana, I thought that this Alexis Mabille Couture dress would be my favorite and although she looked lovely in it, I'm not a fan of the belt.  I do however like the Neil Lane jewelry, Roger Vivier shoes, and Salvatore Ferragamo clutch... 

Amanda Seyfrield looked pretty but her eyes creep me out...



Boo to you Anne Hathaway, what were you thinking choosing this unflattering Prada frock?

and we all know how I feel about Kristen Stewart who even in this Reem Acra gown managed to look like a hot mess as she hopped down the red carpet on a pair of crutches...

Last but not least, I had to add the OMGs of the night...this dynamic duo of Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton made me LOL!

Are You Ready For The 25 Most Expensive Stores

in the United States?
When I first moved to NYC to begin my somewhat short-lived and oh so miserable retail career, I worked at what was then considered to be one of the most exclusive and expensive stores in the world.  Bijan was a Fifth Avenue, appointment-only boutique and it wasn't unusual for a Sheikh or Prince of some Arab country to arrive and drop hundreds of thousands in one visit.  Needless to say that when they insisted on training me in how to serve tea "the customary way" my designer boutique career ended.

Bijon the designer has since passed but his boutique remains open by appointment only on Rodeo Drive and thus, doesn't appear on this list but...whether you are one of the bundle.com proprietary data collected from 20 million Visa and Mastercard holders or, just dream of shopping till you drop...tons of $$$ that is...in one of the most pricey boutiques you can find in the 50 states of America, here is the list but before you scroll down, can you guess #1?  
I was surprised!

25. Prada, New York City: $1,429 per visit.

24. Saks Jandel, Chevy Chase, Maryland: $1,457 per visit.

23. Escada, Beverly Hills: $1,466 per visit.

22. Vera Wang Bridal House, New York City: $1,493 per visit.

21. A'Marees, Newport Beach, Rhode Island: $1,498 per visit.

20. Morris & Sons, Chicago: $1,507 per visit.

19. Kleinfeld Bridal, New York City: $1,508 per visit.

18. Bottega Vaneta, Manhasset: $1,562 per visit.

17. Wilkes Bashford, San Francisco: $1,564 per visit.

16. Dolce & Gabbana, Beverly Hills: $1,595 per visit

15. Marissa Collections, Naples, Florida: $1,608 per visit.

14. Chloe, New York City: $1,673 per visit.

13. Ascot Chang, New York City: $1,752 per visit.

12. Lanvin, New York City: $1,787 per visit.

11. Tom Ford, New York City: $1,797 per visit.

10. Alexander McQueen, New York City: $1,847 per visit.

9. Savannah, Santa Monica: $1,970 per visit.

8. Blake, Chicago: $2,008 per visit.

7. Brunello Cucinelli, New York City: $2,032 per visit.

6. Chanel, New York City: $2,155 per visit.

5. Maxfield, Los Angeles: $2,258 per visit.

4. Akris, New York City: $2,649 per visit.

3. Loro Piana, Boston: $2,818 per visit.

2. Georgio Armani, New York City: $2,881 per visit.

And the most expensive store in American scores a whopping average of $3,217 per shopper per shopping trip...Oscar de la Renta, New York City!

Thanks to Racked for the awesome roundup and Shop On!