Oscar 2011: the red carpet trends

Everyone knows that, when it comes to red carpet affairs, no event does it better than the Oscars. Celebrities try to make extra effort to show up in beautiful designs, and from that "red catwalk" we can always notice some trends that emerge.

And in this year's event the trend that caught our eye was colour. Sure, there was a clear trend in shape, regarding a more slimline sillouette - and a favouritism to a more minimalistic approach in make-up and accessories -, but the most striking affair were dfinitely the colours because of the similarity of tones presented by the attendees. Reds, nude tones adorned with embellishment, giving an illusion of texture and movement, and tones of lavender and purple were the main choices of colour (click on images for details):

Reds in the red carpet!

Anne Hathaway in Valentino Couture vintage, Penélope Cruz in L'Wren Scott, Jennifer Hudson in Atelier Versace, 
Sandra Bullock in Vera Wang and Jennifer Lawrence in Calvin Klein

Glowing nudes

Hailee Steinfeld in Marchesa, Halle Berry in Marchesa, 
Michelle Williams in Chanel Couture and Mandy Moore in Monique L'Huillier

Purple, lavender and lilac - the new black?

Mila Kunis in Elie Saab, Scarlett Johansson in Dolce & Gabbana, 
Cate Blanchett in Givenchy Couture and Natalie Portman in Rodarte

As mentioned above, also a noticeable trend was the minimalistic approach towards make-up. All but very few of the atendees wore heavy make-up and there is a clear trend for a more subtle approach, focusing primarily on perfecting the skin and achieving a more "natural" look:

Michelle Williams, Gwyneth Paltrow and Cate Blanchett - pale perfection

Penélope Cruz, Halle Berry and Mila Kunis - very soft smoky eye

Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman and Nicole Kidman - lipstick colour to suit all

Amy Adams, Mandy Moore and Sandra Bullock - lightly coloured lips

Two things worth mentioning (and viewing) were the seven dress changes Anne Hathaway did while presenting the Oscars and the dress Cate Blanchett chose to wear, a Givenchy Couture. Anne hired stylist Rachel Zoe to help her in the dress changes and the result was very pleasing. Most dresses suited Anne's personality and style, and were from powerful names within the fashion industry.

Anne Hathaway in Vivienne Westwood, Lanvin and Atelier Versace

Anne in Givenchy Couture, Armani Privé and Tom Ford

Anne enjoying the movement of her flapper style Oscar de la Renta

Cate Blanchett surprised every style newscaster on the red carpet with her Givenchy Couture dress. It may not be to everyone's taste - especially to those who are not deep into fashion - but it suits perfectly the actress and is more than just a style statement. For me, best of the evening by a landslide. But indeed, too fashion-forward for many.

Cate Blanchett and her Givenchy Couture dress - possibly best of the evening?

P.S: For more images on red carpet dresses click here, and here for a special on the nude red carpet dresses.