Oscars 2011: The Magpie Dress Awards

Fashion Weeks, Smashion Smeeks... Who cares about the fashion of the future, when the fashion of right now was being displayed in its full glory last night at the Oscars.

Possibly the largest fashion date in the diary, the Oscars serves up the creme de la creme of the movie world and the most delectable red carpet designers in the world.

So, without further ado, here are my favourite dresses from the Oscars 2011:

Hilary Swank in Gucci Premiere

I'm not normally a huge fan of Ms Swank, but last night she stood out a mile in this gorgeous feathered gown. I adore it, totally, utterly, completely.

FYI Maribou feathers are going to huge come AW'11 so Hilary really is ahead of the trend with her layer upon layer of Ostrich feather.

Hailee Steinfeld in Marchesa

It is only slightly sickening that Hailee (unfortunate name) is just 14 years old, but kudos to the young'un. She co-designed her dress with the girls at Marchesa...and I think they all did a bloomin' good job! I think the 1950's style of this dress is incredibly pretty and perfectly youthful for such a young Oscars nominee.

Mandy Moore in Monique L'Hullier 

Some may find this a little boring, but I couldn't leave Mandy off my list. She really does look gorgeous in this gown. Sequins and net are what make up the majority of this dress - such a simple idea, such an effective outcome.

 Gwyneth Paltrow in Calvin Klein Collection

I 'umm'd' and 'ahh'd' over Gwyneth's dress choice A LOT, but in the end decided that I did like it. The molten gold is really quite eye-catching, while the simple cut of the dress tones it down. A very clever number methinks.

Cate Blanchett in Givenchy Couture

 What a sophisticated choice! Cate has opted for a completely atypical Oscars dress - she's ditched feathers, sequins and lace, in favour of something much more 'fashion'. I'm a huge fan of the pastel purple and think the cut is simple stunning on her.

Mila Kunis in Elie Saab

For me, Mila can do little wrong. I love her understated Elie Saab number. The lilac is a beautiful shade and the overall look is very sophisticated. With such a small frame, layers of net would have swamped her, so I'm thankful she went for something a little less ostentatious.

Scarlett Johansson in Dolce & Gabbana

Bravo Scarlett! One of this season's hottest trends is lace and Ms Johansson has gone the whole hog by donning herself in the fabric head to toe. The risk has paid off as she totally rocks this look - plus the cut-out back is ultra sexy.

Sandra Bullock in Vera Wang

I always keep one eye out for Sandra. She always goes for classic styles and she always wows! The red of this dress is bright enough to stand strong against the red carpet and with her dark locks and fresh face, she looks the epitome of a classic beauty.

And the award for most beautiful mother-to-be goes to...

Natalie Portman in Rodarte

If I look like this when I am pregnant, I'll be one ecstatic woman. Natalie just glows in this aubergine gown. I am so pleased that she is embracing her pregnancy and not trying to hide it. Go Natalie!

Alas, not all of our A-listers scored so highly. There were, as is usual, a few fashion flops:

Jennifer Hudson in Versace

Eugh! I do not like. At all. I hate the shimmer of the dress (it cheapens it), I can't stand the frou-frou-ness of the train (sleek would have suited her much better), and the halter-neck is all wrong (her boobs look like floating devices).

Florence Welch in vintage Valentino

Florence looks like death. The pale dress, the pale skin, the un-made face and hair... This is the Oscars darling, not a Halloween party.

Michelle Williams in Chanel

I hate to be mean about Michelle and more-so, about Chanel, but this dress is just so wrong. Michelle looks incredibly top-heavy - which is amazing because she is so slight. There's also something to be said for leaving some things to the imagination...

Well, that's more than enough excitement for one Monday morning. All this glamour while I am sitting here in my 'house clothes' is leaving me feeling quite wretched. Off to the gym I go...

Floating on cloud couture...

Oh my! This season's Couture week is just oozing with luscious fluffiness and sheer prettiness (and a few rather less aesthetically pleasing looks - but let's not go there).

Today saw the turn of Elie Saab and let me just say that the man done good. Very good. Utterly divine in fact. There is not a single dress in the collection that I will not dream of tonight.

Elie is just a genius at creating the most feminine, sexy and ostentatious (without being OTT or distasteful) pieces.

Just see for yourself:

Ok, so I've given you most of the collection there, but I just could not decide on my few favourite looks - they are all heavenly and all bound to be fought over for the red carpet. I can't wait to see who gets to wear what, and Elie, if you are out there, I'd be more than willing to oblige...

Another man tapping in to our inner girls was a certain Mr Karl Lagerfeld. For Chanel's Spring 2011 Couture collection, he went all light and fluffy...

Candy floss, cotton wool... That's what I'll be hemming my skirts with this season. And have you noticed the flat shoes? Only Karl. Only Karl.

...

Oh crap, I've spent far too long drooling over all these looks and not enough time writing...it's 2am...must sleep...will report more tomorrow...come back!

Lebanese luxury, Part 1

Miss Magpie and her beau are jetting off to Beirut aujourd'hui! Tres exciting, non?!

As I was packing my case ready for a weekend of wedding festivities, I suddenly had a thought: what do the Lebanese wear? The only images that I could conjure up were of lycra-clad, breast-baring plastics (well, Lebanon is the cosmetic surgery capital of the Middle East, if not, the world) - yes, such a stereotype I know...naughty me. But then I thought about all the celebrated designers coming out of Lebanon: Elie Saab, Zuhair Murad, Abed Mafouz... Worn by the creme de la creme of celebrities, these designers are doing a lot to put Lebanon on the fashion map.

 Elie Saab Couture SS'10

Elie Saab has got the red carpet market covered. Known for his lavish and luxurious gowns, there's not a girl I know who wouldn't kill to own a piece of Elie - i'm thinking this cute little suit would do just fine. Fans include Halle Berry (who catapulted him to success after her 2002 Oscar win), Beyonce, JLo, Rihanna, Liz Hurley, Catherine Zeta Jones...just showing how diverse the designer is.

Jennifer Lopez in Zuhair Murad

Ok, I know i've shown this pic before, but I just LOVE this dress! Zuhair Murad is another red carpet magician and the celebs are just devouring his gowns. His understanding of the female body is simply phenomenal and his flamboyance makes each of his dresses stand out a mile. What else do you need?!

Following in the footsteps of Elie and Zuhair, is Abed Mahfouz. Displaying more Lebanese talent for designing utterly luxurious and mega glamorous, red-carpet worthy gowns, Abed ticks all the boxes.

A glittering Abed Mahfouz creation
 

Abed sells 200-250 dresses a season at a cost of roughly $16,000 each, with some reaching $100,000!! While the rest of the world is still suffering from recession penny-pinching, the wealthy customers from the oil-rich Gulf are spending, spending, spending, raising the profiles of these designers a thousand fold.

It looks like the recent period of political peace in Lebanon has done great things for these designers, who have taken the opportunity to revive Lebanese Haute Couture. And they've done a bloomin' good job in my book. Their aim is for Lebanon to become the fashion capital of the Middle East and i've got a feeling they are going to achieve that very soon.

Miss Magpie loves all things sparkling, luxurious and OTT (I must have been a Lebanese fashion designer in my past life)...I know I am going to have an amazing time in Beirut. A full report will follow next week, so watch this space!

Note to self: Def pack metallic gold Vivienne Westwood to compete with the Lebanese decadence....

Dramarama

Ooh, isn't it a treat when the stars pull out all the stops to out-dress each other! Well, this year at Cannes that appears to be precisely the case. 'The bigger the better' seems to be the moto of the actresses (and their stylists)...which is pretty much always the case for Miss Magpie, who just can't get enough of this OTT display of net, tulle and lace.

Seeing as everyone is going for the more is more look, I thought a little game of top trumps could be fun:

 Aishwarya Rai in Elie Saab

Dress: 7/10 (v. pretty)

Hair & Make-up: 5/10 (little bit drag)

Accessories: 5/10 (dull)

Poise (ease in front of the camera): 4/10 (too stiff)

BTB (bigger the better) factor: 6/10 (fairly big)

X-factor: 6/10 (she sure does shine)

RANKING: AVERAGE

Cate Blanchett in Alexander McQueen

Dress: 8/10 (bonus point for wearing McQueen)

Hair & Make-up: 5/10 (bit too natural)

Accessories: 6/10 (gorge cuff)

Poise: 9/10 (oh-so natural)

BTB factor: 7/10 (love the white net)

X-factor: 7/10 (she's a star!)

RANKING: MOVING ON UP

Therefore Cate out-trumps Aishwarya.

Kate Beckinsale in Marchesa

Dress: 9/10 (like a fairy princess)

Hair & Make-up: 7/10 (there's a bit too much shine)

Accessories: 6/10 (needs something else)

Poise: 8/10 (stiff arm)

BTB factor: 9/10 (doesn't get much bigger)

X-factor: 9/10 (she's got it)

RANKING: HOT, HOT, HOT

Therefore Kate out trumps Cate.

 Eva Longoria Parker in Pucci

Dress: 10/10 (Utterly divine)

Hair & Make-up: 8/10 (Beautiful)

Accessories: 8/10 (Look at that rock on her finger!)

Poise: 9/10 (this aint her first time in front of the camera)

BTB factor: 10/10 (Dramarama)

X-Factor: 10/10 (buckets)

RANKING: TOP TRUMP

 I wonder what they'll pull out of the bag next...