Celebrities dodge fashion police at Oscars

Whether or not you couldn’t wait to see who would go home with an Oscar, one thing for sure was that style divas everywhere tuned in to see who was best dressed. Now that Oscar mania is over, it is time to catch up with what the celebrities were wearing and forecast the upcoming trends in formal wear.

Hundreds of millions of viewers who tuned in for the red carpet extravaganza preceding this year’s Academy Awards were definitely not disappointed. The stars shone extra bright with few locked down in the fashion police paddy wagon. Hollywood’s elite were sure to make style history.

This year, the strapless dress dominated the red carpet. Emmy Rossum glowed in burgundy Ralph Lauren. Charlize Theron looked far from a monster in a heavenly, sea-foam satin organza and tulle John Galliano gown. Gisele Bündchen proved to be fashion forward and up to the minute in a hippie-chic silk crepe empire gown by Dior couture. However, it did not look flattering on her super-slim figure. Renée Zellweger chose a Carolina Herrera raspberry strapless gown, while Beyonce played it safe and looked stellar in a black Atelier Versace velvet frock.

Among the sea of pale colors were Best Supporting Actress Cate Blanchett's one-shoulder yellow silk taffeta Valentino Couture gown and Penelope Cruz’s Oscar de la Renta yellow silk taffeta ensemble. Gweneth Paltrow came a long way from her pink Ralph Lauren prom dress in an updated pale pink strapless Stella McCartney gown. Halle Berry's Atelier Versace iridescent taupe chiffon ensemble and Natalie Portman's Greco-Roman column and metallic trimmed taupe dress by Lanvin were the archetypes of understated beauty.

Forget black! Midnight blue was a favorite of the stars, with the likes of Salma Hayak in a deep, plunging Prada gown and Oscar nominee Virginia Madsen draped in a mermaid royal blue corset gown by Atelier Versace. Best Actress Hilary Swank was clad in an outrageously sexy Guy Laroche back-revealing evening gown, and Kim Porter went on the wild side in a Zac Posen Jacquard snake dress. Even Johnny Depp, famously known to defy trendy styles and favor fashion faux pas, was dressed in a navy tuxedo.

Tired of sitting on your couch wishing you could look like these fashion goddesses but don’t want to turn over the green to buy designer couture? Well, with the help of Allen Schwartz you don’t have to turn green in envy. A.B.S. by Allen Schwartz is a famous red-carpet designer knock-off clothing line. This line is respected and applauded for bringing red carpet trends to the sales racks in record time. If you’re planning a trip to Chicago, be sure to check it out at Nordstrom’s or at www.absstyle.com. For an even more affordable route try www.edressme.com for more red carpet looks straight from Hollywood.