Oscars Fashion Review Part One: Black Out

The stars brought their fashion A-game to last night's Academy Awards, and luckily the actual show was as fun to watch as the red carpet.  One major trend that I saw was a bit of a surprise: black gowns. Usually stylists will recommend that celebrities stay away from black on the red carpet as it may not "pop" as much as more colorful looks, but these stars showed that black is back.

Julia Roberts wore a lace Givenchy dress which featured a peplum waist.  Choosing a lace dress in a darker hue like black keeps it from looking too sweet.

Olivia Wilde's perfect pregnancy style continues with this beautiful black Valentino gown.  She was smart to pick a dress with a unique back element- a cool white streak.  This is a great style note for maternity dressing.  Her art deco accessories worked wonderfully with the overall look.

Emma Watson pulled off a difficult feat- looking cutting edge yet timeless at the same time.  Her shimmering charcoal Vera Wang gown almost looked like separates with it's sheer back and sweeping skirt.  Paired with minimal jewelry and a tousled ponytail, the look was beautiful.

Anne Hathaway's black Gucci dress was bold and powerful, with it's back slit and high neckline, however the sparkling embellishments that continued around the waistline created a cool and confident vibe.

Charlize Theron's Dior gown was a show-stopper.  With an architectural train attached with sheer organza, and unique illusion sleeves holding up the deep v neck, it was an entrance you could not ignore.  Taking advantage of the lovely black backdrop, she wore a dazzling diamond drop necklace by Harry Winston.

Margot Robbie (now a brunette!) chose an overall fashion-forward look with a Saint Laurent gown.  The beaded bodice featured a back cut-out and large bow.  She was the only star who chose to pair dark lipstick with her black dress which creates a vampy look when coupled with her dark hair.

Okay, so this dress wasn't seen on the actual red carpet to the awards show, however I did choose it as one of my gown front-runners for the Oscars!  Kate Hudson wore this amazing Zuhair Murad dress to the after parties and she looked stunning.  Again, it shows that black dresses, when paired with design elements such as sheer panels, lace, beading or surprising silhouettes can be anything but boring.

Did you like the black dress trend on last night's red carpet? Does it make you think twice about choosing this color for special occasions?  Stay tuned... my Oscar's best dressed (which may include one of the ladies above!) will be coming soon.