Oscar Fashion Plays It Safe

Where was the outrageousness? Where were the clothes that would be fodder for water-cooler talk?

Hollywood took few chances in the fashion sweepstakes that unfolded Sunday night along the red carpet into the Academy Awards. Dresses were long and slinky, hair was simple, and jewelry was brilliant.

Actress Charlize Theron epitomized old Hollywood in a tangerine, form-fitting V-neck halter. Lucy Liu was a complete knockout in a red beaded dress with lots of see-through. Angelina Jolie was dressed as Morticia Addams, with waist-length black hair. Drew Barrymore was completely herself in a black knit dress low enough in the back to show off her below-waist angel tattoo.

It was mostly a night for sophistication. Halters, V-necks, chiffon, simple makeup, tiny bags, many beads and sequins and much embroidery. Many gowns were backless and strapless, but there was little of the extreme skin show expected after Jennifer Lopez's appearance at the Grammys.

Cher, decked out in basic black, even joked: "You probably noticed already that I am dressed like a grownup. No, no, I wish to apologize to the academy and I promise that I will never do it again."

It fell to the guys from South Park to really provide the buzz.

Trey Parker wore a copy of Lopez's Grammy gawker. Marc Shaiman was, well, something else in a knockoff of the pink dress Gwyneth Paltrow wore last year. And Matt Stone's white leisure suit was accented by a blue fedora and blue fur stole.

"Everyone just looks fabulous," said Shaiman, whose accessories included a cigarette behind one ear.

But if Lopez was not matched, many dresses still were cut deep in the front and rear, or were strapless like Hilary Swank's bronze gown. The fabric thus saved often turned up in entrance-making trains and ruffles.

Purple led a palette of pastels; it was chosen by Tyra Banks, Ashley Judd and Salma Hayek.

Cameron Diaz's black lace Versace gown had a plummeting V-neck. Versace also designed singer Faith Hill's deep V-necked, body-hugging silver gown that appeared to be made of hundreds of tiny metal rectangles. "It's very easy to wear," she gushed.

Actress Chloe Sevigny wore a black halter Yves St. Laurent dress with a deep V-neck, chosen, she said, for comfort. Liu's dress was made for her by Donatella Versace, and she said it was the only one she tried on.

Men, too, mostly opted for traditional styles, though actor Samuel Jackson wore a long, deep purple jacket, black shirt and purple tie. For the young men of Hollywood, Keanu Reeves among them, a black shirt and tie was trendy.

Actor Michael Clarke Duncan, who has only been acting for three years, showed off a diamond watch and Ermenegildo Zegna tuxedo. Is he now being wooed by lots of people in the film business?

"A whole lot, and I like it," he laughed.

Ethnic touches stood out: Rachel Portman in a pink and electric green Indin caftan, singer Erykah Badu in a green and gold African-inspired gown with a tall wrapped headpiece, singer Isaac Hayes in a satiny black robe made by Nigerian designer Mooshood.

[For more Oscar fashion commentary, click here.]

Written by Mary MacVean