Starfish Dancer

For the most part the red carpet parade at the Oscars was pretty much what I’ve come to expect. Starlets, old movie stars, previous winners, industry types – the tabloids will cover it better than I ever could. Nothing really made me crazy, fashion-wise, although the level of glamour was uniformly pretty high. Penelope Cruz, who is always one of the best dressed women in Hollywood, looked great as always in a fluff of Versace, Ann Hathaway was adorable in Valentino, and I loved the wit behind the brooch over Catherine Deneuve’s Gaultier heart, stabbed with a saber and trailing symbolic blood.

But – then Cate Blanchett showed up and I gasped in amazement! Her Armani Prive gown was a masterpiece of couture embellishment and color! The deep, rich gunmetal color was gorgeous against her pale skin and I’m convinced the inspiration for this magnificent gown was the Art Deco bronze & ivory figurine “Starfish Dancer” by Chiparus The above photo of Cate really doesn’t showcase the gown as much as I’d like, but in HDTV it was easy to see that it was heavily encrusted with beading, crystals and even mirrors. A stunning work of embellishment, just like the original Chiparus bronze from the 1920′s. Nice work Cate!

F