Dress to impress at Oscars

Charlize Theron, above, and Anne Hathaway, below, on the red carpet

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The fashion sharks are circling in anticipation of the year's biggest feeding frenzy.

It's the Oscars, of course, and coverage kicks off from 8am tomorrow, with the main event – that's the red carpet, not the boring ceremony – rolling out at noon our time.

Those couple of hours when the starlets simper down the carpet is the Super Bowl of gossipland, and all the players know that no matter how many gongs they walk away with, it's what they're wearing that will go down in Hollywood history.

Liz Hurley's safety-pinned number in 1994 was a dream come true when she wore it to the premiere of Four Weddings and a Funeral. That dress made the world sit up and take notice of the girl formerly known as Hugh Grant's taller half.

Then there was the time Bjork stepped out wearing a dead swan.

But there are some leading ladies who always look like birds of paradise on the red carpet.

E! online has done the hard work for us and scoured its archives to find a top 10 Oscars All-Stars.

In no particular order, the nominees are: Anne Hathaway, Michelle Williams, Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman, Hilary Swank, Sarah Jessica Parker, Penelope Cruz, Gwyneth Paltrow, Reese Witherspoon and Charlize Theron.

E! stopped short of crowning a winner, probably because their reporters have to face the losers on the red carpet tomorrow. But we're pretty safe. So we put Paltrow and Kidman in the "`what the?" ranks.

Paltrow looked sweet and simple in 1999, thanks to a pink Ralph Lauren shift dress. But she lost huge marks for that see-through Goth thing she wore in 2002.

Back when she was pale and interesting, rather than virtually translucent, Kidman had some stunners.

In 1997 she even managed to look good with Tom Cruise clinging to her arm, thanks to a green gown by John Galliano for Dior Haute Couture.

But lately she's gone back to boring black and white.

Even a 1400 carat diamond necklace, with so many strands it looked more like a shawl, failed to lift her look last year.

In the "possibles" list we have Witherspoon, who tends towards cutesy, bright little numbers, Sarah Jessica Parker, who could do better after all those years channelling Carrie, and Swank, who just keeps wearing navy blue. Jolie's out for doing the same with black, and we've put Hathaway slightly ahead of Cruz and Theron, just because she looks a bit gawky to start with, in comparison to their classic charms.

But the Oscar must go to Williams, for her stunning Vera Wang triumph in 2006.

Anyone who can wear mustard yellow in public, let alone look ravishing in it, is clearly a fashion goddess.

- © Fairfax NZ News