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While the 84th Academy Awards had few upsets last night, the Oscars' red carpet packed a handful of sartorial surprises. Siren shades of red, bows of all sizes, white gowns, long sleeves, and jackets (Gwyneth wore a cape!) emerged as the night's leading trends. Here's a look at who wore what.
The stars sleeve up. All images via Getty.
Long Sleeves
It gets chilly in February—even in Hollywood. Perhaps this is why Meryl Streep, J. Lo, and Berenice Bejo opted for long sleeves. But hey, we're not complaining: the stars look every bit as glamorous as their sleeveless colleagues... and no doubt, they were warmer.
Siren Red
Nothing says, "Look at me!" like a red dress, and what better place to wear a siren shade than on the red carpet. Jane Seymour was the first to show up in this brilliant color (in a Pamella Roland sequin number, no less), followed by Colin Firth's wife Livia Giuggioli in "a love it or hate it" big, firey ball gown and Natalie Portman in what was one of our favorite looks of the night: a vintage, polka dot (!!!) Christian Dior dress.
Bows
A few stars choose to pull together their red carpet looks with bows of all shapes and sizes. Emma Stone took hers to new heights and stratospheres by wearing a giant neck bow dress by Giambattista Valli, while Melissa Leo's tuxedo sequin dress had a relaxed feel to it with a loosely drawn ribbon tie. We personally liked Michelle Williams' spin: a petite bow pin fashioned at her hip. How dainty!
White
There was nothing "neutral" or boring about white last night. Rooney Mara donned a ghostly, frayed Givenchy gown that was, well, very Rooney Mara, Octavia Spencer looked resplendent in her sequin Tadashi Shoji dress, and Kelly Ripa rocked a sleek, sporty number with a svelte black belt.
Jackets and Capes
Working the red carpet is just that: a job. So maybe we shouldn't be surprised when more professional looks show up on the floor. That said, nothing could prepare us for Gwyneth Paltrow's Tom Ford cape. Though it did soften the blow of seeing Glenn Close's dark green jacket and Louise Roe's tailored blazer dress. —Jessie Pascoe
· Oscars 2012 Red Carpet: The Best, the Worst, and Everything Else
· All Oscars coverage [Racked]