First off, I really loved the way the Academy had 5 past winners give speeches of praise to the current nominees of the Best Supporting Actor/Actress, and Best Actor/Actress categories before the actual awards were given. What I really didn’t love were the various romance and comedy montages, and the too-long and too many musical numbers.

Now that all that is out of the way, on to the fashion! There were a lot of white/ivory/shimmery gowns, a few pinky/purple ones (yes, you Natalie Portman in your Rodarte and Alicia Keys in Versace), and of course some refreshing shades of blue (Freida Pinto in John Galliano and Reese Witherspoon).

Penelope Cruz looked like a princess in her vintage Balmain, while Anne Hathaway absolutely dazzled in a sequined Armani Privé number; Sarah Jessica Parker‘s Dior Couture gown wasn’t as good as some of what she wore during the last season of SATC, but sparkled nonetheless – her hair and make-up, however, was less than spectacular, but when you’ve got that much cleavage, I guess it really doesn’t matter; Marissa Tomei‘s Versace origami-inspired gown was definitely a cut above the rest; and of course Angelina Jolie looked fabulous in her Elie Saab gown and 65-karat Colombian emerald ring and 115-karat emerald earrings by Lorraine Schwartz, while poor Jennifer Aniston looked completely out of her element despite wearing Valentino Haute Couture and Bulgari diamonds. Click below for a few ladies that looked lovely, and be sure to visit Yahoo’s coverage of the 81st Annual Academy Awards for more images.

Did you watch the awards? What did you think? Boring? Exciting? Predictable? Who gets your vote for best dressed of the night?

Penelope Cruz in vintage Balmain

Kate Winslet in Atelier Yves Saint Laurent

Anne Hathaway in Armani Privé

Marissa Tomei in Versace

Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, and her stunning Lorraine Schwartz emerald earrings