Violetville Vintage

I'll be the first to admit it. I watch the Academy Awards for the dresses. It's not to say that I don't care about the films. I'm just more interested in seeing what Chole Sevigny and Keira Knightly are wearing over who wins for Best Picture. When the show airs this Sunday, I'll be paricularly looking at which female celebrities choose to wear vintage gowns over contemporary courture. Not only are the antique dresses more interesting to me, the looks stand out aganst the cookie cutter style that dominates the red carpet today. Take last year's Oscars as an example. Best Supporting Actress winnner Penelope Cruz donned a 60-year-old vintage Balmain white couture gown and topped many's best dressed lists.

(splendicity.com)

However, my all-time favorite Oscars look was sported by Tatum O'Neal in 1974 when she accepted Best Supporting Actress for "Paper Moon."

(www.y2kers.com)

She looked sleek and embraced the menswear trend that was so prominent at the time. It was certainly a daring style for the 11-year-old, but it's ultimately one of the most memorable looks in the history of the awards show. How great would it be to see this year's Best Actress nominee Carey Mulligan ("An Education") show up in a 70s Yves Saint Laurent "Le Smoking" tuxedo jacket? I know I have my fingers crossed.

-Elizabeth