The delinquent blogger rises again and finally analyses the Oscars ...

I have been somewhat remiss with my blogging of late, but I am working two jobs and I am completely and utterly exhausted. I've only got two weeks to go in my old job - phew - and then I'll be back to my regular hours. All my laptop home time has been devoted to work, work, work. Not to mention that I've been travelling interstate a lot of late, with no time even for scoping out vintage stores in far flung places. Very upsetting.

So, the Oscars. Everyone has had plenty of time to debrief, analyse and judge, so a lot of what I say will probably be a bit repetitive, including the statement that the colour palette this year was very humdrum indeed. There was so much beige and white that the red-carpet looked eerily art directed, but not in a good way.

One person who didn't jump on the blah bandwagon was Natalie Portman. This woman can do no wrong in my eyes. Not only is she stunningly beautiful, a fantastic actress and gives all the appearance of not being annoying or stupid, she makes a truly amazing clotheshorse. I love the candy pink colour of this classic strapless dress. The bodice is absolutely divine; it fits her like a glove and the multi-coloured freckle looking inserts make the dress look even more delicious. This look is so, so pretty and was a real standout in a sea of bridal like gowns.

Marion Cotillard is so frenchy and so chic. Remember the amazing fish scale dress which she wore to accept her Best Actress Oscar last year? Marion didn't let her fans down this year, rocking up in an equally arresting Dior Haute Couture black net gown, cinched beautifully at the waist with a tasteful belt and accented with a beautiful blue pattern in the bodice, continuing down into the top part of the skirt. Well, you can see for yourself. Though I'm not a black dress girl myself, it is definitely a toss up for me over Marion's dress and Natalie's dress for best of the night.

SJP turned up in a Dior Haute Couture gown not dissimilar in style to Marion's. She copped a lot of flak for this dress for some reason. I suspect people thought it was a bit too young for her. But I've got to say that I pretty much always love what Sarah Jessica wears, even if it is not my style. Although I think she should have toned down the ridiculous bosom spillage (not that evident in this photograph) I don't think she looked like mutton dressed as lamb. The dress is truly beautiful and it seriously appeals to the inner Princess in me. I definitely want this one in my dress up box. Nice hair and make-up too.

Nicole Kidman's dress divided people as well, but I give her snaps for being able to pull off the dramatic. I love the feathers and the pattern - actually, it was nice to see a few prints this year - although I would have liked to see this dress in another colour. Nicole's been wearing a lot of white, beige and metallic lately, but I prefer her in colour. Remember her wearing red and green back in the Tom days when she still had her lovely natural red hair? Ahhh ... those were the days ...

I've included images of Marisa Tomei's red-carpet gown as well as her post Oscars party gown, because they are both pretty hot. Her Versace Oscars gown is super sexy - you'd never guess that she is 44 - and this dress is definitely my favourite of the parade of pale gowns which touched the carpet. The tiers on the fishtail are gorgeous.

Marisa showed off her amazing figure again in her asymmetrical party dress.

Alicia Keys is just about my favourite current singer (I saw her late last year and her live show blew me away), so I had to include her in my best-dressed. Alicia's pretty gown resembles Natalie's gown, and I chose this photo because the rather revealing leg split in the skirt isn't visible in this one. That was the only element of the dress I didn't like. I wasn't sure about the hair and make-up when she presented, but the girl is so physically beautiful that she can get away with just about anything, even a bad switch.

Penelope is the only star I'm aware of that wore vintage to the Oscars this year, so big snaps for her. Her dress is vintage Balmain, and while the dress is undeniably stunning, I so wish it was a different colour because it is very, very bridal. White, strapless and lace all scream bride to me, and while I do like some bridal style, I prefer them on a bride, not at an actress at the Oscars. Imagine how awesome this dress would have been in a deep blue? Not that I would suggest tampering with vintage Balmain, but I kind of wished she'd saved this outfit for her wedding.

And finally, Miley Cyrus didn't wear vintage, but she definitely wore a vintage rip-off. This dress is by some new designer that I haven't heard of (excuse me if that makes me fash pack Persona Non Grata), but it is clearly an almost direct copy of a Christian Dior classic from around 1950 (seen below). In my mind the Christian Dior version is better, because the bodice is more subtle against the frou-frou scalloped skirt, and the original doesn't contain a ridiculous butterfly motif belt. I love belts in evening wear, but this one isn't doing it for me.

I do love the original Dior dress, but bitchy comments for the post:

1. Isn't this dress a little bit old for a sixteen year-old and

2. Why is Miley Cyrus at the Oscars exactly? Last time I checked she wasn't appearing in any Oscar-worthy films and she wasn't even a presenter. Me confused.

Anyway, I've reached my curfew now and I've been ordered to bed. Let me know your thoughts.