Marisa Tomei - She looked toned, tousled and terrific in her white Versace gown with more folds than an accordion. Its one-shoulder design showed off her perfectly refined deltoids, it clung sexily and its intricate pleats were interesting not fussy.
Viola Davis - While she didn't win best supporting actress, the veteran actress channeled old Hollywood style and made sophistication look easy in a dusky gold Reem Acra.
Heidi Klum - The supermodel displayed her credentials with an architectural asymmetrical red gown, split to the thigh (she revealed on one pre-Oscar show that she'd had to ride over balanced on one bum cheek to accommodate her dress).
Taraji P Henson - Her strapless Roberto Cavalli off-white gown had irregular layers that gave it texture, set off brilliantly with a statement Fred Leighton necklace and a sleek hairdo.
Sarah Jessica Parker - We would expect no less from the era's most high profile fashion plate: a Dior Haute Couture gown in "barely mint". Plus, we had no idea her breasts were so big, or high.
Evan Rachel Wood - Her Art Deco-style gown in pale satin and chiffon was lovely and romantic, if a bit white-on-white against her pale skin and blonde hair.
Meryl Streep - With her bespoke Alberta Ferretti dress, the actress proves that you don't need a hardbody and a skintight corset to look sexy. Just do way off the shoulder, upswept hair and a smile.
Anne Hataway - The “Rachel Getting Married” star wowed the crowd in an eye-catching ivory Armani Prive Spring ’09 gown which was covered in Swarovski crystals and clear paillettes.
On the fence
We just can't decide about...
Kate Winslet - Online fashion pundits were of two camps about our national treasure, but the grey and black Yves Saint Laurent gown - paired with the severely sculpted hairdo - seemed a little too tepid for what has been a banner year for Kate. Compare with Helen Mirren in 2007.
Freida Pinto - A royal blue success with an interesting neckline or a fussy style too dowdy for the young actress? Tell us what you think.
The Worst
They've got it all - beauty, brains, talent, but not necessarily canny dress sense, at least when it comes to the Oscars this year.
Beyonce Knowles - She was smokin' once she changed into her red fringed and sequined leotard for her singing performance where she put Hugh Jackman to shame. But on the red carpet, her black gown with swathes of brassy gold flowers was off key.
Natalie Portman - Purple-pink Rodarte, with criss-crossing straps on the bodice interspersed with what looks like hundreds and thousands. Colourful yet somehow boring.
Melissa Leo - The actress, nominated for her role in Frozen River, wore a Badgley Mischka gown in a glum shade of brown and in a style that announced "my dad took me to prom".
Most distinctive
There are some looks that just wouldn't work on anyone else. These celebrities are in their own category, style-wise.
Whoopi Goldberg - She's cool, she's funny and she looks good with her own inimitable style, in a wafty leopard-print dress that revealed a long shoulder tattoo and tinted John Lennon glasses.
Tilda Swinton - In contrast to her look last year - red hair, black gown - Swinton wore the same designer but with a whole different style. This time round her Lanvin was an off-white shirt and dark skirt but with blonde hair and bright red lips.
Penelope Cruz - Ruched tulle, lace, big full skirt. A bit safe perhaps, but Cruz does pretty poufs with aplomb.
Angelina Jolie - Black. Sleek. Showed her tattoos. Jolie's Elie Saab gown with deep sweetheart neckline and green Lorraine Schwartz jewelry was entirely appropriate for the occasion, but in a year when many of the nominees were overflowing with enthusiasm (Winslet, Cruz, everybody from Slumdog), it felt just a little too…subdued.
Jennifer Aniston - The former “Friend” attempted to give her arch nemesis Angelina Jolie a run for her money in Fred Leighton jewels and a lovely column gown courtesy of Valentino.
8. Marisa Tomei: Sometimes, costume-like fashion works. Then again, sometimes it doesn’t. Marisa, this didn’t work. Are you angling for a role in the next “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie? If not, there’s no excuse for this.
7. Jennifer Lopez: In what appeared to be an attempt to re-live her glory days, Jennifer Lopez showed up in a gold number with the same plunging neckline that made headlines at the 2000 Grammys. We know recycling is in, but not on the carpet!
6. Heidi Klum: Her dress was bizarre and screamed prom dress, not to mention the flower detail was like something Carrie Bradshaw would wear under some psychedelic influence.
5. Cameron Diaz: Her dress was wrinkled, her hair apparently hadn’t been colored or brushed in months, and that shade of pink was a bit overwhelming for the fair Ms. Diaz.
4. Sally Hawkins: The “Happy-Go-Lucky” star may have won a Golden Globe, but she was really losing in the fashion department. Her garb looked like it was something that would have been worn in “Interview with a Vampire.”
3. Miley Cyrus: Mind you, we regret a lot of stuff we wore when we were 16 too, but she’s got the money to really shine. Instead, the only thing shining about her look was the strange material under the split in her gown.
2. America Ferrera: Being fashion-forward can be cool. But, America looked too far into the future in an attempt to find a new trend and seemed to buy her dress in outer space.
1. Renée Zellweger: This dress caused a visceral reaction when she popped up on the carpet. Between her and Sally Hawkins, we wondered if there’s some vampire movie being cast that we don’t know about. Are they angling for roles in “New Moon”? Perhaps she should have looked in the mirror first. Wait, vampires don’t have reflections. That explains a lot.
Let's take a moment to savor this little tidbit: Even Victoria's Secret's handpicked "angels" ramp up the cardio and cut out the carbs before they parade around in their underwear for a nationally televised broadcast.
Marisa Miller, Doutzen Kroes and Miranda Kerr are the newest models to be given their wings by the lingerie giant, joining Heidi Klum, Karolina Kurkova, Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio and Selita Ebanks as the brand's top models. All three of the newbies had graced the Victoria's Secret catwalk before but they weren't fully part of the family until they went to Miami last month for the new runway show spectacle that will be seen on CBS Wednesday night.
There were plenty of jitters as they slipped into their lacy looks.
"I love feeling so sexy and I love to be on this runway, but you're nervous because it's lingerie and it's on TV," says Kroes, whose outfits include a frothy pink ballerina ensemble and a Greek goddess get-up. "There are so many people seeing you live, it's not like a picture when there is Photoshop after."
To prepare, Dutch 23-year-old beauty Kroes, who says she normally eats what she wants because she exercises often, goes on a strict sugar- and carb-free meal plan and spends many extra minutes a day jumping rope. "For other fashion shows you can be skinny, but for Victoria's Secret, you need definition," says Kroes, 23.
Her belly wasn't empty, though. "I get butterflies in my stomach, for sure."
Miller, a relaxed surfer type true to her Califonia roots, says she also has to psych herself up.
"I'm a little shy and unassuming, which might be hard to believe with my job, so I don't have to quite become another person out there but I have to think about letting it all go. My last outfit was a black velvet one-piece with pink feathers on the back. I had to show the camera my tailfeathers so I did give a little spin," she says.
Miller, 30, calls this gig the biggest thing in her career and it's worth all the work -- and the workouts. "When you're on the runway, you're moving so it's all about toning up," she says.
With extensive fittings and rehearsals, as well as the elaborate set-up (which coincided with $1 billion in renovations to the host site Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel), Miller says part of her couldn't wait to take the first step out and enjoy her "moment." Yet, she was also staring at the reality of a huge audience.
"That's when you hope you can make it to the end of the runway in one piece. Some outfits are complicated, and you have to be aware of how they shift or if they are restricting. When you're in your underwear, a lot can happen," she says.
Kerr, who flutters down the runway in a cool-shade blue lace low-cut bra and high-cut brief, sexy sandals with thigh-high ribbons and the coveted wings, took comfort in knowing her family was in the crowd, and winked at her mom and dad.
"My mom didn't mind seeing me up there in my underwear ," Kerr says. "I am 25 and it's all very lovely and like a costume. It's beautiful and romantic ... it's not like standing up there in my everyday underwear. It's a theatrical show and everyone is there to have a good time."
Bernard Lacoste became seriously ill in early 2005, which led him to transfer the presidency of Lacoste to his younger brother and closest collaborator for many years, Michel Lacoste. Bernard died in Paris on March 21, 2006.
As of 2006, Lacoste licenses its trademark to various companies. For example, Devanlay owns the exclusive worldwide clothing license, Pentland Brands has the exclusive worldwide license to produce Lacoste footwear, Procter & Gamble owns the exclusive worldwide license to produce fragrance, and Samsonite holds the worldwide license to produce Lacoste bags and small leather goods.
In June 2007, Lacoste introduced their very first e-commerce site for the US market.
