Nail Trends at the 2012 Academy Awards

This past Sunday when the 84th Academy Awards aired, I was there. Well, not in the literal sense (someday…), but I was all over my tv screen, avidly checking out (and dissecting) the red carpet appearances of the stars, paying particular attention to their nails, of course. The past few seasons of awards shows have proven that the ‘bare nail‘ is still the most requested – and copied – look, and yet I was hoping for some risk takers … hats off to the ladies who gave us some colour!

I want to begin by congratulating fellow Canadian, Christopher Plummer for winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Ladies, at 82, this man has some serious sexy still going on! No wonder I had a crush on him back when he played Captain Von Trapp in ‘The Sound of Music’!

The “natural/bare” nail look:

Glenn Close in a Zac Posen silk faille green gown and matching blazer

Rooney Mara in a Givenchy Haute Couture by Riccardo Tisci gown

Emma Stone in a Giambattista Valli spring/summer 2012 red gown with bow detailing

Emma Stone attending the Vanity Fair after party in a black CHANEL Couture number

Angelina Jolie in a black velvet Atelier Versace gown

*Angelina and that unfortunate awkward right-leg pose, certainly garnered more than its share of attention, and I personally hope she has now fired whichever stylist advised her to stand that way.

Penelope Cruz in an Armani Privé lavender gown

Gwyneth Paltrow in a white Tom Ford dress and cape

A closeup look at her killer jewelry – just look at that cuff & ring!

Cameron Diaz in a strapless Gucci Première nude gown

Cameron Diaz attending the Vanity Fair after party in an orange Victoria Beckham gown

*NOTE: BFF’s Gwyneth and Cameron even got dressed together! Awww……

Viola Davis in a custom-made Vera Wang emerald green gown with crystal appliqué

Amy Adams attending the Vanity Fair after party in a silver Vivienne Westwood dress

Stacy Keibler in a Marchesa gold strapless dress (image)

*OPI’s ‘Samoan Sand’ used on both Stacy Keibler and Amy Adams

Neutral nails – with a kick:

Michelle Williams in a red Louis Vuitton peplum gown

Oscar winner for Best Actress, Meryl Streep in a bespoke Lanvin gown

Jennifer Lopez in a plunging Zuhair Murad nude dress

Jennifer Lopez attending the Vanity Fair after party in a 2nd plunging Zuhair Murad dress

*The incredibly lovely Ms. Lopez, should have been awarded an Oscar for her trend-setting & leading edge manicure; a unique take on a classic French tip, using a pale gold as the base, banded with a garnet edge….stunning!

Bérénice Bejo in an Elie Saab mint green beaded gown

Milla Jovovich in an Elie Saab Couture asymmetric white beaded gown

Leslie Mann in a midnight blue Roberto Cavalli gown

Shailene Woodley in a Valentino Couture white floor-length gown

We have Colours!

Li Bingbing in a white strapless Georges Chakra gown

Penelope Ann Miller in a nude embellished gown

Melissa McCarthy in a Melina Rinaldi rose gown

Jessica Chastain in a bespoke Alexander McQueen hand-embroidered gown

Natalie Portman in a vintage Christian Dior dress from 1954

Sandra Bullock in a Marchesa gown

Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actress, Octavia Spencer in a Tadashi Shoji nude embellished gown

Victoria Beckham attending the Vanity Fair after party in a dress from her own collection

(*just barely noticed Posh’s nails … my eyes were too busy covering Becks …)

Kristen Wiig in a J. Mendel nude gown

Final thoughts: Well, it’s not like I didn’t expect the majority of celebrities to NOT be sporting neutral nail shades, but I was still looking forward to some new & exciting looks and it was nice to see some deeper hues pop up. As a whole, I found this year’s Oscars presentation to be witty (thank you for returning, Billy Crystal), fast paced (I stayed up for the entire show this year!), and rather entertaining (the Cirque du Soleil number was spectacular *ahem – Canadian invention*). The gowns were (mostly) absolutely stunning, with top honours going to Stacy Keibler who looked like a living Oscar statuette, Jessica Chastain embodying regal elegance, and Gwyneth Paltrow the most sublimely sophisticated of them all. For those who are interested, the term “bespoke” actually means “made-to-order” … in case you were wondering! Congratulations to all the winners and here’s to looking forward to next year’s show!

Jennifer Lopez & Cameron Diaz striking a pose – looking as good going, as coming!

I leave you with the Oscar winner for Best Actor, Jean Dujardin and Uggie – how wonderful that Uggie ends his career (he’s officially retiring this year) by sharing the stage with his “people” co-star!