It’s that time of year, when all the stars make that extra effort for their walk down the red carpet and this year was no exception. Dresses were strapless, one shouldered and many plunging necklines were on show. Not many took risks, in fact a lot of the starlets played it very safe in terms of colour and style. Hilary Swank in Versace and Jennifer Aniston in Rochas were amongst the culprits.

Only a handful of stars added a splash of colour. Michelle Williams wore yellow well in a Vera Wang creation, Jennifer Lopez opted for a vintage gown by Rita Watnick at Lily et Cie and Jada Pinkett-Smith looked stunning in sapphire blue gown by Roberto Cavalli.

Vera Wang like Versace was a favourite and made more than one appearance. Keira Knightley also opted for Wang, and chose an elegant one shouldered piece whilst Charlize Theron was upstaged by her bow in Dior.

Jessica Alba showed us how it should be done in Versace and Diane Kruger was a picture of perfection in Elie Saab.

To summarise it was a safe visual experience, with some elegant and colourful surprises….

[images via Vogue & Oscar.com]