A THIN RED LINE Nebraska

The fashion parade at this year's 80th annual Academy Awards was easily the most thoughtful and thought-provoking part of the show. Maybe it was the dark themes of this year's top films. Or the fact that European actors took home most of the statues or that the show seemed to be cobbled together a few weeks after the writer's strike threatened to send Oscars to recipients via snail mail. Whatever the problem, the telecast drew its smallest viewing audience ever.

Fortunately, the quest to see and be seen as stylish has Hollywood's elite planning their looks sometimes a year in advance. It paid off with bold, dramatic color, especially red, and some different looks in jewelry. While most of Modern Jeweler's annual Oscar judges have been critical of the lack of jewelry, this year, there were some differences that may translate into real over-the-counter trends. Good taste and classic Hollywood glamour was their mantra, one that is familiar but welcome in a year where economic headlines boom doom and gloom.

Modern Jeweler thanks the following insightful fashion leaders for their participation in the 2008 red carpet panel: Ellen Campuzano, president, Committee for Colour & Trends; Louise Godwin, a leading stylist for fashion layouts; Chris Gilbert, creative director at Doneger Creative Services; Myriam Gumuchian, chair, Jewelry Information Center; Margaret Hayes, president, Fashion Group International; and Modern Jeweler's own fashion director, Jeff Prine.

Who had the best look overall?

Ellen Campuzano: Katherine Heigl looked fabulous, definitely the best "red dress" look. The fit was stunning on her, with just the right amount of detail in the shoulder. The hair, makeup, and minimal jewelry all worked together for that glamorous old Hollywood look she's been doing lately. She looked classy, vivacious, and fresh. It was also one of the few one-shoulder gowns that wasn't too busy or too voluminous in the draping.

Miley Cyrus couldn't have made a better choice with her red Valentino gown. The crimson red was lovely with her coloring, and what's more it was age appropriate. The hair was simple and the earrings were the right proportion. She kept it understated and avoided looking like she was going to the prom. There were very few risks. Marion Cotillard was one of the only real fashion risk takers, and she pulled it off gorgeously. Very few women could pull off that gown, but she's got that je ne sais quoi French charm.

Louise Godwin: Hilary Swank, Penelope Cruz. Their look was elegant and modern. They looked stunning.

Chris Gilbert: Penelope Cruz looked classically beautiful and controlled. Diane Lane looked radiant: simple, age-appropriate, and elegant. She wasn't contrived or overworked. For a more fashion edge with a personal style, I'd vote for Tilda Swinton.

Myriam Gumuchian: Heidi Klum looked amazing. Her Galliano red dress, hair, makeup, and jewelry were all just perfect. Jennifer Garner was a favorite, decked out in her Van Cleef & Arpels diamond jewelry.

Margaret Hayes: Penelope Cruz once again pulled off a winning total look. Other excellent examples: Jennifer Garner in her Van Cleef jewels and Oscar de la Renta dress and best actress winner Marion Cotillard in a great dress and necklace.

Jeff Prine: Hilary Swank did one of her best jobs yet of channeling Joan Crawford. Penelope Cruz can do no wrong for an overall, authentic glamour look. I was glad to see the men opt for classic, peaked lapel dinner jackets. Subtle, suave, and sophisticated is the rule for men on the red carpet.

Which star was your favorite for her jewelry?

Campuzano: Laura Linney. Her matte-finish gold jewelry from Cathy Carmendy was more contemporary and understated then the usual glitz but still had a rich vintage feel. It was different, and fit her image as an actress who takes her craft seriously. Renee Zellweger was the only one who wore a brooch. Her vintage Cartier brooch was the most forward jewelry statement.

Godwin: Jennifer Garner. She put together several strong pieces and it all worked.

Gilbert: Renee Zellweger. Although it was somewhat hard to see the jewelry with the dress, I liked the all-out diamond shine, the strength of the pieces, and the feeling that all the elements went together as a cohesive look suggesting a very secure and old-time Hollywood glamour. Very sophisticated. I liked the organic feel of Cate Blanchett's necklace, but hated it with the dress. Miley Cyrus was interesting. I liked the drop and the simplicity of the stones.

Gumuchian: Nicole Kidman had the biggest wow factor in jewelry. She paired it with a rather simple dress, but it would have been a statement look even if she had paired it with a T-shirt.

Hayes: My favorites in the jewelry area specifically were Jennifer Garner and Renee Zellweger. Nicole Kidman had the most powerful, gorgeous necklace of the evening.

Prine: Nicole Kidman's necklace was the most over the top and dramatic. However, paired with her dress and hair the necklace looked like an afterthought, thrown on to make an impact without really being thought through. Julie Christie's bold cabochon necklace was a pleasant surprise.

Who committed the biggest fashion or jewelry faux pas?

Campuzano: For fashion, Rebecca Miller, Daniel Day-Lewis' wife, wore an atrocious gown. The red bows were awful and didn't work within the dress itself, and the shape did absolutely nothing for her. The gown looked heavy, and she looked frumpy. Or, to channel Michael Kors, dowdy. For jewelry, Nicole Kidman's necklace. It didn't sit right with the neckline of her dress, and she ran into the problem of the necklace settling around her breast when it moved to one side. That necklace is a prime example of a piece that is great in concept but not so great in reality.

Godwin: Ellen Page. She looked too plain for the red carpet. Nicole Kidman's necklace was fabulous but it was too much the way it was styled. Something that daring should be accompanied by an outfit that complements it—or even just the necklace and nothing else like Cher might have worn it!

Gilbert: Marion Cotillard had the worst fashion. Rebecca Miller had the worst jewelry, almost like Woolworth's.

Gumuchian: What was Diablo Cody thinking? The animal print dress, the diamond skull earrings, and the tattoo? The worst.

Hayes: Jennifer Hudson—again.

Prine: While some of the same actresses made the same lousy and too safe choices, the sameness of the looks made me long for the days when we all snickered at Liz Taylor's bright over the top gowns loaded down with the big diamonds Richard Burton gave her. True Hollywood at its best and worst.

Who did the best job wearing too much jewelry?

Campuzano: There was really no one who wore too much jewelry with the exception of Kimora Lee Simmons, who co-hosted on E!'s red carpet show and spoke at length about her $1 million diamond hair piece by Natalie K. Bling is over, even for celebrities—the overall direction was much more understated. It reflects the current social and economic climate—these are serious times. We're at war, we're facing a potential recession, people cared more about Super Tuesday than New York Fashion Week. Even the stars and stylists are toning things down a bit.

Godwin: Jennifer Garner was ladylike and elegant in her Van Cleef suite.

Gilbert: Nicole Kidman, of course.

Gumuchian: Jennifer Garner was loaded down with diamond jewelry but it worked on her. I was glad to see a younger woman with plenty of jewelry for a change.

Hayes: Maybe Nicole Kidman.

Prine: Enough said about Nicole Kidman's necklace, which seemed put on as an afterthought despite its audaciousness. I thought the best overdone look was on Javier Bardem's mother, Pilar, who was loaded up with diamond bangles and pendants, symbols of a proud mom gussied up to celebrate her son's nomination.

Who is in desperate need of a new stylist?

Campuzano: Jennifer Hudson. That Cavalli gown was terrible for her. She's not a size two, she's got fabulous curves, and that gown just made her look like a tent. Especially in white! Everything about that gown was unflattering—the bodice that squashed her chest, the leopard trim, the floaty goddess drapes. She should be wearing a more structured bodice to emphasize and flatter her curves in the right places, and an open neckline to elongate her.

Godwin: Tilda Swinton? Just ghastly. Ellen Page wasn't much better.

Gilbert: Poor Cameron Diaz just seems to always miss.

Gumuchian: Jennifer Hudson, Tilda Swinton, and Diablo Cody.

Hayes: Jennifer Hudson struck out again this year. Rebecca Miller really needs help too.

Prine: The biggest problem is the stylists. Either they get paid off to stuff a star in some designer frock, or they opt for the safe look that falls flat and is indistinguishable in a crowd. It makes me long for the days when the studios dictated what a star wore in public—like it or not.

What was the most important jewelry style or classification?

Campuzano: The wrist. There were very few necklaces. It was all about bangles and narrow cuffs. There were some lovely earrings but with the current trend towards more undone, relaxed hairstyles and Veronica Lake-style down-dos, earrings don't have the same punch—half the time they get lost in the hair. But the dressed wrist with a bare neck was by far the most important look.

Godwin: Cuff bracelets and mixtures of styles.

Gilbert: Necklaces, drop earrings, and clutch bags.

Gumuchian: The red carpet continued to show the importance of the long sautoir and necklaces. Marion Cotillard's long necklaces and even Nicole Kidman's dramatic one help keep the focus on the necklace.

Hayes: Bracelets of all sorts.

Prine: The return of necklaces with shorter drops, a suite look. Of note was the disappearance of chandelier earrings.

Which jewelry trends do you think will translate into over-the-counter sales for fall/holiday?

Campuzano: Jeweled bangles.

Godwin: Drapey necklaces.

Gilbert: The pendant and drop earrings.

Gumuchian: Long necklaces. I really hope the important long necklace continues.

Hayes: Multi-layering of bracelets.

Prine: Emphasis on bracelets for everyday wear. The suite look returns for social occasion dressing.

What jewelry trend was missing or should have been more evident?

Campuzano: Brooches.

Godwin: The cocktail ring. Not nearly enough fun and fabulous ones.

Gilbert: Opera gloves—I happened to like Julie Christie's—dress clips and brooches.

Gumuchian: There were too many small earrings that were lost in the hair. Cameron Diaz for example wore a tiny earring on a dress that begged for a necklace or important earring. Ruby Dee's long earrings were flattering and fashionable.

Hayes: Important long earrings—they were virtually nonexistent.

Prine: Lack of colored diamond and gemstone jewelry. With all the reds and vivid color in the gowns, an opportunity was lost to show how gemstones can complement such color.

More celebrities are borrowing gowns and jewelry, many of them paid major dollars to do so. Do you see this as significant to retail business?

Campuzano: Anytime a celebrity wears something, it gets noticed. Whatever the item, people either want it or shun it based on how much they like that celebrity. That's the reality of fashion and the mainstream acceptance of trends. The scope of publicity gained by a red carpet event is incomparable—it reaches an audience that wouldn't otherwise see any of these pieces. And within that enormous viewing audience there will be consumers for every price point, including the fine market.

Godwin: It is very important. There are a large number of people who are inspired by the way actors dress. Although the average person may not afford fine jewelry it is still inspiration for people to aspire to.

Gilbert: I'm not sure. My gut would suggest that this customer is not influenced so much by celebrity, but ultimately as part of American culture celebrity does continue to have an effect. Maybe the interpretation of the ideas seen on celebrities has a broader-based sway in terms of a trickle-down effect. This celebrity effect is more related to clothes and bags than fine jewelry.

Gumuchian: Red carpet coverage is very significant to what the American public perceives as fashion and glamour. That's why I am upset when I see important classifications such as important earrings, statement pieces, and major necklaces absent from gowns, especially strapless gowns, that really need such adornment. On the other hand, the profusion of color helps make the average viewer more aware of how important color can be in her wardrobe.

Hayes: Celebrities remain important as an endorsement for beautiful fine jewelry. However, fine jewelry can have more prominence at this event.

Prine: Since the vast majority of Oscar viewers never get the opportunity to walk down a red carpet, I wonder how much influence the current crop of paid billboards actually has. The biggest influence is in the prom market, not the high end. Having the best actress wear jewelry may help brand identity for a jewelry house, but it's nothing compared to the benefits the apparel receives from this exposure. How interesting it would be to see actresses wear only jewelry they actually owned.