Black wins out in respectful fashion

One of the effects of the war is that it made the Oscars a much duller affair for fashion gawking.

Sure, there was the occasional clothing disaster -Hilary Swank in a pink, gauzy mess that looked simultaneously cavity-inducingly sweet and depressingly frumpy; Kathy Bates in a head-to-toe satin affair that prompted one observer to compare her to a blood clot - but generally the clothes were traditional, and some of them looked even wearable. What a disappointment.

Showing respect through fashion seemed to mean the same thing to most actresses: a long black dress. The result being that when Oscar winners Catherine Zeta Jones and Nicole Kidman posed next to each other, the former wearing a double-strapped, long, black empire dress, the latter in a Gaultier couture black column, with three straps at the right shoulder, it looked as if they were wearing the same frock, but that one of them had put it on incorrectly.

Tim Robbins opted for a black tuxedo - adding gravitas to the peace signs he flashed at waiting paparazzi. Best of the night, though, was Cameron Diaz who, in a beautiful pleated Prada gown, showed that long and black needn't look unoriginal.

Not everyone felt the need to show their respect in black. Renee Zellweger opted for red in a beaded, backless Caroline Herrera number, and Jennifer Lopez decided the evening called for a sheet, beaded and dyed green, wrapped about her like a toga.

Although Julianne Moore lost out on awards, she can be consoled that she was one of the most beautiful sights of the evening in an emerald, ruffled YSL dress. But let's hope it's back to normal next year.