Oscars 2008: Hilary Swank, Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, Jennifer Garner

The Oscars in 2008 were quite a glittering affair, with simple dresses no where to be seen on the red carpet... here's our round up of trends and fabulous dresses on the red carpet...


While red may have been a hot red carpet colour, black was also out in force thanks to red carpet regulars, though there was enough embellishment and detail to decorate an entire wedding party. Hilary Swank’s one shoulder Versace dress was very pretty, giving the Oscar winning actress a soft feminine appeal.
Mum-to-be Nicole Kidman chose a chic simple black dress, but blinged it up with a gorgeous diamond necklace designed by her stylist, L’Wren Scott.
Penelope Cruz’s dress ruffled and draped at every curve, emphasizing her slim body before flaring out into a fish tail train. My first thought was 'oh my, could there be too much detail on her small frame?' Meanwhile, Andrea at Shiny Style loved Jennifer Garner’s Oscar de la Renta gown. With it’s seemingly simple bodice, if you look closely it’s all ruched before opening out into a Spanish style ruffled skirt.

None of these dresses blew me away, but they are pretty dresses for pretty women.

Penelope Cruz: Lovin’ Fashion and Family

After a photo shoot and shopping trip in Paris, Penelope Cruz has now found herself situated in Barcelona for the filming of Woody Allen’s upcoming film, co-starring Scarlett Johansson.

The actress recently sat down with Style magazine for an interview, but was tight-lipped about her latest role - instead opting to talk about her upcoming fashion line and close-knit family.

Penelope spoke of how she has recently entered into a business venture with her sister, Monica, a dancer and television actress. The sisters designed a collection for the Spain-based fashion chain Mango, which includes a mix of red-carpet-inspired evening wear, jeans, knits and daywear based on their own fashion preferences.

Speaking of the new clothing endeavor (which is slated for a September 16 launch), Cruz said, “This is something we’ve wanted to do for a long time. We just had to find the right people to do it with. We’ve always loved clothes – we used to hide in the bathroom with fashion magazines and say, ‘I want that one.’ We’d get a pencil and mark the pictures, and show how we’d transform them at home.”

As evidenced by her close working relationship with her sister, Penelope also spoke of the importance of keeping her family at the top of her list of priorities. “My family are the best thing I have, and I spend a lot of time with them. We are very strict about that, about not letting anything interfere with having time for the family. We are always here for each other, all of us.

We know that we can count on the rest, so we always find the time.”

Now, Penelope is not only spending time with her family, but she’s found a way to make money while doing so!