The Oscar gown matching game

It’s a matter of timing and of allied interests. Well before the last gown rustled off the runway, speculation over who might wear it to the Oscars began.

We see ELLE cover star and Golden Globe winner Michelle Williams in a filmy gown with a modest, romantic neckline, the better to counteract her sexpot image with. The answer lies in any number of gowns in the Valentino couture show, though this ethereal garment seems a particularly apt choice.

Some actresses already identify closely enough with a brand that their choices are easy to intuit. Jessica Chastain did learn of her Best Supporting Actress nomination from her front-row seat at Armani Prive, after all.

Berenice Bejo wore Gucci to the Golden Globes, but glowed about Elie Saab’s couture creations. We know she loves the colour blue and wants to up the ante on her Globes gown—what could be better than a baby-blue Saab special?

Other Oscar-goers are unknown quantities. Shailene Woodley, garnering plaudits for her role as a defiant yet vulnerable daughter in The Descendants, should embrace the opportunity to wear couture without compromising on youthfulness. Enter Versace, a house determined to do just that with its moulded corsets and acid brights.

And so it goes. Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci created his couture collection in the