Calista Flockhart went for a vintage ice-blue goddess gown from Rare Vintage.

Several stars opted for strapless styles, including Renee Zellweger in a silver lace gown by Carolina Herrera. The dress had sparkle but was otherwise simple to complement her short hairstyle.

"It was a gloomy, cloudy, wet Oscars and she looked drop-dead gorgeous and radiant," said stylist and style commentator Mary Alice Stephenson. "She looked like what she was supposed to look like at the Oscars, she looked her most glamorous."

Jennifer Garner and Laura Linney also chose strapless gowns and then accessorized them with prominent necklaces. Garner's black Oscar de la Renta dress had an almost flamenco-style skirt and was accessorized with an art deco-era necklace with 61 carats of diamonds from Van Cleef & Arpels, while Linney's dark-blue gown with a bustle back by Michael Kors highlighted a gold pendant-style necklace with diamond and blue topaz by Cathy Waterman.

Keri Russell's champagne-colored Nina Ricci strapless dress came to life with an H.Stern vintage floral necklace from the private vault of Hans Stern.

Cameron Diaz's strapless Christian Dior gown was a pale peach color and had pleats on the bustline. "I put it on and felt like I was wearing nothing," she said.

Diablo Cody also was in Dior — an animal-print gown with a jeweled halter neck — but she didn't wear the $1 million Stuart Weitzman shoes that she labeled a "cheesy publicity stunt." She opted for gold flats instead.

Amy Adams was far more pleased with her Proenza Schouler strapless gown in emerald-green, double-sided silk. "I'm just over the moon with it," she said. Adams carried a tiny Art Nouveau French gold-mesh purse by Fred Leighton.

Stephenson lamented that so many celebrities and designers played it safe. "I had expected people to take more chances. I saw the incredible gowns that were available. I was pretty shocked that a lot more of them weren't utilized," she said.

Cyrus, for example, looked pretty in her cap-sleeve Valentino, Stephenson said, but it was "a bit boring."

However, Pati Dubroff, the Dior makeup artist who worked with the teen star, said she thought Cyrus looked like a "youthful beauty."

Dubroff used minimal makeup, mostly a lip stain, a lot of mascara and a bit of glitter. "To make it special I used glitter like fairy dust. She's a Disney princess come to life."

W's Lombardo didn't have such kind words for another young star, Saoirse Ronan. She thought the green chiffon gown by Alberta Ferretti looked like it was made from living room curtains.

But Ronan had her own reasons for wearing it. "I chose green because I'm Irish. I wanted to walk down the red carpet and let everyone know I'm Irish."