Unless you live under a rock (which would lead me to ponder how you’re reading this in the first place…wifi rock perhaps? But I digress), you’re no doubt aware that Sunday night was the 82nd Academy Awards. This is the night where Hollywood’s stars–both staples of the industry and blossoming newcomers– come out in all the glitz and glamour associated with Tinsel Town for the purpose of honoring film’s elite.

Now, of course the evening is meant to be all about the awards and recognition of the year’s biggest achievements in all aspects of the film-making process. And, of course, there are those die hard movie buffs (like many of my esteemed Reel Loop colleagues) who have seen every nominated film and have an opinion with some legitimate basis of which should win, so are into the Oscars for that reason.

But what about those who don’t see every movie that comes out and are just watching to see if the actors and films they’ve heard a lot of hype about actually win?

Well, there’s no denying that there’s a pretty big chunk of people who tune into the Academy Awards to see what everyone is wearing. There’s this strange curiosity of wondering what everyone will choose, with basically a limitless budget at their disposal. Was the money worth it, or no? Should their stylist be their best friend, or fired immediately? Admit it…it’s kind of fun to be a little catty and judge ensembles that could potentially cost more than a house.

So, without further ado, here are my best and worst dressed stars of the 2010 Oscars.

BEST DRESSED*

Sandra Bullock

The winner for Best Actress in a Leading Role hands down took the cake for best dressed, in my opinion.

Her dress was so classy, so elegant, and had a lovely feel of classic Hollywood to it (always a selling point for me).

There seemed to be a trend of the female attendees wearing gowns that transitioned between two different materials (i.e. Kate Winslet, Miley Cyrus), but Ms. Bullock’s was the most beautifully executed transition. From the delicate lace detailing on top into the shimmering lower half, I found this dress absolutely gorgeous, and Bullock looked stunning in it.

Silver and grey dresses could also be seen in abundance, but I think Ms. Bullock pulled it off the best. The lighter color was a nice contrast to her dark locks, and also complemented her skin tone well.

There was a lot going on with the dress, thanks to the aforementioned lace and shimmer, but it was balanced out well with minimal jewelry and a simple hairstyle. Add to the mix some very basic makeup with a nice splash of color on the lips, and Sandra Bullock looked every bit the starlet.

Maggie Gyllenhaal

I have lost count of how many times I have seen Maggie Gyllenhaal end up on Worst Dressed lists. The nominee for Best Actress in a Supporting Role tends to have her own quirky fashion taste, and occasionally her outfits end up leaning a little towards the frumpy side.

That being said, I was so excited when I saw her dress for the Oscars. Frumpy? Nothing of the sort!

In a theater full of grey, black, and pastel dresses, Ms. Gyllehaal was one of the few who threw some color into her wardrobe–and it worked for her. The actress looked absolutely breathtaking, and the blues in the dress made her eyes pop.

A perfectly coifed updo and dangling earrings tied her look together into a perfect picture of modern sophistication.

Sandy Powell

Ok, so her acceptance speech may have been a wee bit egotistical, I’ll give you that. But I have to give Sandy Powell, winner for Best Costume Design, mad props for her outfit.

Seriously, I loved this ensemble. I was watching the Oscars with my mom and my friend Joe, and when Ms. Powell went on stage all three of us had an “Oh wow!” reaction. Her dress was something completely different than anything you usually see at the Oscars, and the bangles and beret gave a very chic polish to the outfit.

To be honest, this isn’t a dress that just anybody could pull off. I think what made it work for Powell is the fact that she does work in costuming, so you kind of expect to see her in something with an artsy flair. This dress fit the bill, and it totally suited Powell.

Carey Mulligan

I’m not going to lie, I find Carey Mulligan absolutely adorable.

She has the same time of sweet, innocent, and elegant presence as–dare I say it?–the legendary Audrey Hepburn. And I think Audrey would have been proud of Mulligan’s fashion choice for the Oscars.

Mulligan’s dress was a perfect combination of classic (you can almost never go wrong with a black dress), simplicity, and flair all rolled into one. The beading added a very nice dazzle to the look, without being overwhelming, and the sparkling earrings complemented the glitter of the dress’s top.

The only part of Carey Mulligan’s outfit I wasn’t crazy about were her shoes, but overall, excellent fashion choice by the young star.

Meryl Streep

If I look as good when I’m 60 as Meryl Streep does, I will be one happy girl.

Ms. Streep was the absolute picture of class at the Academy Awards. This dress was age appropriate, sophisticated, and elegant, while at the same time having a plunging neckline to add just a dash of sex appeal.

Really, what else can I say about Meryl? She’s gorgeous, her dress looked amazing on her, the woman is pretty much flawless.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Helen Mirren: Like Meryl Streep, Mirren is another actress who is still positively radiant, even over 60. Her dress choices are consistently elegant and timeless, rather than anything that makes her look aged. Check out her Oscars outfit here.

Rachel McAdams: I liked Rachel McAdams’s dress for the same reason I liked Maggie Gyllenhaal’s…it was something unique. Loved the style of it, loved the color combo, the bottom half was a little busy though. Otherwise, gorgeous.

Anna Kendrick: Anna Kendrick looked beautiful, there’s no questioning that. The style of the dress was breathtaking, and the delicate pink was lovely. Kendrick is so fair, though, that the pale color sort of washed her out.

WORST DRESSED

Sarah Jessica Parker

Honestly, I don’t understand why everyone considers SJP such a fashionista. I think I have seen her wear maybe two outfits that didn’t make me wonder, “What is she wearing?”

Ms. Parker’s dress for the Academy Awards left me thoroughly unimpressed. The color wasn’t particularly good on her, the thing around her neck would have looked better if attached to the dress to make it a halter, and what in the world was with the metallic flowers at the top of the dress?!

As tiny a figure as she has, you’d think SJP would’ve gone with something that gave her more shape, but instead she looked (in the words of my friend Joe) “like she put on a wind sock.”

Not good, Mrs. Ferris Bueller, not good.

Zoe Saldana

Zoe Saldana is gorgeous. Her dress was not.

Plain and simple, there was way too much going on with this gown. The glittering gold top is in a battle with the overwhelmingly poofy bottom of the dress, and the slit just draws even more attention to the purple cloud than it does on its own.

What’s most unfortunate about Saldana’s fashion flop is that a dress in just gold or any one of the shades of purple in this dress would have looked stellar with her skin tones.

Ah well, maybe next time.

Vera Farmiga

Let’s start with the positive of this dress: the color was a great choice. Vibrant, good contrast to Farmiga’s skin and hair, it worked.

As for the negative….it looks like the dress is going to eat her.

There aren’t just too many ruffles, the ruffles are wayyyy too big. The dress makes Vera look a whole lot larger on bottom than she actually is, while making her upper body almost look frail in comparison.

Miley Cyrus

Oi vey. This dress.

Miley went with the night’s trend of mixing materials, and it didn’t work for her. The satin to flowy, beaded material seems to have no cohesion, and even the colors look slightly off with each other.

Taken on its own, the skirt of the dress is actually very pretty, so there was definitely the potential for this to have been a lovely dress.

How it turned out, though? Not so much. The top half just looks ill-fitting, and as I said before, just doesn’t jive with the rest of the dress.

Charlize Theron

My question about Charlize Theron’s dress is this: Why didn’t someone tell her that ruched fabric–in a different color material from the rest of the dress–directly on the boobs is not a good look?

At least if she had worn a necklace or long earrings some attention would have been directed elsewhere, but as it is the focus of the dress is totally the chest area. Not cool.

Also, that color? A little on the bland side, in my opinion.

HONORABLE MENTIONS (AKA, THE ‘MEHS’)

There were several outfits on Oscar Night that weren’t great, but weren’t awful either. They were just…meh. Such as…

Kate Winslet: I was really excited to see what Ms. Winslet was going to be wearing. She is such a beauty, and I was sure that she’d wear something just as beautiful as she is. Well, not quite. Her dress was elegant, but kind of on the boring side.

Kristen Stewart: I don’t particularly like Kirsten Stewart, but I did like her dress, and it’s been fun to watch her progress on her fashion evolution from edgy and tomboyish to very sleek and classy. However, she looked uncomfortable in her gown, and it seemed like it wasn’t fitting quite right in the mid-section.

Amanda Seyfried: Seyfried looked lovely at the Academy Awards, but I felt her dress was leaning a bit more towards the prom dress end of the spectrum than the big Hollywood to-do end.