Glamour galore in the best supporting dresses

Grooming and glamour were the order of the night, epitomised by Best Actress Sandra Bullock in a stunning, vintage Marchesa silver, lace-embellished fishtail gown that seemed to have been created especially to be accessorised with an Oscar.

Best Director Kathryn Bigelow also looked every inch the winner in a restrained, elegant, gunmetal-grey, panelled, sleeveless column dress with appliqu high neckline.

The Brits missed the big prizes but definitely won the best age-appropriate dress category, with Helen Mirren in a flattering grey gown swirled all over with sequinned chiffon, by Badgley Mischka, and Carey Mulligan in a quirky black Prada dress, shorter at the front, embellished with beads and tiny scissors and forks, accessorised with show-stopping huge diamante drop earrings.

Kate Winslet, who presented Jeff Bridges with Best Actor award, should have got a special award herself for services to British glamour in her silvery-nude Yves Saint Laurent column dress with panelled, strapless bodice and Tiffany pendant necklace. In common with Cameron Diaz and other stars, she opted for impeccably sleek side-swept hair and statement pinky-red lips.

Meryl Steep's white column dress, by Chris March, stood out, while Mo'Nique showed how to dress womanly curves in her cobalt-blue, asymmetric, ruched gown by Tadashi Shoji.

There were plenty of bold, fashion-forward trends to be seen, including off-the-shoulder sleeves, lots of swirling of fabric, thigh-high slashes, fishtails, trains and tiny clutches, many matched to the dress.

Nudes and silvers dominated, but there were splashes of colour too.

Penelope Cruz went for a dramatic, strapless, Donna Karan gown in a burgundy shade, while Vera Farmiga rose Aphrodite-like from her stunning, cherry, strapless, pleated shell dress by Marchesa. Maggie Gyllenhaal stood out in a hazy-print, tight-fitting column dress by Dries Van Noten.

As for the best-dressed man, that was comprehensively judged to be Tom Ford, who looked almost impossibly handsome in ... Tom Ford.