Cate Blanchett, nominee for best actress for "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" and for best supporting actress for "I'm Not There", arrives at the 80th annual Academy Awards, the Oscars, in Hollywood, February 24, 2008. [Agencies]

Pregnant actresses Blanchett, in a Dries van Noten halter gown with floral beading on the skirt, and Alba, in a strapless Marchesa gown with feathers at the bustline, both embraced their revised shapes in empire-waist gowns. Nicole Kidman, also pregnant, went with a simple black gown by Balenciaga and a show-stopping necklace — 7,645 diamonds totaling nearly 1,400 carats by L'Wren Scott.

Feathers were a recent trend on the runway and Penelope Cruz's black strapless gown had them too.

W magazine fashion market editor Treena Lombardo reminds at-home fashion followers not to take trends from the red carpet too seriously for their own lives. "I don't think any of the trends the Oscars hit are trends the rest of the world needs to know about," she said.

She did notice all that red, though.

"Heidi Klum was the most beautiful I've ever seen her," Lombardo said. "Amy Ryan was the opposite. She was very minimal and very chic — an exact 180 from what Heidi was doing."

Klum's full-volume gown was by Galliano and is being auctioned as part of The Heart Truth campaign to raise awareness about women and heart disease. Ryan's one-shoulder, midnight-blue dress was custom-made by Francisco Costa for Calvin Klein.

One-shoulder gowns were also popular, worn by Hilary Swank in Versace, Olivia Thirlby in Vera Wang, Hathaway in Marchesa and Heigl in Escada. Heigl's gown had a slim-fitting draped bodice, and the front of Hathaway's gown was covered in fabric roses.

Tilda Swinton, who told E! she had never even seen the Oscars on TV, wore an odd one-arm gown by Alber Elbaz for Lanvin and no apparent makeup, a look that seemed in character for the actress, who was born in London into a patrician Scottish military family.