How Camila Alves Prepped for the Oscars 2014

The wife of Best Actor winner Matthew McConaughey kept a diary for ABC News.

ByABC News
March 2, 2014, 11:38 PM
Camila Alves arrive at the Oscars, March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Camila Alves arrive at the Oscars, March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Photo

March 3, 2014 -- intro: Oscar Sunday was a big night for Matthew McConaughey, who picked up his first-ever award for his role in "Dallas Buyers Club," and no one was more prepared than his wife, Camila Alves. The 32-year-old handbag designer let ABC News sit in on a trial run she had with her stylist, Charlene Roxborough, her hairstylist, Jasmin Robles, and her makeup artist, Patrick Defontbrune. "It's harder than finding your wedding dress," she said of choosing the look. "It is the biggest event in entertainment!"

quicklist: 1title: Which Look to Choose?text: Since she became a mother to her three children, Alves said it's tough to focus on fashion, even for awards shows. "Now I try to keep the outfit simple and maybe get some fun accessories so to add spice to it," said the model, who has been working with Bailey's leading up to the show. "A pop of color with a handbag or cool earrings to make that more fun, because when you're running around, you don't have time!" media: 22733078

quicklist: 2title: It Takes a Teamtext: Alves and Roxborough worked with designer Gabriela Cadena to create her dream Oscars look--but she had a few beautiful dresses from which to choose. Each option was in keeping with McConaughey's favorite look for his wife: simple and sleek. "I'm dressing for him and he does give input," she said. "He likes to see me, not the dress taking over."media: 22742767

quicklist: 3title: Fabulous Footweartext: A sucker for comfortable shoes, Alves leans toward platform heels, which make walking (and dancing!) less painful. Still, at the end of the night, don't expect to see her slip into flats. "I'm barefoot!" she said.media: 22742810

quicklist: 4title: Jaw-Dropping Jewelstext: This set of ruby and diamond jewels (which arrives with their own bodyguard!) didn't make it to the red carpet, but they might have worked with her white dress.media: 22733299

quicklist: 5title: Pick a Pocketbooktext: Because she's carrying such tiny bag, Alves packs light: just a cell phone, lipstick, her ID, a few mints and blotting papers make the cut!media: 22732992

quicklist: 6title: All Made Up!text: For her Oscars look, Alves and Defontbrune wanted to highlight her eyes in a dramatic way. Because of her skin tone, "sometimes you want to watch with the dark colors and lips," Alves explained of why they chose a soft palette. "It can look wrong."media: 22732799