Oscar Dilemma: What to Wear?

ByABC News
March 23, 2001, 7:35 PM

March 22 -- The speculation as to what the stars will wear Oscar night often surpasses talk about who will win at least in some circles. While we can't know for sure who will win on the big night (despite some strong hunches), we already know what some of the nominees and presenters will be wearing.

French actress Juliette Binoche, a Best Actress nominee for Chocolat, will stay true to her country with a dress by designer Jean-Paul Gaultier, who also dressed her for this year's Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Roberts, Crowe Embrace ArmaniBest Actress frontrunner Julia Roberts, Gladiator Russell Crowe, and Best Supporting Actor nominee Benicio Del Toro all wore Armani at the Golden Globes this year, and Crowe told Fashion Wire Daily that the Italian designer is dressing him again for the Oscars.

At an Armani benefit concert in Rome last month, the burly Best Actor nominee praised the designer. "His clothes fit men, they're not for the boys. He makes clothes that are classic and for men with deep voices," the he-man star told journalists at the February concert, with (we think) tongue in cheek.

Nothing Like Wearing a Good Suit or Dressing in Your CarAnother fan of Armani's menswear is singer Marc Anthony, who sported a "badass" gray three-button suit by the designer to perform at the Tribute to Style benefit in Santa Monica, Calif., last weekend. "I don't worry about the badass suit. I let Giorgio Armani worry about the badass suit. I just put it on," he said. "I'm not really into that stuff, but there's nothing like wearing a good suit. When you're in a good suit, the suit walks you, you understand?"

Traffic star Catherine Zeta-Jones, who will present at Sunday's Oscars, showed up at the tribute in a Christian LaCroix dress, but she likely won't be repeating her unorthodox dressing routine this weekend. "I came from a photo shoot with Herb Ritts today," admitted the actress, "so I had to put this on in the car."

Linney, Harden Count on StylistsFirst-time nominees Laura Linney and Marcia Gay Harden admitted at the Oscar nominee lunch that they're working with stylists to look their best on the big night. Whatever Linney wears, its cost is sure to exceed the $10,000 salary she was paid for the indie You Can Count on Me.