LOS ANGELES -- He kept them guessing up to the very end, so when best supporting actor nominee Jaye Davidson finally did sneak into the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion via a rear entrance, it was anti-climatic.
Indeed, whether the maniacally private, publicity-shy Davidson would make an appearance was the big question going into Hollywood's main event, and what he might wear spurred weeks of frenzied speculation among journalists and moviegoers, given that Davidson, a former model of female fashions, plays a transvestite in the 'The Crying Game.'
Some thought show host Billy Crystal might even capitalize on all the attention and open the show in women's clothing. But it was not to be. Many of the stars attending the 3 -hour ceremony were tame in their fashion selections compared to previous years.
Crystal spent the entire night in an all-black tuxedo getup while Davidson played it low-key in an androgenous-looking black pants suit.
'Had (Davidson) shown up in drag he would have pulled the whole audience to their feet. He would have stole the show,' said fashion expert Mr. Blackwell.
The truth is, fashion mirrored the 65th Annual Academy Awards telecast -- both seemed to play it safe.
Fashion statements for Hollywood's most public evening were confined to basic black for the most part- but elegantly cut, exactly as Oscar fashion coordinator Fred Hayman predicted. Actresses Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor and Mercedes Ruehl all wore Valentino. Best actress nominee Catherine Deneuve turned to old favorite Yves Saint Laurent. Presenter Glenn Close chose Donna Karan.
Actress Frances Fisher showed up on boyfriend Clint Eastwood's arm in a 40s style one-shoulder evening gown of black silk velvet with a velvet train created by Michael Stolzenburg for Munich-based Escada.
Other Escada dressers were: Joan Plowright, wife of the late Sir Laurence Olivier and best supporting actress nominee who wore a black silk and beaded full length gown and 1990 best actress winner Kathy Bates who wore a classic double-breasted cutaway silk and wool tuxedo pants suit.
Of course there's always somebody who decides the Academy Awards afford the perfect opportunity to express individuality or showcase enviable body parts. Cher made Oscar history when she accepted a best actress statue in 1988 in a Bob Mackie special that showcased her surgically enhanced extremities.
This year, proverbial fashion wild card Susan Sarandon did it again, wearing a slim-fitting gold lame gown that looked suspiciously like the actual Oscar statue.
In fact, it was a man -- a nominee even -- who scored one of the evening's most exciting looks. Best actor contender Robert Downey, Jr. tapped his movie, 'Chaplin' for his 1920s-style tuxedo ensemble completed by a billowing black shirt.
'The look was very natural, very creative, romantic with soft lines, ' said Jennifer Maxwell Morris who along with Dominique Isbecque founded New York-based Look Consulting.
Neither Morris nor Isbecque knocked Downey's unshaven face or washed- it-last-week hairstyle.
'If his hair had been meticulously groomed and his face clean- shaven, it might have created an effeminate look,' said Morris. 'By bringing in the unkempt man-of-today (image) he balanced the softness and romance of the clothes.'
Mr. Blackwell gave thumbs up to Natalie Cole, Barbra Streisand and Diane Keaton ('wonderful; at least she had an image'), but frowned on outfits worn byby Andie MacDowell ('an awful Gatsby-looking number), Whoopie Goldberg ('a cartoon horror close up') and Miranda Richardson ('drab, dreary and bleak.')
Mr. Blackwell had mixed feelings about Elizabeth Taylor's canary- colored Valentino gown, which he likened it to a cocktail dress.
'I personally felt Taylor's gown was less than it should have been,' he said. 'She is in the eyes of the world one of the most beautiful women in the world. She should have worn something more opulent.'
