Oscars 2011 red carpet: Hello sparkles, hello lace, hello purples. Goodbye one-shoulder dresses, goodbye basic black.

We have to say, the red carpet was filled with especially pretty, distinctive dresses this year. Complex, embellished gowns were so ladylike and hinted at spring.

Most memorable: Cate Blanchett in a stunning Givenchy Couture lavender gown with pearl-and-crystal embroidery.

"Black Swan" star Mila Kunis also opted for a lavender couture gown from the Spring 2011 season. Her floor-sweeping Elie Saab number featured lovely lace ruffles (though the petal-like insets cupping her cleavage were fairly distracting). (See her talk about her gown in the video below.)

Kunis' co-star Natalie Portman, who won Best Actress for her over-the-edge ballet dancer in "Black Swan," also went with a purple hue with a plummy Rodarte dress with crystal embroidery (and no giant flowers above her pregnant tummy this time).

Halle Berry wore a sparkly nude Marchesa dress with a tulle train. And Gwyneth Paltrow -- on hand to perform -- shined in a lithe silver Calvin Klein Collection column dress.

Something else we loved: Women were women (Helen Mirren, please be on every red carpet!), and young ladies dressed their age. Fourteen-year-old Hailee Steinfeld, nominated for Best Supporting Actress for "True Grit," looked like a princess in her tea-length Marchesa gown.

What we didn't see much of: the one-shoulder dress, which had become a tad too ubiquitous on recent red carpets, and good old black. (Reese Witherspoon did wear a black strapless gown with a white cuff, but we were too distracted by her crazy big ponytail to pay attention to the dress.)

Who did you think the big fashion winners of the evening were? Let us know by leaving a comment, be sure to check out the complete list of winners at Moviefone and check out coverage of the best and worst dressed in our video below!