New Zealand stars dress up for Hollywood's big night

By AMIE RICHARDSON

It's not just the New Zealand film industry on display at this year's Academy Awards ceremony - Kiwi fashion designers will be showing their best creations.

The ceremony on Monday afternoon (NZ time) has a number of New Zealanders up for awards. The locally produced The Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship of the Ring has received 13 nominations.

Zambesi designer Elisabeth Findlay said screenwriter Fran Walsh and costume designer Ngila Dickson would be wearing full-length Zambesi dresses. She would not reveal details. "I'm not trying to make a big deal about it, but it's nice to have a bit of surprise."

Dickson will also wear silver jewellery from Fingers in Auckland.

Screenwriter Phillippa Boyens will be dressed by Trelise Cooper.

Richard Taylor, director of special effects company Weta, up for three nominations, will wear a suit designed by Liz Mitchell.

Mitchell said it would feature a long-line Edwardian jacket in black New Zealand merino wool.

A purple-blue silk vest with a feather trim, and other Pacific colours would give a Pacific and Middle Earth feel.

Television New Zealand journalist Lisa Owen will wear a Karen Walker black velvet suit.

And Herald entertainment editor Russell Baillie will be resplendent in a hired tuxedo.

What the big names will wear is anybody's guess.

Reuters reports that in the past few weeks, representatives for couture creators such as Versace, Armani, Yves Saint Laurent, Calvin Klein, Prada, Pamela Denis, Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta, and Emanuel Ungaro have been aggressively courting the stars.

Some promise free outfits costing $230,000 or more, including microscopic $185,000 gowns, $1100 haircuts, $1 million diamond bracelets and necklaces and custom-made jewel-studded shoes.

Stars are loath to reveal what they plan to wear on the Red Carpet and 2002 seems more than ever the year that everybody wants to set themselves apart with a unique outfit - possibly to counter an awards show trend that tones down the glitzy, flesh-baring garb out of respect for those grieving after the September 11 attacks.

Stars at the November Emmys were asked to wear business suits.

In recent weeks Oscars producer Laura Ziskin has been encouraging people to dress up.

But Women's Wear Daily Entertainment Editor Merle Ginsberg said: "I don't think we're going to see as much beading and not a lot of overtly sexual styles.

"I think people feel that's inappropriate. She predicted that as well as vintage designer outfits, peasant and ethnic looks might also be popular.

At an event where stars' dress and demeanour are under the microscope, many are likely to arrive with prescription drugs in their pockets to calm ragged nerves.

"The fact that so many people will be watching them makes them more nervous," said Dr Anne Ryback Schmidt, who writes prescriptions to help her celebrity patients through the Oscars.

"They will take one pill or half a pill before walking down the red carpet so their legs don't get shaky."

nzherald.co.nz/oscars

Oscar nominees (full list)