HOLLYWOOD—From Penelope Cruz’s stunning red to Gwyneth Paltrow in subdued silver, all eyes were on the fashion choices Sunday as Hollywood’s A-listers hit the Oscars red carpet.

And as for the famously quirky British actress Helena Bonham Carter— shock!—she wore a surprisingly normal-looking black dress.

“I thought it would be nice to celebrate film, not fashion … I’ve got a bit of a complex about my bum so I thought I’d make it even bigger,” she joked, shortly before the 83rd Academy Awards show got under way.

Bonham Carter, who lost out later in the best supporting actress category for her role in “The King’s Speech,” is known for her unpredictable dress sense and had forecast whatever she wore could be “catastrophic.”

Mismatched shoes

At the Golden Globes she wore one red shoe and one green, but on Sunday she kept her vow to wear same-colored footwear, below a Gothic-looking black dress described as “something I got together with costume designer Colleen Atwood.”

Apart from a large bustle, the striking black silk taffeta gown with a velvet bodice and Elizabethan style cutaway sleeves was supremely conservative compared to outfits she has stunned fashion-watchers with in the past.

Natalie Portman, who won the best actress prize for her role as a paranoid ballerina in “Black Swan,” was in plum colored Rodarte with Tiffany jewelry, but insisted she felt at home whatever she wears.

“Most girls get so excited to get dressed up,” said the heavily pregnant star, adding that she could equally be happy “at home in sweats with, like, messy hair and no makeup. The biggest luxury of all.”

Cruz, arriving on the arm of husband and best actor nominee Javier Bardem, looked typically ravishing in a red number, the same color as last year’s best actress Oscar winner Sandra Bullock, in a structured Vera Wang gown.

“I chose it because it’s always so cheerful and my son recognizes the color red,” said Bullock, whose pale makeup and exaggerated red lips complemented the gown perfectly.

Jennifer Lawrence, a losing best actress nominee for her role in “Winter’s Bone,” chose a simple red dress with spaghetti straps and a low back; her long blond hair loosely pinned.

Pastel tones, reflecting the most recent collections, were also a popular choice.

Cate Blanchett chose a pale lilac gown in pleated chiffon with a collar of chartreuse and lilac beading.

Her simple, sleek blond hair was a simple antidote to the complexity of the dress.

In Christian Dior haute couture, Nicole Kidman continued the pastel trend with a silk grosgrain lavender gown, richly embroidered with silver thread as well as a magnificent diamond choker, which reached down her back. AFP