Anne Hathaway came early onto the red carpet and ended up the bellwether of the night's top trends - brilliant red, hanging from just one shoulder and topped with a charming, easygoing ponytail.

"She had it all going," said US Weekly style director Sasha Charnin Morrison of the actress, who wore Marchesa. "She was like a triple threat."

At the 80th annual Academy Awards, the red carpet gave glamour-starved Hollywood watchers what they've been waiting out the writers' strike for - elegance and star-shine.