Penelope Cruz, who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in Nine, wore a dramatic crimson Donna Karan gown. Penelope has been styled by Cristina Erlich for the past six years and she always looks fabulous on the red carpet. Cristina told the L.A. Times how she keeps her look fresh with all the events Penelope attends. The search for the perfect gown began in October, when Christina visited with major designers to get proposals.
"I look at the overall arc of what she's worn throughout the year," she says.
"I take into account whether Penelope's worn a lot of strapless or a lot of black. If she's worn color, what color? I also look at what she wore last year and think about what makes sense next.
I am not trying to reinvent her look. It's more about what makes her timeless and about continuing on with her being beautiful on the red carpet."
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"It's really all about what's under the dress," she says. "My assistants and I all have a full kit filled with nude Spanx, black Spanx, high-waisted Spanx, Spanx with a bum pad, Neosporin, cutlets [bra inserts] that clip, cutlets that crisscross, baby powder, Band-Aids.… All of these girls need all of this, even the ones with the most beautiful bodies. You don't leave these things for the day of the awards."
Penelope always has stunning jewelry for these events, and this year was no exception. She wore 18-carat pear shape diamond drop earrings, a
23-carat Ascher diamond and platinum bracelet, a 28-carat emerald cut diamond and platinum bracelet and a 16-carat diamond and white gold pave band cocktail ring -- all by Chopard.
