Ever since
Natalie Portman was named as the "face" of the
Dior Beauty perfume
Miss Dior Cherie back in January, it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that the Best Actress nominee would be wearing Dior to this year's Oscars.
But doubts were cast on Friday, when Dior's Creative Director
John Galliano was dramatically suspended over alleged racist and anti-Semitic slurs (the designer is now countersuing for defamation).
Portman is Jewish, and often credits her Jewish family and upbringing with her success.
Last night, the actress did not wear
Dior. Instead, she wore a bespoke draped silk chiffon burgundy gown by
Rodarte, created for her by sisters
Laura and Kate Mulleavy whose tutu designs were included in ballet film
Black Swan, for which Portman won her Best Actress Oscar at the ceremony.
Portman did wear full
Dior Beauty make-up (and, who knows, possibly
Miss Dior Cherie perfume too).
Portman's fiance, the ballet dancer and
Black Swan choreographer
Benjamin Millepied, wore
Dior Homme, which is designed, not by
Galliano, but by
Kris van Assche.
Jude Law also wore Dior Homme.
Portman's fellow Dior Beauty ambassador
Sharon Stone (who three years ago was dropped by
Christian Dior in
China after saying the recent earthquake there was the result of bad 'karma'), wore a black bias-cut Dior gown, but declined to talk to the press.
Meanwhile,
Nicole Kidman wore a white, heavily-embroidered strapless Dior Haute Couture gown from S/S '09, saying 'it was the first one I put on and I like it. I'm pretty simple like that.'