The stakes are always high for the fashion equivalent of the Oscars. If your name’s on the list then you must be ‘somebody’ in fashion terms, and we expect a lot from our ‘somebodies’. This year the Costume Institute Gala (or the Met Ball) was working around the theme ‘American Women: Fashioning a National Identity’ and was hosted by Vogue grand dame Anna Wintour and all-round American royalty Oprah Winfrey. Retail giant Gap sponsored the proceedings and US creative director Patrick Robinson co-hosted with Wintour and Winfrey. Gap worked with some designers to create one-off collaborative pieces, such as Kirsten Dunst’s Rodarte for Gap gown and Jessica Alba in Sophie Theallet for Gap. Clever. There were so many fashionable faces out and about that I simply can’t cover them all, but below are those that warranted a mention, outfit breakdown or general fashion love.

Big names need big dresses, and top came Oprah herself, in Oscar de la Renta, a huge ruffled midnight blue gown that only someone as grand as she could pull off. After all, she’s Oprah, if she wants ruffles she gets ruffles. Ms Wintour went for Chanel once again, this time a silver column gown with long silver embellished coat. It was typical Wintour in that it manages to look like everything she’s ever worn and something completely new at the same time, if you get my drift.

One of my favourites wasn’t everybody’s cup of tea, Marion Cotillard in Dior. The whole look was very vintage red carpet, waved hair and sequin, floor-length gown with sheer sleeves. Many have suggested that the gown should have been strapless to keep the look young, but if anyone can pull off Hollywood vintage then it’s this French gal, so I’m sticking to my guns and saying it’s fabulous.

Obviously what with the SATC2 film just around the corner, Sarah Jessica Parker needed to pull a fashion magic trick out of the bag to keep her crown as She of Fashion Skill and make up for her not very popular Oscars look. And she certainly worked it well in Halston Heritage. The dress had a Twenties-Thirties hybrid vibe, full length pinky nude shimmering dress with a drop waist and spaghetti straps. The style was great for SJP’s petite figure (although in my opinion she was looking a little too sinewy skinny) and the look was topped off with very SATC oversize flower in her relaxed wavy hair. We’ll overlook the flower since, you know, it’s Carrie, but we don’t usually like huge accessories that overshadow the dress.

I do love a fashionable trio, and who better than Stella McCartney, Kate Hudson and Liv Tyler, who all wore McCartney’s designs (as they did last year) and who always look relaxed and happy on the red carpet. Stella herself wore a black one-shoulder mini dress (who knew she had such amazing legs?) and Liv also kept the hemline short in a lace overlay shift style dress. Kate went full-length in a silvery gown with sequin detailing and a split to the thigh.

Both Emma Watson and Claire Danes were in Burberry, but chose very different looks indeed. Everyone is singing Watson’s praises for her white one-shoulder, sculptured bodice detailed dress, complete with American tan and loose hair. I loved the tan, make-up and hair, but my first thought on seeing the dress was that someone had been playing ‘toilet paper bridal dress’ at a hen party and that this was the result. I have since studied it in detail, but no, I’m still not convinced. Claire Danes had the safer option no doubt, and I’m worried that my fashion imagination is off the boil if I’m choosing safe over substance, but her black shimmering column gown looked elegant, and worked with the new sexy vibe that she’s rocking at the moment, so this is the winner for me.

Sienna Miller is giving me flashbacks at the moment. Not only is she back on the red carpet with Jude Law, but her Pucci plunged to the navel, ruffled, fluffy-hemmed, sequin detailed dress is reminiscent of her post-boho ‘hot mess’ faze, and she even had the smokey eyes and tan to complete the look. Maybe she’s proving a point, or maybe this is what Jude likes, but I’m discombobulated by the similarities to circa 2007 and so feel unable to judge the dress by its own merits.

There are not many people that could pull off white, full length, high-necked, tight Calvin Klein dresses, so step up Diane Kruger who did just that, and looked great. Anyone that falls prey to over-accessorising should take note – Kruger often goes completely without jewels and keeps hair pulled back to let her dress do the talking. And it’s talking a good spin indeed.

Anne Hathaway surprised me by staying away from her sexy dressing of late (which we love, in the manner of Gwyneth Paltrow in Balmain last year) and referenced her Princess Diaries days in a Valentino ball gown. But it was a very well-fitting, neutral/gold gown that looked lovely against her skin, and with un-styled hair and minimal jewels, the dress stood out for all the right reasons.

I don’t mean to always pick on the same person on the red carpet, but this year so far the dunce cap keeps falling to Kristen Stewart, who once again managed to mis-wear Chanel. It wasn’t the best dress anyway, with a busy, sculptured bodice and sheer skirt, but she looked so uncomfortable in it (she had the same problem in Chanel at the Baftas) that she ended up looking slightly sulky and as if someone had forced her into choosing it. Although maybe they did, we hear that Mr Lagerfeld can be quite persuasive.

There were many others that could make the list of interesting dresses to discuss around the water cooler, but too many to decipher here, so add any other hits and misses below and join me at my metaphorical Met Ball window.