The disappointment of Oscars fashion

So it's all over for another year, and everyone is picking over the frocks and the frills. But do you know what I'm upset about? That in most pictures you can't see the shoes! Who knows what's going on under Miley Cyrus's big pouffey dress? I reckon she's wearing scuffed-up trainers! And stand up straight girl! I really don't understand why commentators are raving about this dress. To me it is over the top, lacking class and too old for her.

Anyway, back to the shoes...

It can be a challenge to find shoes to complement a long gown, especially when the gown is a real statement piece. Do you go for statement shoes? A contrast colour? Or do you try to tone your shoes in and let the dress do the talking?

I've scanned the pics and picked out all the shots I can find which show the shoes, and my overall opinion is that Hollywood ladies need some shoe advice urgently!

Take this one: Lara Spencer, a TV host from the USA. Her dress is beautiful - demure but sexy and an attention-catching navy blue. The sparkling trim raises it from matronly to marvellous...but those shoes! No, no, no! Firstly, the silver stands out too much and draws your eye from her beautiful figure and smile. But from what we can see from the style of the shoe, they are too heavy and, well - clumpy. There you are in an elegant, chiffon dress - why would you put great big heavy shoes with it? What a shame.

Next up? Virginia Madsen, an actress with a string of film credits to her name, but possibly not anything you would admit to having seen. Now, she's looking pretty hot for a woman born before me (!) and she obviously wants to show off those sandals...I can see that she wants the dress to do the talking, so her shoes are more subtle, but with a split like that, the shoes need more pizazz. They may be designer label (I'm not getting into that in this posting), but she looks like she rushed home from the beach and forgot to change her sandals when she wriggled into her gown.

Amanda Seyfried (from Mamma Mia!) went the other way. Her sandals are too dark for her dress, and too detailed to sit well with that statement dress.

Now maybe it's not fair to comment on the non-celebs, but this one can't go without comment. Danny Glover is accompanied by a lady who obviously feels she is too tall. Fair enough, and she scores points for making a feature of her striking silver hair. But am I alone in thinking those shoes look like something you'd buy for £9.99 in Shoe Zone?

So how should you do it? Well, ignore the dress (let everyone else slag it off, I don't think it was the worst thing on show on the red carpet), but Heidi Klum has the right idea with her shoes. They match the dress, so don't distract from it, but they aren't so insipid that they underwhelm you. It's a difficult balancing act to pull off, but I really think Heidi does it.

Beware though - matching shoes and dress won't always save you. I confess, I don't know who these people are (please leave a comment if you can help), but that black dress swamps her and the clumpy black shoes do not add anything in the elegance stakes. She looks happy though!

Finally, despite all the criticism of her flesh-toned top, I really love Tilda Swinton's shoes. They are just right for the outfit - quirky, stylish and beautifully proportioned. I know I usually say that black shoes are the coward's option, but these work.

Shoes for a special occasion can be a minefield, and having endless pots of money doesn't mean you always get it right. However, with some thought and the chance to try on a range of styles and colours your shoes can enhance your outfit rather than ruin it.

Please note, to respect copyright, I have linked to the pictures rather than including them directly. I know the blog looks less exciting, but it was the right thing to do!