Marion Cotillard of Little White Lies in another Little Black DressJason Merritt/Getty Images
Ruling the TIFF red carpet is no easy feat. It's not the Oscars, so splashing out on a major frock isn't appropriate. But without a big gown and borrowed bling to hide behind, many actresses (and, let's face it, we've included the directors and the actors below just to be inclusive; it's all about the actresses) stumble because they have to rely more on that elusive thing called personal style.
This year, fashion has been kind to the stars and their stylists. The new category of short formal dresses is all the rage. But these can be tricky to pull off. Great legs are not the problem; they're in abundance in this crowd. But hefty shoes or booties are a must, as is a relaxed approached to hair. Step out in stiff hair or a short dress that's too Technicolor and you've crossed the line into 1980s Ivana Trump. Wear little insignificant shoes and you'll look like Nicole Kidman, circa 2002, which Nicole Kidman managed to do.
French beauty Marion Cotillard has thus far set the pace. Even though she's relied on classic black, she looks anything but basic.
1. Best dressed: Marion Cotillard
Maybe it's a clever play on the title of her movie, Little White Lies, but Marion Cotillard has been rocking the little black dress with aplomb this TIFF. The actress wore a demure, floaty LBD with perfect strapped nude stilettos for her film's press conference. And a sexy little strapless number with just a bit of a ruffle at the neck paired with tough booties to the premiere. Effortless.
2. Runner-up: Rachel Weisz
Rachel Weisz displays a sense of ease similar to that of her red-carpet colleague Marion Cotillard. Sure, it may all be the work of a brilliant stylist, but it doesn't look like it in her various outings. She stepped out on the red carpet with her hubby Darren Aronofsky at the premiere of Black Swan in a 1950s-esque black and white waist-cinching dress. At the premiere of her flick, The Whistleblower, she went 1970s-louche with a white silky jumpsuit. So few women could pull this off. She did.
3. Best guy: Colin Firth
Colin Firth, getting rave reviews for his royal turn in The King's Speech, deserves them for his fashion picks, too. He's clearly taken his time with designer/filmmaker Tom Ford to heart, only appearing in dark, slender suits and ties. He just turned 50, but could win a dress-off with hipsters half his age.
4. Best casual: Uma Thurman
Uma Thurman, at TIFF for her new film, Ceremony, has had her fashion faux-pas moments – strange Heidi/milkmaid Oscar moment, anyone? But her choice to go pretty casual here works wonders at erasing that ensemble from our minds. Her T-shirt, vest and skinny pants read: I just pulled a little something out of the closet. No fuss. No muss.
5. Stuck in the past: Hilary Swank
Yes, she still has a great back. But Hilary Swank's red-carpet look at the premiere of Conviction is about looking back in more ways that one. The low-slung blue number is a replay of the Guy Laroche number she wore to the Oscars in 2005. Sure, there's a lot less skirt going on, but it's just way too familiar. Then again, maybe she'll repeat that Oscar win from 2005, too, so what do we know?