The Help star Octavia Spencer looked like breath of fresh air in rippling lavender, and her winning speech was just as refreshing. Appropriately for the holiday, she quoted Martin Luther King Jr., "All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance."
Octavia Spencer also offered a brief fashion caution: "I'm trembling [so much]... I'm gonna fall off these high heels."
Jessica Alba's glittering violet gown was pretty as a prom dress, and newcomer Shailene Woodley (nominated for her piercing performance in The Descendants) rocked a complex crystalline lavender gown, although mom-like, I kept wanting to hoist it a bit higher or add embellishment to the illusion netting holding it up.
Ergo, 41-year-old Octavia Spencer takes the day.