Awards shows are fun not only to see who wins each award, but also to see what the stars are wearing down the red carpet. We common folk may not be able to purchase the very same, but we can damn sure try to get close. This year's BAFTAS seem to make replicating red carpet styles easier than normal as it seems simplicity is key, and black is best.

The staple of every woman's wardrobe, the solid, stable and dependable LBD (little black dress) has been transformed. No longer little, these gowns hit the floor in a flourish of appropriate drama. X Factor's Caroline Flack turned up in a fairly understated gown, figure hugging in all the right places, with simple lines, the whole outfit is set off by the sheer lace long sleeves which turn what could have been a boring dress into something beautiful.

Laura Whitmore is rocking a jumpsuit with a slit down the front, and long sleeves, bridging the often difficult gap between sexy and sophisticated. She has accessorized her simple elegance with chunky gold cuffs and bright red lipstick. Zoe Ball's shiny dress is certainly the most unusual of the evening, but it fits her perfectly and she needs nothing but a great pair of earrings, a statement pair of rings and a what looks like an effortless hair style to make it work for her.

Wearing the best dressed of the day though has to be Alicia Vikander, who co-stars in Anna Karenina opposite Keira Knightley. Whoever designed her dress has done the impossible: make smock-like be attractive. While her gown is, yes, 'smock-like' at the front (we mean that in the best possible way), the dress stops at her knees but flows behind, and when she turns, reveals a cut out back, cut impeccably. (Daily Mail)

Tonight's awards, dresses aside, will be a heated battle between some big contenders; Zero Dark Thirty, Argo, Life of Pi, Les Miserables and Lincoln are all up for Best Film.