The stars have spent weeks getting into shape and choosing the clothes that will set fashion trends for the coming year.

Patricia Danaher reports from LA

ON the face of it, Hollywood appears to be getting more mature and outward looking. Five of this year's oscar nominees might in other circumstances be regarded as over the hill, but certainly not at these 79th Academy Awards.

The three best actress nominees are veritable old troupers and continue getting better with age. Meryl Streep is 57 and the two English dames, Judi Dench and Helen Mirren, are 72 and 61 respectively. Clint Eastwood, who has two nominations, is 76 and Peter O'Toole, who is up for his eighth best actor nomination, is 74. Is this a reflection of the age profile of the academy members . . . who are mostly old, white men . . . or an indication of something else?

"There seem to be more good films in contention this year than we've seen in a while, " said Bill Grantham, the LA-based Irish film lawyer and historian. "This undercuts the frequent grumbles that the 6,000 or so members of the Academy are too old, anti-New York, anti-black or whatever.

Instead, they seem to have turned their collective backs on the obvious, slick, formulaic stuff that makes Hollywood its money and decided to praise the tougher, deeper, quirkier, smaller films that people may still remember this time next year."

Those walking down the red carpet on Hollywood Boulevard tonight will be watched by many and nearly more closely than the show they are attending. With a few exceptions, they are unlikely to be taking any risks with their apparel, given the estimated global audience of close to 10 million viewers, not to mention the 10,000 or so cameras which will snap the candidates as they make their way into the Kodak theatre.

The preparations themselves take weeks as the nominees and guests make themselves "red-carpet ready". There are special "red carpet" fitness coaches putting the stars through their paces for the past several weeks . . . with a heavy emphasis on weight training and pilates.

The big fashion names like Armani, Versace, Chanel and Donna Karan will of course be there, as they will have competed intensely to be selected by the nominees and the other high-profile celebrities. If you are an up-and-coming designer whose clothes have been selected by a celebrity, you are probably made for life, given the profile and range of the audience. The question "who are you wearing?" is now the most frequently asked on today's red carpet.

"When Halle Berry wore that burgundy dress designed by Eli Saab, it basically launched his career in the US, " according to fashion stylist Sam Saboura. "He was practically unheard of until then and now he's a constant red-carpet favourite."

The link between top fashion designers and actresses is one which is growing ever stronger and the higher profile celebrities have carte blanche in what they can demand from the fashion houses. For many people, the Oscars are really more about the styles and trends than they are the awards themselves.

Uma Thurman is credited as the modern actress who helped forge the now indelible link between top designers and actresses, having shown up at the Oscars in a Chanel dress six years ago.

"The trends are formed as the event itself unfolds, " says Saboura. "The actresses will have five or six dresses and they may decide within hours before the ceremony starts what they will wear. There could be several changes of mind before they decide which outfit they will eventually appear in."

Helen Mirren can do no wrong these days and has succeeded in looking very sexy and youthful, without being seen as mutton dressed as lamb. She looked stunning at last month's Golden Globes in a plunging blue Donna Karan dress.

"She is such an icon and is doing as amazing a job on the red carpet as she does on the big screen" says veteran Hollywood reporter Susan Jacobs. "She has her pick of designers for the Oscars and the studios would fork out any amount for anything she wanted, even if the designers were not already happy to donate or lend the outfit to her."

Judi Dench may not be quite the headturner or clothes-horse that her fellow countrywoman is but is still regarded as "perennially elegant". Meryl Streep can be either hit or miss and has been nominated and won so many times already she recently said she was amazed any other actress was still talking to her.

One of the most eagerly anticipated outfits this year is the choice of Dreamgirls nominee Jennifer Hudson, whose shape is considerably curvier than any other nominee or most of the anorexic looking women who will attend tonight. The blue Vera Wang dress which she looked so comfortable in at last month's Golden Globes was a big hit.

"She's not exactly a size two, but she seems really comfortable in her body, " says Saboura. "I think most ordinary women will enjoy seeing this lovely, curvy woman on the biggest night of her life and whoever designs her clothes will be someone to watch in future."

So, in a year which saw such an uncharacteristically high international flavour in the normally America-centric film industry, and which saw older veterans of the industry being honoured, what are the fashion trends we can expect to see set tonight?

The Oscars have always been considered synonymous with old, classic Hollywood glamour and there are hints of film noir and formal classicism in some of the style previews.

For men, navy blue tuxedos are all the rage since last month's Golden Globes.

"Single-button tuxedos will be quite common this year, as well as lots of texture and brocade on the men's clothing, " according to Saboura.

Although the fashion in dress length right now is for shorter dresses, which end just above the knee, most stylists believe this would be a gross mistake for an occasion as formal as the Oscars.

"The correct length for an awards dress is one that reaches the red carpet, " says designer Carolina Herrera, who is a favourite designer of Streep. As well as the classic "goddess" gowns, we can expect to see lots of one-shoulder dresses, metallic fabrics, as well as bright spring colours and fabrics with lots of twisted details and runching.

Ellen deGeneres, who is this year's presenter, has said she'll be wearing a tuxedo and is expected to sport one from the Italian designer Domenico Vacca, although she has also been offered tuxes from Gucci, Zac Posen and myriad others. Who knows . . .

maybe she'll change into a number of different tuxes as the three-hour show unfolds.

The phenomenon of "gifting lounges" where celebrities are invited to special salons and given a range of expensive designer gifts in the hope they'll be seen wearing/carrying some of these items, seems to have abated somewhat this year. It had reached quite absurd proportions, with everything from cars and washing machines to chandeliers and diamonds being given away to celebrities by designers and manufacturers. Since it was pointed out by the inland revenue recently that all gifts are taxable, the visible ostentation of these "gifting experiences" has been considerably reined in.

"They are still happening, but it's nothing like it was as insane as it had become", says Susan Jacobs. "But some vendors are still so desperate to see their products around celebrities, who won't accept something they might then have to pay tax on, that some of the vendors are giving them the gifts anyway and paying the tax for them!"

After clothes designers, jewellery companies are probably the next most competitive in trying to get designs worn by Oscar attendees. At a Golden Globes after-party last month, Cartier had a huge display of vintage jewellery in the centre of the marquee where Paramount was hosting a party.

Chopard is one of the most competitive contenders and they have been reported to pay actresses tens of thousands of dollars just to wear their diamonds on Oscar night.

In the eyes of the Academy, the golden statuette might be the ultimate accolade but in the eyes of fashion industry, the real winners are the actors whose style is most applauded, who rack up the most column inches and whose images are beamed around the globe.