Jessica Chastain - Oscars 2012: Jessica Chastain Raises Fashion Stakes In Alexander Mcqueen Gown

Jessica Chastain wore a head-turning Alexander McQueen gown (designed by MCQueen's creative director Sarah Burton, according to the Associated Press) to last night's Oscars ceremony (February 26, 2012). She told reporters that, whilst other little girls grow up dreaming of their wedding dress, she grew up dreaming of the dress that she would wear to the Academy Awards. "Most little girls dream of their wedding dresses; I grew up dreaming of my Oscar dress," Chastain to the Hollywood Reporter. And she explained why she chose the striking strapless black gown, with heavy gold beading: "it felt larger than life -- and this is a larger-than-life moment. I always wanted to be an actor."

Jessica Chastain was nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category, for her role in The Help. The award was eventually won by her co-star Octavia Spencer but Jessica had her grandmother on hand to help her get over the disappointment. She told reporters "I'm getting to see it through her eyes, and it's making the whole thing so much sweeter. All her friends are watching at home." She may have lost out on the awards but Jessica is certainly being hailed as one of the winners in the red carpet fashion stakes. Along with fellow up-and-coming actresses Emma Stone (in Giambattista Valli) and Rooney Mara in Givenchy, praise for Jessica Chastain's choice of outfit appears to have been universal.

Jessica Chastain also starred - along with Brad Pitt - in The Tree of Life, which was nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, though that award went to the evening's biggest victor, The Artist.