Nicole wasn’t nominated here, so it was a rare ceremony — from the Emmys until now — in which she did not go home with any hardware. But the Oscars are something of a culmination of all the Hollywood self-love, and so this feels like a festive farewell to her time running the table with Big Little Lies (well, at least until season two, whenever that happens). And when she hit the carpet, the experts on the E! post-show — led by Brad Goreski — were like, “PRAISE EVERYONE! THIS IS THE FASHION MOMENT.” And it WAS a moment, that is true. Her custom Armani is… sleek, and shiny, and… let’s be real: Reader, I laughed. She looks like she’s wearing a formal lap desk. Which actually seems quite smart for a long awards ceremony; she could pull out a crossword, or make her shopping list. I appreciate that she went bold, but I keep those to be pouches from which she brandishes two bags of Ruffles, or a pair of sneakers.

The other miracle is that this managed to feel unexpected, despite it also calling to mind immediate comparisons to her 2007 Balenciaga:

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It’s clear Nicole does love a statement bow. I want to give the edge to the Balenciaga. But I still giggle every time I look at that giant blue thing — it’s like Violet Beauregard won Project Runway — so maybe the mirth factor alone should be worth my vote.

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[Photo: Jen Lowery/SilverHub/REX/Shutterstock, Getty]