If I had told you Jennifer Aniston would be a welcome hit of color at the Academy Awards, you most likely would’ve patted me on the head and told me my crystal ball was actually just a baseball, or something.

And yet, here we are. Aniston is not a ball-gown kind of girl, either, and she’s certainly not an advocate of anything that isn’t black, white, beige, or metallic. So even though this Valentino is so simple it’s practically foolproof, the dress still manages to be a happy surprise. I wish she’d done something with her hair, but let’s just take this thing one step at a time, lest we pull a groin muscle.

[Photo: Getty]