After the Show

Dagmara Dominczyk, the jewel of The Count of Monte Cristo, slips into four different looks for the Oscar after-parties, where the real fun takes place.

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Behind the scenes

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1. Third-generation jeweler Christian Tse opened his own design house in 1996 after several years of working under the tutelage of his father. His signature platinum and gold mesh necklaces, bracelets and earrings are a sleek and modern alternative to the ostentatious baubles spotted in Beverly Hills boutiques and on the red carpet. The winner of the 2000 Couture Award for Best Design in Platinum, Christian collaborated with Britney Spears on a heart pendant necklace (right) for the Platinum Guild International USA's "Women with Heart" campaign. The necklace was recently auctioned for charity at Sotheby's.

2. In just her fourth film appearance, Polish-born actress Dagmara Dominczyk nabbed a lead role as Mercedes, the object of the affection of two men (played by Guy Pearce and Jim Caviezel) in Disney's remake of The Count of Monte Cristo. If she looks familiar it's because last year Dominczyk stole the show as a sexually charged publicist in Rock Star, next she'll be seen in the thriller They with Marc Blucas. Her quick ascent up the Hollywood ladder may have to do with her pedigree. Dominczyk graduated from New York's Famed Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, and attended Carnegie Mellon University on a full scholarship, receiving praise and numerous awards for her acting abilities. In 1999, she was an understudy in the hit Broadway production of Closer, which starred Natasha Richardson. One night when she won the opportunity to get onstage, a critic noticed her and wrote, "Bravo for the young actress with the tough-to-pronounce name!"

3. Three years ago, Vincent Boucher moved from New York City to Los Angeles and quickly established himself as one of the most popular celebrity stylists in town. "I like working with celebrities because you get to have a part in shaping their image," he says. "When you're shooting someone for the first time, you never really know who's going to walk through the door. Dagmara has such an earthy beauty and was perfect for the clothes I had picked out." Though he originally studied English and journalism at the University of Nebraska, Vincent moved to New York City after graduating and landed a job as an assistant to a fashion editor at Esquire. Several years later, he went freelance and has worked for several magazines and dressed many a star for just about every red carpet event. Fashion shoots are a favorite because, as Vincent says, "You get to tell a little story."

4. Of all the legends told about Hollywood's Roosevelt Hotel, none stands out as much as the one about Errol Flynn mixing batches of his famous gin recipe in the back of the hotel barbershop during Prohibition. Of course, there's also the one about how Bill "Bojangles" Robinson first showed Shirley Temple their famous staircase dance from The Little Colonel on the way down the stairs from the lobby to the mezzanine. And let's not forget about how the ghosts of former residents Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Clift supposedly haunt the hotel to this day. Though steeped in Hollywood history and legend, the Roosevelt--which hosted the first ever Academy Awards in 1929 and is across the street from the event's new home, the Kodak Theatre in the Hollywood & Highland complex--is currently undergoing a $10 million makeover. Intended to be more than just a fresh coat of paint, the renovation will include a day spa and Asian-inspired interior design; the rooms will be equipped with dataports and fax lines.

5. In the pantheon of today's great photographers, only one can boast of having once been a Marlboro Man. Jack Guy, who recently relocated to Malibu from New York, is quickly and steadfastly making his mark on Hollywood. A Portland, Oregon, native and former model (he graced half a dozen covers for Men's Health in the '80s, plus was featured in many a J. Crew, Banana Republic, Nautica and Eddie Bauer ad campaign), Guy made the move to the other side of the camera 10 years ago. "I'm mostly inspired by classic, old-school photography," he says. "I love fashion photography from the '80s and the work of Peter Lindbergh, Herb Ritts and Bruce Weber's early stuff." Guy's classic approach has resulted in delicately beautiful pictorials that have also appeared in Vanity Fair and In Style.

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