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When Kate Winslet held aloft her Oscar in triumph it was a really a Tale of Two Dresses. Winslet's gown with black lace sash by Yves Saint Laurent is the solution for any actress in two minds about how to steal the limelight.
One side is navy satin with a classic asymmetric shoulder detail; the other is embroidered black tulle, daringly cut away above the breast to reveal creamy flesh.
Whether you think she looks like an Olympic goddess or someone who has just stapled Mummy's bedroom curtains together, Winslet is bang on trend. The "half-dress" is having a fashion moment.
You can see it in all the new 2009 spring/summer ready-to-wear collections. It can be long: Vivienne Westwood's clashing tribal prints. Or short: Lanvin's floaty confections. It can be ethereal: Luella's "off-kilter" half-dress (part T-shirt, part tea dress). Or vulgar: don't forget Bond Girl Gemma Arterton's Balmain purple frock horror (short at front; long train at the back).
What most of them have in common is one-shoulder dressing. One breast is highlighted in a contrasting fabric. It's not a totally new silhouette - both the sari and the Greek toga feature an asymmetrical shoulder, with flowing drapery. You can't help thinking of the Spartan women who took part in athletic events such as javelin, discus, foot races and staged battles alongside their menfolk.
But the new fabrics are wild. Prada's floral column dress is sliced into with wide vertical stripes. Luella marries the English garden party look with Sixties psychedelia (what she endearingly calls "Princess Anne on Acid").
But there are pitfalls. Underwear is a nightmare for the new Spartans. Forget flesh-coloured bras. You need to invest in great corsetry to carry off the shoulderless half of your dress - to stop it slithering into an undignified heap at your feet.
The half-dress also makes economic sense in a recession (two for the price of one). And in a celebrity world where the beautiful people are photographed from every conceivable angle, you get two very different looks per red carpet.
