Hilary Swank red carpet PHOTOS at 2011 Oscars

There were lot of beautiful women in beautiful gowns on the red carpet at the 83rd Academy Awards but there weren’t a lot of risk-taking “WOW” looks, probably because taking chances at the Oscars can just about ruin a career if you fail – or at least make for a very unpleasant few weeks as Joan Rivers and thousands of others mock your look incessantly and the internet piles on with vicious (but hilarious!) Photoshop memes of your dress beside sad Keanu Reeves.

One of the few bold enough to take a real chance was the always-courageous Hilary Swank who looked fantastic in her strapless Gucci Premiere dress that begins tight and sparkly up top and ends voluminous, soft and feathery at the bottom. (And in case you haven’t been reading my thousands of Kim Kardashian posts, I do like my women soft and feathery at the bottom! What? Oh…)

More Hilary Swank:

I can’t help but say she looks like a “million dollar(s) baby!”

In case you were wondering, Hilary wasn’t nominated this year but was presenting the 2011 Oscar for Best Director along with last year’s winner Kathryn Bigelow.

Photos: Adriana M. Barraza / WENN.com