As Hollywood's glamorous and giddy stars walked the red carpet at the 77th Annual Academy Awards, style watchers may have wondered: What's with all the white?

Martha Rial, Post-Gazette Laura Bush made an entrance in white, arriving on Jan. 20 for the inauguration of her husband, George W. Bush. Oscar de la Renta designed the winter white cashmere embroidered coat and matching boucle dress with embroidered trim. Click photo for larger image.

The absence-of-color color has come on strong this winter and, like snow in Pittsburgh in early March, it's not going away anytime soon.

On entertainment awards shows, white was a popular alternative to time-honored black and the saturated color trend. Brooke Burke, Maria Shriver, Emmy Rossum and Naomi Watts were among stars making spectacular statements in white at the Golden Globes on Jan. 16. And Alicia Keys and, representing the guys, Kanye West worked white during onstage appearances at the Grammys on Feb. 13.

In between, first lady Laura Bush turned heads Jan. 20 in a winter white suit she wore for the presidential inauguration. The fashionably conservative former teacher and librarian took a walk on the wild white side in an embroidered cashmere coat and matching boucle dress custom-designed by Oscar de la Renta. The first daughters' outfits that afternoon were noticeably color-deprived, too.

On Feb. 27, the red carpet at the Academy Awards could have been renamed the "Great White Way." Usher and Louis Gossett showed up in white dinner jackets, Prince donned white tuxedo pants, Spike Lee put on a white suit, and Gisele Bundchen, Sophie Okonedo, Julie Delpy and Catalina Sandino Moreno stepped out in white designer dresses.

Several men wore white neckties with white shirts, and, like Testolini and Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber's wife, Madeleine Gurdon, a number of women accompanying male stars slipped into pretty white gowns for the affair.

Even host Chris Rock got a piece of the action, accenting a black tux with a white shirt and white necktie by Sean John. Label owner Sean Combs, as a matter of fact, hosts an annual party in the Hamptons where guests are required to wear white.

White has the same capacity to grab attention as bold colors and unusual patterns, said color expert Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute.

"The human eye sees white the same way it would see a color. It attracts attention. You don't disappear in white. It doesn't recede. You come forward."

Souri Kim, fashion market director for Details men's magazine, said the trend of celebrities, particularly men, being drawn to white, is because entertainers "want to push the boundaries as far as they can" without necessarily breaking tradition.

"It's a surefire way of distinguishing yourself in a sea of black," he said. "It's just a way to make you pop."

White is powerful enough to command attention without a head-to-toe whiteout. It can hold its own as a trouser, top, suit or dress surrounded by colorful accents and accessories. Or, if blinding white is not your style, it can be toned down to an ivory or an eggshell shade that sends out less blaring signals.

From all indications, it will be a whitewashed spring and summer.

Designers everywhere, from Europe's chicest fashion houses to proprietary labels in American department stores, are banking on the crisp coolness of white to be a hot look among people of all ages.

White capris for women and white jeans for men already are available. They look energized with colorful tops and make dramatic statements paired with black.

White is the cleanest palette against which to play colors and accessories with any degree of embellishment. For occasions where the top is white, colorful skirts for her, patterned Bermuda shorts for him and blue jeans or khakis for both genders keep things simple and stylish.

Designers have cranked out plenty of white button-downs and polos. In suits for both genders, all you need add is a pop of color in a shirt, scarf or belt. Unstructured jackets look best for guys who want to keep it relaxed, while suits can pull double-duty at the office and after-hours.

Kim noted that menswear designers at all price levels have poured on the white in spring and summer collections, especially Yves St. Laurent, Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein Collection, Claiborne and Banana Republic.

The sudden surge of white may reflect "a general return to classicism," he said. "White suits sort of evoke that 'Great Gatsby' look. There's something lush and luxe about wearing all white. Something decadent."

The retro-glamour influence of film noir may also be a factor, Eiseman said. She added that white has historically been a transitional color, and not just in fashion.

"White always happens when you've been through a period of where there have been brighter colors," she said. "It's sort of like a cleansing of the palette. It's restful and Zen-like. And with so much happening in the world, white is a purification process. You can still grab a little bit of attention without being too blatant."