Did Anne Hathaway Offend Valentino at Oscars?

Anne Hathaway accepted her first Oscar Sunday night for Best Supporting Actress wearing a pale pink Prada column gown. But her gown choice may have ruffled some feathers at the house of Valentino. The actress told reporters on the red carpet of her Prada dress, "I didn't know what I was wearing until two hours ago. I tried on a lot of dresses, but at the end of the day, I loved the simplicity of it." Apparently, Valentino thought it had a lock on her Oscar look and sent out a press release before Hathaway hit the red carpet. The misinformation was picked up by the blogosphere, causing momentary confusion about which designer she was wearing.

On Tuesday, Stephen Huvane, Hathaway's publicist released this statement: "It came to my attention late Saturday night that there would be a dress worn to the Oscars that is remarkably similar to the Valentino I had intended to wear, and so I decided it was best for all involved to change my plans. Though I love the dress I did wear, it was a difficult last-minute decision as I had so looked forward to wearing Valentino in Honor of the deep and meaningful relationship I have enjoyed with the house and with Valentino himself. I deeply regret any disappointment caused."

It's not clear how news of this "other gown" came to Hathaway's attention. The only other Valentino worn on a major star at the Oscars was the red ballgown on Jennifer Aniston, who is also a Huvane client. Huvane declined to elaborate any more than his statement to WWD and people.com, as did Rachel Zoe, Hathaway's stylist.

Hathaway and Aniston are both big supporters and friends of Valentino. The designer recently created Hathaway's custom wedding gown. All of their history adds more importance than is usually placed on situations like this and the subsequent apology.