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Truly, these are topsy-turvy times. For years, as most aficionados acknowledge, the Baftas has been all about the frocks, although, for the sake of form, the organisers insisted on attaching some film awards to proceedings.

But last night the outfits were universally upstaged by the hair. The first augury that things were heading in a follicular direction came when Mark Kermode, the film critic, accidentally mistook an ebullient-looking blonde woman in a leopard-print coat for Micky Rourke. His cascading poodle perm in The Wrestler is indeed a brave performance by a supporting character, and one that has divided hairdressers up and down the land.

Gratifyingly, it turns out that in real life Rourke's hair is only slightly less insane that its onscreen portrayal — although this may add weight to the view taken by some critics that he is only playing himself in this comeback film.

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Given the unkind elements, the magnificent hairdos had clearly been combed, sprayed and possibly glued into submission before being told to gather. In the absence of major bling (sensitive souls that they are, actors have twigged that now is not the moment to traipse up the carpet in £5 million worth of borrowed gems), glamour was to be found in Veronica Lake-inspired dos.

Kate Winslet, Frieda Pinto and Amy Adams all carried their ravishing waves with the skill and aplomb that only comes from many hours of acting in period dramas.

Some daringly broke with the 1940s house style. Angelina Jolie, aka the other one, sported a monumental beehive plus a leonine-type mane that looked part hairstyle, part attempt to grow your own shawl. Penélope Cruz, aka the Spanish one, opted for a dramatic fringe and Nefertiti-type do.

Among the men, Matthew MacFadyen sported some splendid tufty bits, while Anil Kapoor's bouffant - which was, I thought, one of the great visual jokes of Slumdog Millionaire — turned out to be his real-life hairstyle. Whoops.

Obviously, there were some pretty dresses. Frieda Pinto's strapless pink tulle Oscar de la Renta might have looked a bit twee on some, but she carried it off. Wearing de la Renta on the red carpet had, she said, “always been a dream”. No mention of dreaming about awards, note. Cruz, having found critical acclaim playing a Spanish firecracker in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, came over as an exquisite grieving flamenco dancer in a curvy black Azzedine Alaia gown.

Sharon Stone looked terrific in corseted red John Galliano and brought along a gorgeous black wrap that reminded the others that it is possible to look glamorous and not freeze to death.

Apart from the London-based Roland Mouret, worn by Amy Adams, the strong British presence cinematically was not reflected in the fashion among the women, although many of the men wore Aquascutum.

From Kate Winslet's worthy, but safe, black Zac Posen, Emily Mortimer's Yves Saint Laurent to Angelina Jolie's acid-yellow trimmed black Armani, there was a dearth of British designers. Perhaps they don't have the resources to throw stuff at celebrities any more. Or perhaps it's too close to London Fashion Week, which begins in a fortnight.

But, finally, back to the hair and the actress who arrived last on the red carpet. Would it be Meryl? Kristin? Both venerated nominees.

In fact, it was Emilia Fox — not nominated in a conventional category, but clearly the winner of the Biggest Coiffure award. She was accompanied by Charles Worthington, the event's official hairdresser. Eat that, Kate Winslet and Co.

Additional reporting by Alice Olins

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