Who has designs on Michelle Pfeiffer for awards season?

Michelle Pfeiffer was nothing short of spellbinding at the "Stardust" premiere Sunday in a midnight blue tiered chiffon cocktail dress with a beaded tulle neckline, designed by Lanvin's Alber Elbaz.

Whaaat, no Armani? First, she wore a Jenni Kayne frock to the "Hairspray" premiere in L.A. Now Lanvin? What's come over Michelle, a faithful Armani fashion fan for over two decades?

The actress wore Armani to her first Oscars in 1990: a long-sleeved navy jersey gown. The dress was hand-delivered by Armani's West Coast head Wanda McDaniel on Oscar morning. Because Michelle didn't have the right jewelry to complete the look, McDaniel quickly unclasped her own pearl necklace, pulled off her Bulgari diamond engagment ring and accessorized the actress. The result? Michelle got raves for her understated elegance.

Michelle is definitely ramping up her film career, and industry insiders say 2008 may be her awards year. She has two roles that could snag nominations; her singing/dancing supporting role in "Hairspray" and her equally comic turn in "Stardust," in which she plays an evil, aging crone who will stop at nothing to be young and beautiful again.

Will Michelle rely on Armani couture for the big awards' carpets? Or will she branch out -- and reach out -- to other designers such as Elbaz, John Galliano, Lagerfeld, Marc Jacobs? Maybe she'll even do vintage couture from Decades? Either way she'll be prime real estate for designers who would kill to dress a Globes, SAG or Oscar nominee and/or attendee. And she'll add some serious suspense to the season.

Don't be surprised if her "Stardust" costar Robert De Niro also gets a Globes or SAG nod for his swaggering Sky Pirate, who's secretly a little light in the penny loafers. And odds are De Niro will wear an Armani tux, no matter what. Although he shuns the limelight as if cameras carry the plague, he attended a cocktail party for his pal Giorgio's fashion retrospective at the Royal Academy of Arts in London back in 2003. Now that's friendship.

Photo Credits: WireImage