Oscars best dressed: sparkles, brooches and touching tributes
Hollywood’s night of nights means princess mode, touches of the avant-garde and a few surprising moments.
The Oscars have finally arrived – though could it really be a year since Ryan Gosling as ultimate man-child Ken serenaded the audience in a bedazzled hot pink suit?
This year’s red carpet looks included plenty of strong jewel-like colours, beguiling metallics and a few fashion Easter eggs.
Guests will always interpret Hollywood’s night of nights in different ways. One constant, however, is princess mode.
Whether it’s froths of tulle or the ever-present mermaid tail gown, you can count on Tinsel Town’s starriest to up the ante.
Ariana Grande, for one, channelled her Wicked character for her Oscars look with a sculptural corsetted Schiaparelli look straight from the surrealist fashion house’s most recent haute couture show. The dress reportedly has some 190,000 crystals, a fittingly dazzling number. Meeting Grande in the drama stakes was her co-star Cynthia Erivo in deep, lush green velvet Louis Vuitton that with its proportions was not so much ‘holding space’ as taking up space. And how gloriously so.
Shimmering gowns and deeply embellished gowns were another key trend. Indeed they almost always are. This was a spirit embraced by everyone from Selena Gomez in glittering strapless custom Ralph Lauren and Felicity Jones in super sleek gunmetal grey Armani Privé.
Lupita Nyong’o’s pearl-encrusted and pearl strap custom Chanel gown made for an appealing change from diamonds and crystals.
While Emma Stone’s custom Louis Vuitton, which had the effect of silver discs suspended in space, was a super modern take on the classic Hollywood shimmer and shine approach. So too Halle Berry’s Christian Siriano gown which looked as if made from shards of glass.
Demi Moore, whose glorious refutation of her ‘popcorn actor’ status has also come down to her seriously method dressing approach for the red carpet season, opted for sparkles too. With reason. Alongside her stylist Brad Goreski, Moore has nodded to her character in The Substance in every dress for award season. For the Oscars it was a rather literal one to her character Elisabeth Sparkle. “There’s the idea of her character’s name being Elisabeth Sparkle and how we’ve played with that, whether it be with jewellery or movie star glamour. We’ve been trying to maintain this balance of elegant [and] sophisticated, but also with this unexpected twist,” Goreski told Vogue of the custom Armani Privé with a deep V and swishy fishtail.
Zoe Saldana’s take on embellishments was another example of a fresh take on sparkles with a tiered and voluminous burgundy custom Saint Laurent strapless gown topped with a beaded bandeau. Saldana’s Cartier Panthere Versatiles high jewellery necklace was a powerfully elegant addition.
When it comes to secret fashion messages on the red carpet, a particularly touching moment was Isabella Rossellini’s tribute to the late, great, filmmaker David Lynch, who died in January. Rossellini, who was in a romantic relationship with Lynch from 1986 to 1991, had her breakout role in Lynch’s 1986 Blue Velvet. Walking the red carpet alongside fellow Blue Velvet star Laura Dern, Rossellini wore a blue velvet gown and matching cape. Blue velvet was also worn by Scarlett Johansson in a cowl neck vintage Thierry Mugler dress. Old Hollywood glamour was indeed in full force.
Meanwhile, was Anora star Mikey Madison’s choice of bubblegum pink Dior a nod to Gwyneth Paltrow’s somewhat infamous Ralph Lauren 1999 Oscars dress?
As for other key colour trends, other great moments in blue included Michelle Yeoh. Yeoh is always a highlight on the red carpet – and not just for her collection of incredible Richard Mille watches. Her choice of striking cobalt blue stood out among more muted tones of pinks, silvers and shades of cream. There was a lot of texture this season too, from velvet to crystals and lace. Elle Fanning’s white lace Givenchy dress, complete with a black bow and Cartier jewels, was a prime example.
Red was another key theme, va va voom in the case of British singer Raye’s Vivienne Westwood and avant-garde in the inflated Marc Jacobs number – the shoulder detail practically like airbags – worn by Sarah Paulson to the Vanity Fair party. It takes a true fashion original – and self-assured person – to wear something as unusual as this. Possibly too it relays a message of both sartorial and personal autonomy – for one, nobody can get too close.
On the other end of the fashion risk spectrum, black was a popular choice. The Substance’s Margaret Qualley was a standout in a backless Chanel gown that allowed her Chanel high jewellery diamond pendant, worn between her shoulder blades to ensure a memorable exit. Lily-Rose Depp also opted for black Chanel in a couture black floral lace dress, with a classic peplum. She told Vogue that for her first Academy Awards she wanted to channel classic starlets such as Marilyn Monroe and Veronica Lake.
It was pleasing to see plenty of male attendees break-free from the classic black tux. From style chameleon Timothee Chalamet we’d truly expect nothing less. This time he opted for a lemon sorbet hued Givenchy suit, swapping a traditional bow tie for a Cartier choker. Andrew Garfield was another highlight with his chocolate brown Gucci suit – including a seriously slinky shirt – and chic Jaeger- Le Coultre watch. So too Colman Domingo with his red jacket with side sash. Colman was one of several men to wear a brooch, including Joe Alwyn in Bvlgari, proof this trend has long since transcended great-aunt Dot’s jewellery box. Jeff Goldblum, meanwhile, continues to prove that fashion needn’t be so serious – and that a collection of lairy Prada shirts is worthy of commendation.
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