A number of women up for the big golden statuettes tonight leaned into Old Hollywood glamour—sweetheart necklines and silver and gold and glitter aplenty –a tried-and-true sartorial strategy for the town’s biggest night of the year. We see you Demi Moore.
Stars also paid homage to icons of yore from Audrey Hepburn to Hattie McDaniel. Menswear suiting is a huge trend on the runways and the streets, and a female few nominees and stars donned tuxedo themes. It was the men of Hollywood, however, who turned up the colour and the whimsy, from layered shades of butter yellow to pops of lilac and all navy or all olive ensembles.
Cynthia Erivo, nominated for Best Actress for her role in Wicked, wore a custom Louis Vuitton gown that nodded to an array of important references: green for her Elphaba character in the movie (the leads have been going hard on method dressing throughout the movie’s promotion and awards season), and a nod to Old Hollywood, notably the actress Hattie McDaniel, the first Black woman to win an Oscar, in 1939, for the role of Mammy in Gone With the Wind. Her stylist, Jason Bolden, pointed out the intentional homage on Instagram, saying “Tonight is for Hattie McDaniel,” adding “I hope this dress makes you proud.” The gown has exaggerated wide shoulders, like a bow, and a sharp winged collar, above a cinched waist and a skirt with side bustles.
The blockbuster Wizard of Oz re-imagining, of course, also stars Ariana Grande, nominated for Best Supporting Actress. She is wearing custom Schiaparelli Couture: a fitted, satin bodice like a hard-shell peplum sculpture with a sheer skirt sparkling with some 190,000 crystals. The extraordinary piece brings to modern life the childhood vision we all had of Glinda the Good Witch from the Hollywood classic.
Best Actress nominee Demi Moore has had a stunning red carpet season in pursuit of the statuettes for her lead role in The Substance. Her stylist, Canadian-born Brad Goreski, has collaborated with Moore on a stunning series of gowns from the movie’s Cannes premiere last spring up until now. The gowns they picked subtly nod to the films dark and bloody plot, with themes of corsetry, red, and back stitching. For the biggest night of all, however, they went with a glittering silver Armani Prive custom gown with a plunging neckline and accentuated hips. The body modification message is incredibly subtle, and old-school glamorous.
Brandi Carlile, nominated tonight for Best Song alongside songwriting legends Elton John, Bernie Taupin and Andrew Watt, wore a custom Valentino polka-dot tux with a white lapel and a clever red bow at the waist.
Fashion risk-taker Timothée Chalomet, who portrayed iconic singer Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown” and is nominated for a Best Actor award for the work, went for a bold buttery leather yellow suit with a yellow shirt and a Cartier chain instead of a tie, reminiscent of Dylan’s bolo style ties. The jacket was also shaped like the retro cropped toppers Dylan favoured in the 80s. The ensemble was custom-made by Givenchy’s newly named designer Sarah Burton, an auspicious and high profile start for the former Alexander McQueen creative director. A subtle nod to Dylan’s cover of Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi, perhaps?
Elle Fanning, nominated for her role in the Dylan biopic channelled Audrey Hepburn in a white custom Givenchy sweetheart neckline gown with a trailing black ribbon bow at the waist and an elegant caped back. Another triumph for Burton.
Isabella Rossellini paid tribute to both her former husband, the late David Lynch, and her mother, Ingrid Bergman with her outfit tonight. The actress and regenerative farmer is up for Best Supporting Actress for her role in “Conclave.” The dress is blue velvet (a nod to Lynch’s film) and a throwback to her first Oscars appearance, where she also wore a blue velvet dress. Her Bvlgari earrings belonged to her mother, who wore them on the Academy Awards stage herself.
Fernanda Torres, best actress nominee for “I’m Still Here,” wore a black Chanel gown straight off the couture runway. The gown, a confection of lace and feathers, featured a long-sleeved tunic over a sheer full-length skirt.
At the Vanity Fair Oscars afterparty party, Tracee Ellis Ross grabbed the fashion spotlight with both hands and a swirl of a golden fringe dress. The star, who is dressed by Canadian stylist Karla Welch, was wearing Alexandre Vauthier Couture; plus the designer of her shoes, Giuseppe Zanotti, and the makeup artist who did her red lip, Romy Soleimani, both identified their elements of the spectacular look online.
Halle Berry stunned in a disco-ball-themed strapless gown by Christian Siriano.
Adrien Brody rocked a monochromatic navy blue tuxedo. The nominee for “The Brutalist” also wore a large winged brooch as adornment.
Jeremy Strong has become known for his eccentric awards-show dressing centred on the colour—remember the green Loro Piana bucket hat?—and carried the tradition on with a chic and sleek olive tux. Strong, famed for his work in Succession, is nominated for his role as fixer Roy Cohn in the retro Trump biopic “The Apprentice.”
Colman Domingo, nominated for Best Actor for his role in “Sing Sing,” wore a vibrant red tuxedo custom designed by Alessandro Michele for Valentino. The designer and actor have been working together on standout outfits right through this awards season. Like all the best dressed men, he sported colour and bling. All the better to accessorize that coveted little gold man.
In custom Balenciaga couture, Michelle Yeoh wowed in a cobalt blue strapless gown with a generous train. Simple, chic, a perfect and unexpected colour pop in the sea of gold and silver.
Mick Jagger made a surprise appearance on the Oscars stage to present Best Original Song. In a glimmering black jacket with his signature long opera-style scarf—and yet another man brooch!—Jagger brought rock ‘n’ roll royal style to the Academy.
Sarah Paulson attended the Vanity Fair party in a whimsical red Marc Jacobs dress with exaggerated stuffed puff sleeves balanced by an inflatable-looking hemline. It was truly avant garde, exciting, and on brand for the star who is known for her fashion risk-taking and sense of fun.
As Moira Rose on Schitt’s Creek, Catherine O’Hara dressed in outlandish costumes for laughs. Last night at the VF party, she wore a flowing muted rainbow crocheted dress. Elegant and flattering with her blonde hair.
Best supporting actress winner Zoe Saldana wore a dramatic Saint Laurent tiered satin burgundy bubble dress with a crystal mesh top and trend-inspiring sheer black opera gloves. A daring choice for Saldana in an awards season of escalating fashion: the cast of Emilia Perez has been wearing custom looks by the house’s creative director Anthony Vaccarello, who was also a producer on the film. The blending of fashion and film is deepening, as Hollywood powerhouse Creative Artists Agency is now controlled (through holding companies) by French billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault, who also owns Kering, which owns Saint Laurent among other top brands. A tangled web of interconnected interests, but it means future red carpets will continue to be fuelled by fashion’s finest as this awards season 2025 is a wrap.
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