By Ashley Fetters Maloy
In an unlikely twist, the most divisive fashion statement on the red carpet of the 95th Academy Awards may have been… the carpet itself.
In a departure from the past 62 years, there was no red in sight in this year's decor outside the Dolby Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center; the tent under which guests posed for photos was a burnt sienna orange, while the floor was covered by an oyster-coloured rug.
Some loved the way the champagne tone complemented the stars’ outfits, rather than competed as the red sometimes could. “Looks like office carpeting,” others said.
The stars, of course, looked nice too.
Textured black tuxes
Jay Ellis of "Top Gun: Maverick" arrived at the Dolby Theatre in a custom Fendi tuxedo with shiny beading on the jacket, while Harvey Guillen ("Puss in Boots: The Last Wish") swished dramatically into view wearing an elegant black jacquard tux with wide slacks and a jacket with a long, sweeping train.
Designer Christian Siriano told the hosts of the E! red-carpet broadcast that his aim was to incorporate the movement of glamorous Old Hollywood-type gowns into Guillen’s look: “That masculine-feminine play – I love to do that in my work,” Siriano said.
Guillen paired his ensemble with another old-timey touch: finger waves in his hair.
Plain and pretty pastels
Best supporting actress nominee Hong Chau ("The Whale"), meanwhile, arrived in a custom petal-pink Prada column gown with a black, feathered train with a tiny Mandarin collar – “a little shout-out to my roots”, Chau said.
Fellow best supporting actress nominees Stephanie Hsu ("Everything Everywhere All at Once") and Kerry Condon ("The Banshees of Inisherin") wore pastel-pink Valentino and pale-yellow Versace, respectively, while Halle Bailey (star of the upcoming "Little Mermaid") wore aquamarine Dolce & Gabbana.
The return of the bow tie
Though recent years have seen a dearth of traditional bow ties, the angular accessory has made something of a comeback on the tuxes of 2023 attendees.
Best actor nominee Brendan Fraser ("The Whale") paired his black Giorgio Armani tux with one.
Ellis opted for one as well, and 2022 Oscar winner Questlove reached for a black bow tie for his all-black ensemble.
Harry Shum Jr ("Everything Everywhere All at Once") reached for a head-turning Adeam tuxedo ensemble: a long white jacket with navy-blue trim, paired with navy slacks and a navy silk obi belt.
“It’s East meets West,” he said. Shum’s castmate James Hong, meanwhile, wore a bow tie with a delightful detail: the film's signature googly eyes.
Disco-ball dresses
It was Eva Longoria who referred to her gown – a beaded, bejewelled Zuhair Murad with a choker detail above a plunging front – as a disco ball, but the glittering, metallic, geometric look popped up all over outside the Dolby Theatre.
Sigourney Weaver ("Avatar: The Way of Water") wore spiky earrings and a shimmering, gold long-sleeved Givenchy gown with an animal print that glimmered like fish scales.
Oscar winner Ariana DeBose ("West Side Story") wore a white Atelier Versace with a plunging neckline, sharp shoulders and mirror-like beading in geometric patterns.
Ruffles and puffles
Romantic and regal, exaggerated and airy silhouettes helped carve out a wide radius for each of their wearers at this year’s Oscars.
Angela Bassett (nominated for best supporting actress for "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever") wore a royal purple Jeremy Scott Moschino with puffy sleeves.
Fan Bingbing and Cara Delevingne also went big on sleeves, the former in a green and silver Tony Ward Couture with a butterfly-wing silhouette and the latter in a deep crimson custom Elie Saab with a high slit and a large bow on the shoulder.
Allison Williams wore her ruffles on her train in a rosy Giambattista Valli.
And Florence Pugh, infusing youthful energy into a stately style, wore a grey Valentino that opened in the front to reveal a pair of itty-bitty black shorts.
Rosette appliqués
Nicole Kidman wore a black, sequinned Armani Prive with one sleeve and a sparkling silver rosette on the other shoulder, while Halle Berry wore a white halter gown with a high slit, bodice cutout and pink rosettes around the neck and hip.
Model Winnie Harlow, who told E’s Laverne Cox that she was aiming to re-create 2000s glam, wore a sporty 2005 Armani in soft yellow with a sequinned black rosette and a zipper snaking up one side.
Even Paul Mescal, in a Gucci ensemble consisting of a long, white double-breasted jacket and flared black pants, got in on the action with a shiny red rosette on his lapel.
Orange, at last
It’s an unusual hue for an Oscars gown, certainly, and perhaps it was the pivot away from a red carpet that created the opportunity to finally wear orange.
Janelle Monáe and Sandra Oh seized it and dazzled in shiny and matte versions of the shade, respectively.
Monae wore a two-piece custom Vera Wang ensemble consisting of a black strapless bra top and a bright, citrusy asymmetrical-waist skirt, while Oh attended in a pumpkin-coloured, draped gown with a belt by Giambattista Valli.
Low-maintenance hair
Jessica Chastain, Ana de Armas, Nicole Kidman and Kerry Condon all skipped the updo and wore their hair down, shiny and flowing over their shoulders for a softer look.
One has to imagine that on the most glam-intensive day of the year, it’s nice to be able to cross one step of the process off the agenda.
All white everything
Head-to-toe white can make a lot of different statements. It can be angelic. It can be squeaky-clean. It can be bridal. It can remind you of an A+ dentist visit or Galadriel in Lothlorien.
All were present on Sunday night. Mindy Kaling wore a structural spaghetti-strap gown with boning over an illusion bodice and long bell sleeves by famed wedding-gown designer Vera Wang, while Emily Blunt wore a clean-lined, off-the-shoulder column gown by Valentino.
Rooney Mara evoked old-timey nuptials in Alexander McQueen.
Michelle Yeoh, rounding out her awards-season fashion tour de force, wore a feathery-frilled Dior Couture with a sweetheart neckline and sheer netting above it. “I’m in a cloud,” Yeoh told Cox. "I’m in just a cloud of happiness.“