Pour one out for the actors and their stylists – this award season has been long, spanning the Emmys back in September through to these fire-postponed Oscars. The fatigue is real, even for us watching from the sofa. The rest of them? They’ve been hustling, schmoozing, being photographed and being judged (literally) for so long it doesn’t come as a surprise that for the ceremony themselves, the top tier may have run out of a little steam. Besides, we all know the real fun is had at the way less judgy after parties.
Still, there were some very strong themes that swept the Kodak Theatre: men unabashedly enjoying fashion as much as their female counterparts, metallic column dresses, muted colours and exaggerated bustle detail. Most outfits were… fine. Some were excellent. Given only D grade media do ‘worst-dressed’ lists these days, we hope people will start to take risks at the Oscars again in the future (it's true you see more interesting looks at the Vanity Fair after-party, as you'll see below).
In the meantime, enjoy our list of those looks that inspired us / took our breath away / made us feel something in these very fucked up times.
JOIN THE CHAT: We had a 'live' Oscars chat on Substack; take a look, and share your opinions, here
Jessica Williams in Richard Quinn
Jessica is so freaking cool and anytime she goes out and is photographed, she’s a ‘best’ in my book. The Shrinking star, comedian and former podcast host (2 Dope Queens) works with stylist Sarah Slutsky and together they turn out gold. Or, in the case of this standout Vanity Fair after-party look by Richard Quinn, monochrome. Of course I have a soft spot for a bow, as well as a non-bodycon dress, so this is hitting all the marks for me. And the best accessory of all is her beautiful smile. Maybe the Oscars are just too intense for any of the actors to actually look like they’re having fun; Jessica is living her best life just going to the parties. – Rebecca Wadey
Omar Apollo and Colman Domingo, both in Valentino
I’m cheating by combining these two simply because they are wearing the same designer — especially because they are both so individually fabulous, and a true showcase of how red carpet menswear has become so much more expressive and exciting (thank god). Many of my favourite looks tonight were actually menswear and I’m as surprised as you by that… Both are wearing Alessandro Michele for Valentino which can veer into too vintage-inspired, fussy costume territory (see, this look) but these two pull it off as their own.
Colman is, hands down, one of it not the best dressed men in Hollywood right now; every time he attends an event, he is dressed to perfection. He works with stylists Wayman + Micah, but his style and poise is all his (just watch this video of the ensemble in motion, and how he moves in it). The red feels surprising for the Oscars red carpet, as does the wrap style jacket and the fringing — but the best parts are the details, like the rope-style bracelet, brooch and ring, the cuff of the trousers and the red-lenses sunglasses he initially wore on arrival. I can’t wait to see what Colman wears at the Met Gala!
Omar is also effortlessly cool, and this was a breath of fresh modern air at the sometimes stuffy Oscars. There is a lot going on — the (amazing) headpiece by Binata Millinery, the polka dots, the scarf tie, earrings, the brooch. In the wrong hands it could have been a bit much, but not Omar. I also really adore the blusher. – Zoe Walker Ahwa
Whoopi Goldberg in Christian Siriano
Those of you sleeping on Whoopi Goldberg’s fashion need to wake up; she’s a bona fide fashion girlie. To be fair, I didn’t realise until she appeared at the 2021 Met Gala wearing Valentino, and appeared in this now iconic photo with designer Pierpaolo Piccioli and Carey Mulligan, but I’ve had my eye on her from that moment on. I love her in this Christian Siriano gown. As Zoe said to me, ‘I don’t love that anyone who isn’t a sample size has to wear Christian Siriano by default’. And yeah, for a while there it seemed like other options might be forthcoming but then 90% of Hollywood became sample sized so things digressed. I too am digressing! I love this dress! It’s a cool, lamé take on metallics; I’m obsessed with the depth of colour and yet the apparent softness of the fabric despite the gown’s structure. Woop woop Whoopi! (Soz, couldn’t help myself). – RW
Sarah Paulson in Marc Jacobs
This is weird and fun, and a surprise even for an Oscars after-party. I adore how Sarah isn't afraid of volume and sculptural silhouettes – she was dressing in this 'build a body' style (shoutout to Emily Kirkpatrick for coining that) long before it became a red carpet trend. This really furthers that and takes it to cartoonish extremes, and makes people question ideas of what is 'flattering'. I also feel like this is the kind of dress that would automatically make you, and everyone around you, have a good time. – ZWA
Zoe Saldaña in Saint Laurent
Zoe has had an excellent and consistent award season run, alongside her stylist Petra Flannery, who also dresses the always reliable Emma Stone. Emma’s Oscars look isn’t my favourite on her, I love it when she pushes the boat out more – after all, she is nothing if not fearless – but I imagine this slightly muted look does the job of ‘I won an Oscar last year and this year my role is to hand over the attention to someone else’. That someone else is Zoe Saldaña, who went into the evening as very much the favourite to win best supporting actress, and delivered. The jewel-like tones are exquisite, and I love the nude paneling at the top which matches her skin tone perfectly. The snake necklace, the gloves, all perfection. And the shape of the dress too – it’s not a column, and it has interesting shapes while not veering into the ‘build a body’ Zoe (Walker Ahwa) references above. – RW
Elle Fanning in Givenchy
You know what I noticed on this red carpet? No 'vintage' pulls from designer archives (there may have been some that I missed). I've written before about feeling like we've hit peak 'look at what deep archival item my stylist pulled', so maybe this is a sign that it's plateaued? Don't get me wrong (and I have said this before too!), I LOVE seeing vintage on the red carpet when it's genuine and you can tell that the celebrity cares about the garment and designer and the story behind it - see: whenever Zendaya wears something vintage.
Anyway, that's all to say that is why I appreciate this gorgeous but quite conservative lace gown on Elle Fanning. It's very old school Hollywood glamour (including the updo), and was inspired by a gown by Hubert de Givenchy from 1952 – but is not the actual gown from the 1950s. It's also the first couture gown from Sarah Burton in her new post as creative director of Givenchy, and I'm excited to see her feminine eye at the French house. The gown is even better from the back! – ZWA
Hunter Schafer in 16Arlington
Hunter Schafer is one of the absolute best fashion girlies there is; she has an inane sense of how to push boundaries without veering into costume territory. She is never, ever boring. A few years back she worked briefly with Law Roach (famously the iconic stylist of her Euphoria co-star Zendaya) which is when I started to really notice her as a fashion plate. After Law 'retired' she started working with Dara, the fashion editor at Interview mag and honestly the rest is sweet, sweet history. I adored Hunter in Prada at the Independent Spirit Awards last week, and this 16Arlington tops even that. She's giving Kate Moss in the 90s but make it sexy. Obsessed also with the way the colour in the coat makes her eye makeup stand out too. - RW
Tracee Ellis Ross in Alexandre Vauthier
The more I look at this, the more fantastical it is: the delicate fringing, the subtle sparkle, the feathers, the stitching at the chest, the necklace. Of course one of us was going to include Tracee; she is just too fabulous. - ZWA
Hannah Einbinder in Louis Vuitton
A sheer dress covered in barnacle like jewels, worn over a green slip dress: This is interesting, and for that, I love it. I’m also a big fan of Hannah and Hacks, and I’m sure that helps. But I’m not usually a fan of Louis Vuitton! This photo of Hannah with Sarah Paulson in her bulbous Marc Jacobs also brings me joy. - ZWA
