Although no one was slapped, no movies were falsely read as the winners, and no one refused their Oscar, this year’s 96th Academy Awards Ceremony was one of the most controversial and riveting. In the weeks leading up to the event, there was outrage online after Margot Robbie, who starred as Barbie in the Barbie movie this past year, wasn’t nominated for an Oscar, and neither was the director of the film, Greta Gerwig.
The anticipated event of last summer was “Barbenheimer:” the release of both the Barbie movie and Oppenheimer on the same day, and despite both movies making hundreds of millions at the box office and gaining vast popularity, Oppenheimer went home with far more Golden Globes and Academy Awards.
Despite many of the upsets of this year, one of the most interesting, and personally my favorite, parts of the Oscars is the red carpet. Every year, nominees, singers, actors, and all varieties of celebrities attend the Oscars, and all come dressed in exclusively designer wear. Although some of these looks can get boring year to year—most notably the ever-present plain black tuxedo—it’s always impressive to see the new and innovative looks that walk the red carpet.
Starting strong is Zendaya. It is, of course, no surprise that Zendaya quickly rose to the top of my best-dressed list because of her astounding confidence, charm, and fashion that makes her immediately memorable, even though this look is tame compared to many of her more recent looks. Her dress follows what seems to be a recurring pattern for this year’s outfits: silk. The dress is a simple and elegant pink and black one-shoulder dress that perfectly drapes onto the
red carpet. The pink side of the dress is covered in a shiny black palm tree design that, upon first glance, shouldn’t fit with the rest of the look, but it somehow seamlessly gives the dress dimension and, without it, would’ve bordered on boring. She wears her hair in a side part (which I’m desperately hoping doesn’t make a resurgence anytime soon) and in gentle “classic Hollywood” waves that fit into the general Californian aesthetic of her outfit. Although I’m usually a fan of exorbitant over-accessorization, the simple and chic accessorizing really accentuates the dress and makes this one of my overall favorite looks of the night.
Next up, and much more disappointingly, is Hailee Steinfeld. Steinfeld has never had overwhelmingly impressive or memorable outfits, but this one was one of her worst. Although at first look, she seems well-dressed, upon further inspection, there are so many inconsistencies and facets of the outfit that make it a weak overall look. First off, this pallid and cool tone of blue doesn’t at all suit her skin tone, and although I’m no color theory expert, I think she tends to pop a lot more in brighter and more vibrant warm colors, so this wasn’t overwhelmingly impressive. Adding to that, however, is the awkward cut of the dress and how the top gives a generally droopy appearance. While I love tulle, gems, and shawls, all of these put together in her outfit made the dress look more like a DIY project and less like an Oscar-worthy outfit. With better accessorizing and a hairstyle that suits her facial shape and the cut of the dress, this look could easily be exponentially improved, and if just a little more effort had been put into this, it would’ve been outstanding.
Anya Taylor-Joy, Dior brand ambassador, of course, showed up to the Oscars in a stunning and polished diamond embellished Dior dress. Not only is the dress unique and individual in its design, but it also has a strapless and defined waist cut that stands above the rest and takes it from a fancy dress to a fashion statement that looks so specifically tailored to her. Although her hairstyle was relatively simple with a plain, straightened look (and grown-out roots), it stood out to me among the many, many slickback hairstyles almost everyone was wearing. Although I can appreciate a cute slicked-back style for a bun, ponytail, or braid, it just made everyone look uniform and bland and, overall, just isn’t a hairstyle suited to such a formal event. In my personal preference, I think straight-across and strapless dresses look better without necklaces, but her necklace draws attention to the ornately detailed neckline. Not only is she decked out in diamonds, but it all still has a cohesive feel and pattern that the look of so many others lacks. My main critique would simply be that she needs to go brunette again but that isn’t particularly related to her look.
Every year, Florence Pugh shows up to the red carpet and wows with innovative, new, and creative dresses and looks that impress, and this year was a massive letdown. Everything about this look is just chaotic. There is zero cohesiveness or pattern to the look, and it makes the entire look, even the well-tailored dress, look like a last-minute thrown-on outfit. Pugh follows a silky dress theme like many of the other looks, but only on the bottom. On her top is a strange levitating sleeve metallic cage corset, and if it’s meant to be a futuristic sort of statement, I’m missing the point. Her hair looks like an attempt at a gelled-back, messy, tousled style but instead gives off the vibes of my hair two days after I wash it: greasy. There is a stark lack of accessorizing, and where there is, it is completely and utterly disappointing, specifically with her necklace. Whether it’s diamond, designer, or vintage is irrelevant to me
because of the sheer contrast between the necklace and everything else about the outfit. The necklace is a chunky silver tie that looks like a rope covered in metallic paint and tied around her neck. It completely clashes with her hair, the metal cage she’s wearing, and the silk bottom. The makeup wasn’t made to accentuate her features, and this feels like a look from someone who has never seen her style before. She, without a doubt, almost always delivers gorgeous red carpet looks, and this year’s doesn’t even come close to comparing and is probably one of my least favorite of the night.
It seems like every year, the amount of interesting and creative looks diminishes bit by bit, and the individuality and specific styling that I have grown to adore from so many was simply lacking this year. Whether it’s just a trend to have poorly-tailored dresses or just an accidental theme amongst them, I’m desperately hoping it’s resolved by next year.
