The best fashion from the Oscars red carpet

By Merry On Mar 12, 2023

Judging by the arrivals at the 95th Academy Awards in Hollywood, the days of playing it safe on the red carpet are over, and so is the red carpet. The stars embraced the maximalist themes that have been circling couture houses, bringing bold colors, rich embellishments and a touch of whimsy to a pathway now carpeted in a subdued beige called “champagne.” (This could be the launch of a sarcastic hashtag called #OscarsSoBeige.)

However, some of the nominees continued to channel the themes and characters from their recent films, turning their formalwear into a glamorous extension of their movie wardrobes. Throughout awards season and even now, a bit of surrealism touches the attire of the “Everything Everywhere All at Once” nominees, while “Elvis'” Austin Butler channels a bit of rock ‘n’ roll from the 1950s. It’s easy to imagine director Lydia Tár in any of the pitch-perfect ensembles Cate Blanchett has been wearing. Others are cleverly using the Oscars carpet as another type of stage, where they can audition new characters, like the sexy vixen, the sophisticated one, or the gender-bending glamster.

The Oscars red carpet has come to represent the culmination of a months-long image campaign that is as much to do with the fashion aptitude of the actors as it is with the nominated films.

Today’s award shows help movie stars use their fashion savvy to secure their place among A-list actors. It’s no longer a given that movies (and their empty theaters) have more cachet than TV shows, but if their stars can convincingly wear couture or set fashion trends, the image dividends add up, especially for the actors. It’s not so surprising, then, that they can land lucrative advertising jobs or even head a prestigious fashion house, like Pharrell Williams, who was recently appointed men’s creative director at Louis Vuitton.

The high stakes make the arrival of the Oscars exciting once again. The stars save the best of their many couture ensembles for this event.

Here are the highlights from the Oscars champagne carpet: