Cool minimalism reigns on the Oscars red carpet — is it the Love Story effect? Plus, the best tuxedos, brooches and choker necklaces, a look inside the Oscars-eve Armani party, and Dior pops up at South Coast Plaza with a playful display of Jonathan Anderson’s first runway collection.
At the Oscars, Cool Minimalism Reigns
They saved the simplest for last. (And the most feathery.)
After months of awards season fashion, many of the best-dressed on the Oscars red carpet were notably subdued, reflecting the age-old tradition of playing it safe on Hollywood’s highest-stakes night.
With career-defining moments on the line, stars tend to lean into classic, somewhat conservative Academy Awards looks that will never seem dated.
But that wasn’t all that was at work. The trend also reflects the return of less-is-more, 1990s-era minimalism to the fashion conversation.
You could call it the “Love Story” effect. But truthfully, clean, streamlined, but sexy silhouettes were bubbling up even before the Carolyn Bessette and John F. Kennedy Jr. series hit Netflix, as seen in recent collections from Tom Ford, Jil Sander, Gucci, Miu Miu, and the OG Calvin Klein, of course, which has been in the midst of a brand revival.
On Sunday, simplicity shined. “Love Story’s” Sarah Pidgeon finally wore Calvin Klein to the Vanity Fair party in a long-overdue marketing coup, playing off her portrayal in the series of Bessette working for Calvin Klein in the 1990s. She looked great, even carrying the bag shaped like the CK One perfume bottle.
Oscars night was also a culmination of a fashion season full of creative change at a number of European luxury brands that have been in a race of their own to dress the world’s most beautiful people (for a fee, of course).
On that front, Chanel won the carpet hands down, though Dior did dress Vogue global editorial director Anna Wintour for her “Devil Wears Prada 2” bit with Anne Hathaway on the Oscars stage.
Of the houses with more seasoned creatives, Louis Vuitton had an incredible night, never mind that the red carpet looks rarely seem to relate to the overall direction of the house led by Nicolas Ghesquière. Emma Stone’s hand-embroidered empire gown, with striking cap sleeves and a low-cut back, was a deceptively simple-looking stunner.
The lesson of the night was that simple doesn’t have to be boring. You only had to look to best-dressed Renate Reinsve to know that. Styled by Karla Welch, she mastered the moment in a custom red Louis Vuitton asymmetrically draped gown with a dramatic slit, the perfect red lip, and minimal jewelry — just one killer Louis Vuitton diamond cuff and a ring.
Styled by Elizabeth Saltzman, Gwyneth Paltrow rocked a coolly minimal custom Giorgio Armani Privé ivory silk strapless gown featuring daring side slits.
And for icing, statement necklaces like Paltrow’s Tiffany white-and-yellow diamond piece were It, that is when women weren’t going with bare necklines and ears to match their minimal dresses.
Styled by Samantha McMillen, Kirsten Dunst had her own minimalist moment, wearing a strikingly elegant Sarah Burton by Givenchy gown that stayed true to the house’s heritage of simple, architectural evening wear, in the grand tradition of Audrey Hepburn’s iconic black dress from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”
Old Hollywood is a perennial red carpet reference, of course. And Jessie Buckley’s custom Chanel dress, in pale pink with a red stole, was inspired by a 1950s look worn by Grace Kelly, an icon of simple elegance herself.
New Chanel vs. new Dior has been the through line of awards season, and clearly Chanel splashed out some serious cash for Oscars night dressing, scoring a triple crown of glamour: Buckley, Teyana Taylor and Nicole Kidman, with hottie Pedro Pascal also wearing the powerhouse brand, which doesn’t even officially make menswear.
Taylor and Kidman’s looks flexed the modernity and craft prowess that creative director Matthieu Blazy has brought to Chanel, with wild embellishment and texture unlike anything we’ve ever seen. The embroidery on both their feathery gowns looked almost spray-painted.
Rose Byrne, who is styled by Kate Young, led the Dior by Jonathan Anderson pack, wearing a custom black draped crepe strapless gown with exquisite 3D floral embroidery.
With new creative director Demna just starting his role last summer, Gucci has had a quieter awards season. The house did dress Demi Moore, however, in a more conventional take on the night’s feather trend, styled by Brad Goreski. It’s worth noting, though, that Demna’s first Gucci runway collection, shown last month in Milan, emphasized minimalism rather than feathers.
“KPop Demon Hunters” singers Rei Ami, Ejae and Audrey Nuna have been awards season’s MVPs, always dressing as a related trio but with killer individual style. Oscars night was no different, and Nuna’s manicure deserved its own award.
And alas, while it may have seemed like every Oscars look was couture or custom, that wasn’t so. Last week when I reported on the splashy launch of the party-ready Revolve Los Angeles collection fronted by Bella Hadid, I wondered if anyone would wear it on Oscars night. Amelia Gray did, to the Vanity Fair party. Her off-the-rack gown with deep side cutouts can be yours for $900.
After several years of peacocking, Oscars menswear was quieter and simpler, matching the prevailing women’s trend.
Black-and-white color schemes and subtle details ruled, as seen on Michael B. Jordan’s gorgeous black Louis Vuitton tuxedo with an officer-collar wool jacket, and Timothée Chalamet’s all-white double-breasted Givenchy tuxedo, a version he’s worn throughout awards season.
Other best-dressed men? Damson Idris, resplendent in a navy-blue Prada satin coat with a shearling collar that must have been hotter than hell but worth it. Pedro Pascal in a Chanel tux shirt and brooch, but no jacket, which must have been heaven in the heat. And Paul Mescal, whose tuxedo with a cropped, collarless jacket and pants was the epitome of Michael Rider’s new cool at Celine.
It almost seemed like they wouldn’t let a guy in the Dolby Theatre without a brooch, right?
Reece Feldman’s whimsical, pin-happy Tanner Fletcher look poked fun at the trend. Meanwhile, Joe Alwyn’s Chaumet diamond brooch struck a romantic note on the lapel of his Valentino tuxedo, worn with that limp bow tie that seems to be everywhere.
And in addition to Best Actor, Michael B. Jordan should have won Best Accessory Styling for wearing his black-and-white David Yurman brooch on the back of his collar, ensuring he lit up the room from every side.
It was also a night of a thousand spectacular necklaces, many of them chokers — from Elle Fanning’s extraordinary vintage 1903 Cartier piece made of diamond wisteria petals, to Priyanka Chopra’s Bulgari Serpenti Illusion choker featuring a 114.01-carat antique cushion-cut sapphire. Zoe Saldaña’s Cartier Art Deco-style platinum, diamond, and ruby lavalier wasn’t too shabby either.
But Chase Infiniti’s De Beers choker won the sparkle show because it was so modern and unusual, with a yellow cushion diamond at its center, and 57.15 total carats of diamonds scattered around it.
Armani Toasts Awards Season
On Oscars eve, at Giorgio Armani’s starry Rodeo Drive store soirée, Minnie Driver paid tribute to the late designer, for whom Hollywood inspiration and collaboration ran deep, by wearing a top with his portrait.
Armani will always be remembered as the king of the red carpet.
Building on the attention he received in the U.S. for designing Richard Gere’s suits for the 1980 film “American Gigolo,” he became the first European designer to open a Los Angeles VIP dressing office in 1988.
Jodie Foster, stung from landing on worst-dressed lists, asked Armani to dress her for the 1992 Oscars, when she won Best Actress for “The Silence of the Lambs.” The publicity for her tasteful pantsuit was so off the charts that other brands came to L.A., and the red carpet fashion machine as we know it was born.
Armani was also personally influenced by film, and Hollywood matinee idols helped shape his aesthetic. There were certainly plenty of those on Saturday night, including Paul Anthony Kelly and Jon Hamm. They rubbed elbows with Samuel L. Jackson, Ali Larter, Yara Shahidi, Hudson Williams and more. Mr. Armani would have loved it.
New Dior Pops Up at South Coast Plaza
If the unforgettable fashion brands seen on awards season winners have given you the urge to shop, South Coast Plaza has you covered.
A striking new Dior pop-up is now open, turning the iconic Jewel Court into an immersive tribute to the house’s heritage and creative director Jonathan Anderson’s first collection.
The installation reimagines Dior’s archives through a playful visual concept inspired by colifichets, the gift boxes from the first Dior boutique. Mannequins dressed as bellboys carry dramatic towers of stacked gray boxes—referencing the signature color of 30 Avenue Montaigne—with clothing and accessories displayed around them.
Shoppers can snap up the reinvented Lady Dior bag, literary-inspired Dior Book Tote designs, Dior Bow and Normandie bags, Dior Roadie shoes and Dior Archie loafers, alongside select ready-to-wear looks and Diorette fine jewelry.
Interactive elements add a playful touch. A Try Your Luck game nods to founder Christian Dior’s well-known superstitions, while personalization stations offer perfumed ceramics, notebooks and bookmarks inspired by the collection. Happy shopping.
Dior pop-up shop through April 6, South Coast Plaza, Jewel Court, 3333 Bristol St, Costa Mesa, California.
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