Back in the old Dolby Theater, a seemingly endless list of announced stars, finally the usual red carpet procedure again – but if everything seems so normal, please don’t let anyone just spin free with happiness. So the guests were supposedly asked by the Academy to please cover their knees (women) and wear classic tuxedos instead of the sometimes wild choice of colors (men). Nice try. Most of the nominees, presenters or other invited guests studiously ignored the announcement.
But given the news situation, why should one bother with such banal and completely outdated guidelines? So at the Oscars there were: breaking the rules wherever you looked, lots of colour, not so many bare stomachs anymore, but just a few bare knees. A bit of action in the red carpet genre was also urgently needed: the previous award season was poorer than ever in terms of clothing. At the beginning of the year there were hardly any stars on the road because of Omikron, then the Golden Globes were held as a private event. That’s a bit boring for those who work their way through good and even worse bad clothes, for the big designer brands it’s a medium-sized catastrophe. After all, at the Oscars, legendary images of inestimable advertising value are still being created, despite the steadily falling ratings. So: full speed ahead!
Was honored as best actress – and wore a great dress: Jessica Chastain.
(Photo: John Locher/AP)
Many women rely on classic Hollywood glamour. In the good version, for example, with the later Oscar winner Jessica Chastain with color gradient and golden bustier. In the rather worse with the former winner Lupita Nyong’o. Gold for the Oscars? phew
Gold like an Oscar: Lupita Nyong’o.
(Photo: VALERIE MACON/AFP)
Also not groundbreaking: red on the red carpet as one of the big trends with Kirsten Dunst, Ariana DeBose and Tracee Ellis Ross. The latter two, like many others, also attracted attention with very memorable excerpts. But with the performances of Will Smith (he slaps comedian Chris Rock after he cracked a bad joke about Smith’s ailing wife) there were so many other moments to gloss over that Venus Williams and her cleavage were really the least of the issues.
Came shirtless, a novelty at the Oscars: Timothée Chalamet.
(Photo: John Locher/AP)
The clearest eye-catchers of the evening were Kristen Stewart in very short black shorts and a very wide unbuttoned white shirt, as well as Timothée Chalamet, who simply came shirtless with a short sequined blazer and narrow trousers. In an Italian disco he wouldn’t stand out a bit, but at the Oscars the look was actually a novelty.
Best Song Oscar winners: Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas O’Connell.
(Photo: Chris Pizzello/AP)
Also unmistakable was Billie Eilish, who wore a black – yes, what actually. Dress? jumpsuit? Black storm cloud? You thought you saw pants down there, but there was just too much untidy bolts of fabric draped across the body. And with that, of all things, she will be standing on her parents’ mantelpiece for all eternity, because she and her brother are actually prizewinners now.
Came as one of the few with a blue and yellow handkerchief: Jason Momoa.
(Photo: Jordan Strauss/dpa)
In the run-up, many had wondered how the stars would react fashionably to the Ukraine war. There have always been badges on various topics over the past few years. As expected, actors like Benedict Cumberbatch came with a Ukraine pin, Samuel L. Jackson with a tie, Jason Momoa with a blue and yellow handkerchief. Jamie Lee Curtis and others wore a blue ribbon that read “WithRefugees”. However, that was about it, which is perhaps a bit little overall, but the topic was discussed more as an alibi anyway, with calls for donations occasionally displayed at the award ceremony.
Quote on Sharon Stone: Zendaya with white blouse and long silver skirt
(Photo: Angela Weiss/AFP)
The race to become the trend of the evening was made by an outsider trend, just as the big favorites did not win in many categories: white blouses or white shirts. Not only with Kristen Stewart, but also with Uma Thurman and Zendaya, who arrived in the cropped version with a long silver skirt by Valentino Couture, a lovely updated quote on Sharon Stone’s then truly groundbreaking performance in 1996. Just what Oscar fans love, small references, subtle homages. Like Zoë Kravitz with Audrey Hepburn commemorative bangs and in a very simple, all the more beautiful pink gown by Saint Laurent. Sometimes looking amazing is easy.