Oscars 2018: Best Dressed

So while the Oscars telecast didn’t have the unintended drama of last year’s envelope mishap, we did have at least some drama provided by the fashion on the red carpet. We saw stunning metallics, bold color, bright white, and, of course, blush, which, frankly, would be getting kind of boring were it not for elaborate embellishments elevating the looks. Elizabeth from The Hive and The Shoe Hive, Amy from Red Barn Mercantile and Penny Post, Kristen from Twist, and I trade notes on the trends, share our thoughts on the fashion overall (tl;dr: mostly meh) and manage to find some outstanding favorites from Hollywood’s biggest night.

Elizabeth: I confess I don’t care much about the actual awards shows these days; the only movies I saw last year were Wonder and Star Wars. But of course, I have opinions on the red carpet. In fact, I consider it the Fashion Super Bowl.

Kristen: It was sort of anything goes. The 90th Oscars red carpet, in my opinion, was a myriad of different styles, fabrics, and colors. The large bows were an interesting differentiator to this year’s red carpet fashion.

Amy: I have to be honest, the dresses this year were a little underwhelming. No one dress stood out as particularly fabulous.

 

Trend: Color


Red

That said, I loved the bold colors and forms from Emma Stone, Leslie Mann, and Meryl Streep, but my favorite was Allison Janney. I love the sleek form that she cut in that dress. The sleeves were dramatic and the jewelry was understated to balance. Love. —Amy

Best sleeves and second best purse of the night. —Madelyn

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Blue

I feel like a broken record because she is always my number one pick but she just does no wrong: Nicole Kidman was breathtaking. The color, the bow, the fit, hair, and that bright lip was perfection. You may forget a ton of dresses you saw tonight, even some that impressed you, but you won’t forget her rhapsody in blue. —Elizabeth

How did you not mention her shoes?! —Madelyn

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Pink

What a happy dress! The pink is joyful, but not juvenile. The cut is fitting and flattering without being overly body-con. I’ll never not love a big hoop, and this, this is my favorite purse of the night. It’s like jewelry! —Madelyn

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Trend: White


One of the biggest trends on the carpet was white and in my humble opinion two ladies did it the best, Margot Robbie and Laura Dern (who I must say, is a bit of a doppelgänger for our own Alexandria supermodel Alicia McCaslin of The Tulle Box). They have both been perfection every red carpet this season and they ended the awards seasons with their best looks yet. —Elizabeth

Margot Robbie was a vision in her white dress, as were Mary J. Blige and Laura Dern.  My favorite, though, was Jane Fonda. Again, with the sleek silhouette and completely age appropriate…this is Hollywood royalty at its best. Though, my daughter said she looked like a leader in a dystopian society. Whatevs. —Amy

Margot Robbie’s white Chanel gown was my second favorite look of the night for the beautiful design and fabric. Laura Dern’s white cascading gown was my third favorite look of the night. —Kristen

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Trend: Metallics


OMG, the metallics were amazing. Jennifer Lawrence, Sally Hawkins, Sandra Bullock, and Gal Gadot were stunning, but the one that beats them all was Lupita Nyong’o. She is the most gorgeous woman working in Hollywood today. I practically gasp every time I see her. Tonight was no exception. —Amy, Red Barn Mercantile & Penny Post

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Trend: Blush


So, yeah, lots of blush. A quick scan through the slide show and you can see that the dresses are lovely, really, but the one that stands out to me is Laurie Metcalf. So sleek and timeless. —Madelyn

I prefer classic style gowns, so my favorite look of the evening was Gina Rodriguez’s blush-colored jeweled gown. —Kristen

Yes, she’s a close second in the category. The embellishments look like rose gold petals, and that belt keeps the look from trending too saccharine. Also, shout out to Saoirse for the second best big bow of the night. —Madelyn

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Honorable Mentions


Zendaya

I have to say that Zendaya blew me away. While it wasn’t a trend and it feels a little more SAG-awards-appropriate, I think it was one of the most interesting and best styled looks of the evening. —Amy

She is always age appropriate but never typical. She is going to bring us so many great fashion moments for decades to come. —Elizabeth

That top knot is everything, and her makeup is flawless. —Madelyn

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Emma Stone

Emma Stone always takes risks and they always work. Not many people can pull of pants at a black tie event and not seem like they are thumbing their nose at fashion or tradition, but this look showed us all how you look like the best dressed woman in the room in a pantsuit. —Elizabeth

I so love pants on a red carpet. Minor tweak, though, I think I may have preferred this look if the suit were one color. Separates feel a weensy too casual. That said, which color? I like the black and the burgundy! Either way, the pink bow stays. —Madelyn

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Paz Vega

It’s no secret I love an unconventional dress. Sure, I like a pretty princess dress as much as the next gal, but show me something that takes chances and odds are that’s the one that I’ll want to talk about. Here, the bold, modernist take on florals, the super structural cape, THE GRID FABRIC UNDERNEATH…and it’s embroidered?! Winner. —Madelyn, Editor

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Rita Moreno

Did you know that the dress she wore last night is the dress she wore when she won the Oscar for “West Side Story,” slightly re-invented for 2018. Rita Moreno is the s%!t – she is one of only 12 people to win an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT) – but the accessories with this dress were too much. I would remove the gloves, the bracelet, the earrings, and the headband, but leave the necklace. That would have been dramatic and very modern. —Amy

Left, by Kevin Mazur/WireImage; Right, from Bettmann Collection.

 

Agree? Disagree? What were your faves? Tell us in the comments!

 

1 Comment

  1. Rita rocked it! She has to keep the gloves to hide that pesky saying arm skin. I think she just takes the necklace off and it works.

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