What’s black, white and red all over? The fashion at the 2015 Oscars.
Bad newspaper jokes in the newspaper aside, pearls, fur stoles and rose accents complemented the trichotomy of colors on the red carpet. This year’s Oscars fashion harkened back to days past, with a limited color scheme and emphasis on dress craftsmanship.
Lupita N'yongo wore 6,000 pearls, a statement to reiterate to us plebeians that the world is her oyster. Felicity Jones and Chrissy Teigen also wore their share of dress pearls. There is an important distinction between “pearl dresses” and “dresses with pearls,” one is a regal statement meant for the elite and one is an elitist, preppy way to dress for a football game.
Rosamund Pike, star of “Gone Girl,” wore a strapless, form-fitting red dress covered in tiny rosettes and looked other-worldly, while Gwenyth Paltrow opted for one large rose on the shoulder of her light pink gown that was reminiscent of an 80s prom dress with a growth on the sleeve.
David Oyelowo, star in "Selma" and "Interstellar," repped the men in a red Dolce & Gabana shawl lapel tuxedo with a lowcurt vest and a jeweled brooch.
Ellen Goosenberg and Dana Perry won an Oscar for their short documentary, "Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1." On stage for their acceptance speech, their style proved winning as well.
Ellen Goosenberg wore a red stain dress with mesh insets and an upside-down "V" cutout, slaying more fashion risks than most younger stars the red carpet was buzzing with.
Dana Perry won the night in a black dress with a plunging neckline and small centered diamond brooch, perfectly coiffed locks, diamond earrings and a stole formed from connected black fur balls webbed together in a sovereign spiderweb. The likes of which host Neil Patrick Harris's statement summed up, "It takes a lot of balls to wear a dress like that."
Marion Cotillard wore a white polka dotted gown with a black strip that hit below-the-butt and gathered and separated the dress into a tucked-in cape train, an interesting silhouette that added needed variation among the classic cut ball gowns. Patricia Arquette and Reese Witherspoon also donned black and white gowns.
Arquette wore an off-shoulder number that flowed into a white cape that waterfalled down her back and stood in perfect contrast to the simple black floor length column bottom.
Witherspoon wore an elegant slightly fluted off-the-shoulder white gown with black accents across the top and waist. She paired this toned down look with a middle part and soft waves.
Following the seventies revival seen on New York Fashion Week runways and It-girls, many stars chose to pair their bedazzled gowns with muted middle parts. A look that brings back memories of frantically looking for a “snowball slow dance” partner at middle school functions, actually managed to look elegant on many stars — sigh. Solange Knowles, Chloë Grace Moretz and Keira Knightley all paired their elaborate dresses with this style and the outcome was more chic than cutesy. Even Jared Leto opted for the look over his coveted and inspirational #manbun.
Leto paired his locks with one of the more outgoing ensembles of the night, a powder blue suit with a bubblegum pink corsage and all-white oxfords. Although I appreciated the risk, he could have fit in as the fourth member of Lonely Island in the “Everything Is Awesome” atrocity.
However, coming out of that atrocity were indie Canadian musicians and twin sisters Tegan and Sara’s coordinating monochromatic black ensembles that pushed red carpet gender-norms and the general traditional looks especially prevalent this year. Their white-soled creepers, frilly socks and leather accents made a statement amongst the sparkles and pearls.
On the topic of musicians pushing the Oscars’ sometimes stifling fashion normalcies, Pharrell left his hat at home this year but Tim McGraw was seen sporting a ten-gallon cowboy hat during his performance. Capitalizing on the equestrian rock trend that has been popping up recently.
Lady Gaga paired her bedazzled white gown, complete with exaggerated shoulders, with red gloves that closely resembled the kind you would buy at K-Mart to wear while washing dishes — the likes of which inspired many household chore memes.
The fashion risks taken by these musicians reiterate why The Grammys, even with its attempted dress code, offer a medium more akin to experimental red carpet wear. The Oscars proved traditionalist, but regally so.
