Hollywood’s elite dazzled the red carpet at the Oscars, held at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre on Sunday night, with women predominantly adorning sophisticated black gowns and the majority of men opting for unique interpretations of the classic tuxedo.
The eyes of Ireland were on Cillian Murphy who was honoured with the Best Actor award. Having collaborated with stylist Rose Forde throughout the awards season, Murphy has innovated conventional darker suits, incorporating unique twists to the traditional two-piece. Including a cummerbund and t-shirt combo at the Baftas, a Victorian touch at the Golden Globes, and a loose bow-tie with a striped suit at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. However, for the Oscars red carpet, Murphy chose a safer path and wore a black tux from Atelier Versace.
This award season, several actors have been seen aligning their clothing with the aesthetics of the movies they performed in, as opposed to distancing their attire from their roles to emphasise their acting talents. Expectations were high that Margot Robbie would continue her method-dressing technique, as seen in her Barbie character promotions tour wardrobe. However, at the Oscars Robbie took a more underplayed approach and wore an elegant black dress by Versace.
Also opting for a black dress was Sandra Hüller. Her choice of Schiaparelli gown had eye-catching pointy sleeves. Even though Hüller was recently announced as the face of Phoebe Philo’s second collection, the buzz that she would wear Philo on the red carpet proved to be untrue and she chose couture favourite Schiaparelli. Black was a popular choice, donned by many including Issa Rae and Jamie Lee Curtis. Jennifer Lawrence chose a black dress adorned with polka dots, while the Balenciaga gown worn by Carey Mulligan was the standout, contrasting with the popular black trend with its cream mermaid silhouette. Despite previously donning many statement suits, Coleman Domingo opted for a black double-breasted suit by Louis Vuitton. The western boots and glittery buttons added an unconventional edge.
The Oscars 2024 was a proud moment for Ireland as Cillian Murphy won the Best Actor award and a Dublin-based film company received four awards, marking a significant year for Ireland in the film industry.
In the top headlines from Monday, Irish pride was on full display at the Oscars as national hero Cillian Murphy scooped up the honours for best actor. There has also been controversy surrounding a photo of Kate Middleton. Cillian Murphy snagged one of seven Oscars for the film Oppenheimer, expressing pride in his Irish roots as he received the award.
The who’s who of Hollywood displayed their fashion prowess at the prestigious event, with Greta Lee emerging as one of the show-stoppers with her sartorial choices. Outfitted by Danielle Goldberg, the Past Lives actress didn’t shy away from unexpected style choices and risk-taking. A favourite designer of hers is Jonathan Anderson, the creative genius behind the Irish fashion house Loewe. At her first-ever Oscar appearance, Lee was striking in a black velvet halter-neck design by Loewe, enhanced with an ethereal cream drop waist detail.
Lily Gladstone maintained the nocturnal allure in a plush navy blue Gucci gown. The Oscars historically tend to encourage sophisticated attire over avant-garde choices. This year, many top-tier celebrities chose modest, simplistic designs, such as Kirsten Dunst, who donned an elegant white slip dress from Gucci. The allure of vintage Hollywood was also palpable, with Ana Taylor-Joy dazzling in a Dior ensemble that was a veritable nod to 1950s fashion, bedecked with sequins and scallops.
Of course, it wouldn’t be the Academy Awards without a smattering of shimmery attire. Lupita Nyong’o stunned in a sequin-laden, dusty blue dress, paired with a feathered peplum. Emily Blunt displayed her style credentials in a champagne-hued sequin gown by Schiaparelli, replete with elevated straps. Following suit with elevated straps and a ruffled peplum, Florence Pugh donned a silver Embellished Del Core gown.
While the majority of the stars chose to sparkle, Emma Stone bucked the trend in an understated foam-green Louis Vuitton gown embossed with seashell motifs, a subtle nod to her Bella Baxter character from the film Poor Things. Meanwhile, Zendaya, the sweetheart of Hollywood and Dune star, dazzled in a striking pink and silver sequin Armani Prive corset gown.
In contrast to popular deep black ensembles, pink emerged as a prominent shade right from the beginning. Amelia Dimoldenberg, Oscar emissary and red carpet presenter, initiated the trend in a light pink Gucci dress. America Ferrera, Barbie Star and nominee for best supporting actress, also followed the pink craze in a sparkly Versace chainmail garment. Ryan Gosling subtly participated with a hint of pink socks beneath his embellished black Gucci outfit. Ariana Grande made an entrance in a voluminous pink dress with an extravagant trail.
Donned in Chanel, Billie Eilish made a political statement by incorporating a red pin into her outfit, signifying her association with Artists for Ceasefire, an initiative calling for a halt in the Israel-Hamas conflict. Ramy Youssef was another attendee who chose to don the pin.
This year had an unprecedented amount of Best Picture nominations for female directors, drawing significant attention to Celine Song, Greta Gerwig, and Justine Triet’s fashion decisions on the award show trail. Song elected a Loewe jacket and layered skirt pairing, while Triet opted for a sequinned pinstripe black outfit. Gerwig preferred a traditional champagne coloured sequinned chainmail dress with a square collar.
Stay in the loop via push notifications for the latest news, analysis and opinion sent straight to your phone.
You can also keep up to date with The Irish Times on WhatsApp.
Check out our daily In The News podcast for the most recent episode.