The dos and don’ts of fashion at the Oscars: Breakdown of the 2024 looks

Awards season has officially come to a close for the year with the Oscars ceremony taking place on March 10. All eyes were on Christopher Nolan’s first-ever Academy Awards wins as well as Ryan Gosling’s performance of ‘I’m Just Ken’. Both moments were undoubtedly highlights of the night, but, of course, our eyes couldn’t help but notice the red carpet and after-party looks. There were some recurring outfit details and trends that caught our attention so here’s a round-up of the night’s most iconic looks.

Peplum revival

Whilst most people could have predicted that Cillian Murphy would win the Oscar for Best Actor after his portrayal of Oppenheimer in the eponymous biopic, very few probably anticipated that peplum would re-emerge this year. It made a few subtle appearances on the runway back in 2022, but that seemed as far as its brief resurgence got. However, Best Actress Winner Emma Stone wore a pale green Louis Vuitton peplum gown, and Hailee Steinfeld stunned in a black Alexandre Vauthier blazer and dress with peplum detailing.

Ariana Grande took peplum to the next level with her custom Giambattista dress which was arguably less peplum and more bustle-meets-hip-pads but felt somewhat on-brand with the other looks. Meanwhile, Florence Pugh showed off not just one but two peplum gowns: the first from Del Core had a much subtler peplum detail for the Oscars ceremony, but her second look for the after-party – a sheer number with floral motifs and a train – suggested maybe peplum is making a comeback.

@vogueitalia

#florencepugh sul red carpet degli #oscars con un abito #delcore

♬ where them girls at x many – guymusic

Custom vs. vintage

We saw a lot of custom outfits this year as opposed to vintage pieces – arguably surprising since the 2024 Met Gala theme is ‘Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion’. That said, there were some gorgeous custom looks at the Oscars such as Lily Gladstone’s gown designed by Gucci’s Sabato de Sarno and Joe Big Mountain of Ironhouse Quillwork. The outfit paid homage to her Indigenous roots with 216 quilled petals embroidered on the neckline and cape as well as earrings to match – a glamorous and powerful ensemble from the Best Actress nominee.

Most of the vintage looks appeared for the after-party rather than the Oscars ceremony itself, like Margot Robbie’s 1996 Thierry Mugler corset, Cardi B’s 2003 Atelier Versace gown, and Sydney Sweeney’s dress by Marc Bouwer which was worn to the 2004 Oscars by Angelina Jolie. There were also a few custom-made vintage-inspired looks with Carey Mulligan and Sandra Hüller’s outfits designed to look like Balenciaga’s iconic Cristobal gown and Millicent Rogers’ beloved 1947 dress, respectively.

After the controversy around Kim Kardashian wearing Marilyn Monroe’s dress to the 2022 Met Gala, the decision to have this year’s theme so heavily connected with archival fashion raised eyebrows, but the stylists of the 2024 Oscars have proved that you can still showcase fabulous vintage looks without touching museum-level pieces.

@ellemagazine

Name your best-dressed celeb 👀#VanityFairAfterParty #Oscars #FilmTok #SydneySweeney #CardiB #EmilyBlunt

♬ Higher Than The Sky (Feed Me Remix) – Transient & Feed Me

Wide leg trousers

Despite men’s awards season fashion impressing at both the BAFTAs and the Golden Globes, the Oscars looks felt like a bit of a letdown. One feature which did catch our eye, however, was the flared, 70s-esque suit trousers worn by Bradley Cooper, Colman Domingo, and Robert Downey Jr.

Both Cooper and Domingo opted for white shirts and double-breasted jackets, but Downey Jr wore a black monochromatic suit with heeled boots and a bolo tie. Whilst Cooper went for a more classic, pared-down look with a simple Louis Vuitton Tambour watch to match his LV suit, Domingo wore rings, bracelets, and a jewel-encrusted bow tie. The wide-leg trousers were a subtle but effective way of levelling up tuxedos which the night very much needed.

@e_entertainment

the #oscars look good on you #colmandomingo 😍 #livefrome #michelleyeoh

♬ FOLLOW ME MIKUULSTANCE – Mikuulstance

All-black outfits

Even though red was meant to be the hottest colour of the year, Downey Jr was certainly not the only star sporting an all-black look on the Oscars red carpet; countless celebrities clearly also got the memo as there were numerous monochromatic outfits spotted. Ryan Gosling (pre-Kenergy) wore a custom Gucci suit which was, you guessed it, all-black except for a silver trim on the suit jacket to complement his Tag Heuer Carrera Plasma.

As for the ladies, there were some gorgeous black dresses most notably Best Actress nominee Sandra Hüller’s custom Schiaparelli gown revenant of old Hollywood Oscars looks and Rita Moreno’s gorgeous number complete with gloves. Danielle Brooks wowed in custom Dolce & Gabbana and Kate McKinnon wore a classy black suit with what looked like pointed heels and a simple necklace.

Jamie Lee Curtis and Margot Robbie also wore black dresses, but they felt somewhat underwhelming compared to the others. Whilst the LBD may not be a red carpet favourite for obvious reasons, these dresses showed that a black dress doesn’t need to be boring and is usually better when you play around with texture and shape.

@instylegermany

Die deutsche Schauspielerin Sandra Hüller bei den #oscars ✨ #oscars2024 #sandrahuller #academyawards

♬ RUN THIS TOWN X GANGSTAS PARADISE – ALTÉGO

Minimal makeup

The predominant beauty trend at the Oscars was subtle glamour with very few bold lips and mostly tonal or semi-natural makeup. Billie Eilish’s makeup was a personal favourite – the brown winged eyeliner, pink blusher, and glossy overlined lips were just gorgeous together.

The Barbie girls all looked lovely in their barely-there makeup looks, but it was Greta Lee and Quannah Chasinghorse who we couldn’t stop admiring. Lee’s shaped brows, wine-stained lips, and slicked-back hair worked perfectly together, and Chasinghorse’s warm-toned look of brown eyeliner and glossy lips was the definition of red carpet elegance.

As well as glossy lips, we also saw a range of cat-eye liner styles from bolder variations on Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Jennifer Lawrence to baby wings on Zendaya and Vanessa Hudgens. The stand-out beauty look of the night, however, had to be Issa Rae’s unbelievably beautiful glowing skin combined with a perfect smoky cat-eye; one to recreate for sure.

@voguefrance

De #JenniferLawrence à #CharlizeTheron en passant par BillieEilish, découvrez les plus beaux looks spottés sur le #redcarpet des Oscars2024. #oscars #voguefrance

♬ son original – Vogue France

Structured bodices and breastplates

Finally, one of the most intriguing features of the Oscars looks were the structured bodices and breastplates. We saw a lot of structured shoulder looks at the Fall 2024 Fashion Month, so maybe these Academy Award looks are an insight into what’s to come towards the end of the year. Both Eva Longoria and Sandra Hüller’s red carpet dresses had captivating structured bodices which were not only eye-catching but also gave the gowns an enhanced hourglass effect.

Then at the after-party, Ncuti Gatwa changed into a stunning silver breastplate with suit trousers and Emily Ratajkowski and Kim Kardashian wore white dresses with structured, angular bodices lifting off their chests. Anya Taylor-Joy stunned in one of our favourite looks of the night in custom Miss Sohee at the after-party in what can only be described as the ultimate LBD made even more perfect with gloves, a butterfly-inspired bodice, and silver headpiece.

@voguespain

El segundo look de #AnyaTaylorJoy en los Oscars2024, con el que acudió a la #VanityFairOscarParty es aún mejor 🔥 #Oscars #filmtok #movietok

♬ sonido original – Vogue España

Outfits from the Oscars are rarely crowd-pleasers as the fashion lovers find them too boring and safe, and the film buffs are too busy waiting for the ceremony itself. Although there were a lot of beautiful looks, it would have been nice to see some more closely related to the films nominated since it is a film event. Even though Internet critics said they were over Margot Robbie’s Barbie-inspired looks from the press tour, it would have been a fitting end to awards season to see her in one more on-theme look. The same cannot be said for Oppenheimer’s hat; most people are probably very glad not to see Cillian Murphy wear that again.