Whatever it says about the state America is in now, the patriotic combination of red, white, and blue dominated the Oscars red carpet this year. Red, this Fashion Month’s most fiery trend, was seen on nominees Viola Davis and Ruth Negga. Meanwhile, Naomie Harris and Felicity Jones were among the cohort disproving the idea that white is too bridal for the red carpet — and the blue came in the form of the ACLU ribbons dotting some attendees’ lapels.
Another standout tonight, perhaps inspired by the vintage feel of front-runner La La Land, were retro-inspired looks, like Kirsten Dunst’s ’50s-style Dior, Emma Stone’s ’20s-esque Givenchy, and Brie Larson’s stunning turn-of-the-century-style Oscar de la Renta.
And let’s not forget the accessories: One runway trend that made inroads onto the red carpet was the very un–Gossip Girl version of the headband, seen on Ruth Negga and Janelle Monáe. Also seen: mismatched shoes (on Harris), jaw-dropping necklaces (on Taraji P. Henson and Jessica Biel), and, er, red-carpet UGGs (on the stuffed pandas Jackie Chan brought with him on the step-and-repeat). To each his own!