Elle Fanning, Lily Rose-Depp, Demi Moore. Getty Images (3)
When the 2025 Oscars red carpet was rolled out on Sunday, March 2, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, we saw key fashion trends define some of the best-dressed looks of the night.
Heavy metal embellishments stood out in what felt like a season of gold and silver gowns. Elsewhere, ensembles with intricate embroidery — many with hundreds of thousands of elements — made a time-tested wardrobe staple, like the little black dress, seem far from commonplace.
The same finer details took mille-feuille tulle dresses to a dazzling new place, while other sheer looks layered on visual interest with multiple shades of the same color, creating an ombre effect.
Another standout shade was bridal white, which offered plenty of inspiration for Spring 2025 brides. Several referenced iconic 1990s runway couture looks that are well worth revisiting.
The 2025 Oscars red carpet has been rolled out, and stars arrived in many winning styles on Hollywood’s biggest night. When the 97th Academy Awards kicked off on Sunday, March 2, outside the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, Dancing With the Stars judge Julianne Hough was among the first on the crimson rug. She hit […]
But perhaps the most forward-thinking trend of all was a backward necklace, as many stars had fun with the look by twirling around for photographers to capture the surprise flash of diamonds.
Take a deep dive into the five best trends of the night, as seen on the 2025 Academy Awards red carpet.
Precious Metals
More was more when it came to heavy metal embellishments. Halle Berry shone bright like a diamond in a custom Christian Siriano gown with disco-ready mirrored glass shards. She reworked a Pomellato necklace as a statement bracelet with over 1,900 white diamonds, then added two Pomellato rings with over 500 diamonds between them.
According to her stylist Brad Goreski, Demi Moore had a “full wattage” fashion moment in a custom Giorgio Armani Privé gown completely covered with near-blinding crystals. Indeed, it gave stylish new meaning to Elizabeth Sparkle, her character’s name in The Substance.
Meanwhile, Mindy Kaling put a high-fashion spin on foliage in an Oscar de la Renta fern-embroidered gown with 3D silver leaf details, which she accessorized with Effy jewelry: a white gold and diamond necklace and earring suite.
Dark Glamour
The best LBDs on Oscars night were all about dramatic details. For actress Lily Rose-Depp’s Academy Awards debut, nearly 191,000 elements were used in the making of her custom Chanel floral lace halter dress embroidered with sequins, crystal, and pearls.
Miley Cyrus wore a custom Alexander McQueen high-neck, drop-waist gown with shredded tulle, sequins and glass beads, the latter of which also adorned her Alexander McQueen black lace gloves
As for Marchesa’s Georgina Chapman, she arrived in a dress of her own design: a strapless black velvet gown with a sculptural neckline and trumpet skirt that shimmered, thanks to the rose motif.
Neo-Bridal Notes
Oscars night was filled with wedding inspiration. Lupita Nyong’o and her stylist, Micaela Erlanger, worked with the house of Chanel to reimagine a 1991 Chanel Couture that Linda Evangelista wore on the runway. It was decorated with the same pearl straps and tassels but came with a spangly tweed corset for a contemporary new twist.
Penelopé Cruz’s gown was also another reinterpreted look from the same Chanel collection. She donned a dress with a ruched bodice with sparkly jewel buttons and a sheer, sweeping cape attached at the strap. It took 254 hours to make, according to the luxury label, and to top it off, she paired it with a whopping 27 carats of Chanel diamonds.
Elle Fanning attended her first Oscars in a white lace gown with a sweetheart neckline by Sarah Burton for Givenchy — the designer who created Kate Middleton‘s wedding dress. Tied with a black grosgrain bow and a combination of a cape and train attached at the back, she set a new trend for fashion brides-to-be everywhere.
Sheer Impact
Diaphanous tulle and chiffon gowns commanded attention on the red carpet. Julianne Hough channeled Grace Kelly’s famous blue dress chiffon designed by Edith Head in the 1995 film, To Catch a Thief. The Dancing With the Stars co-host was a scene-stealer in a flowing Christian Dior dress plucked right off the Spring 2025 runway. Rendered in shades of mocha mousse (a.k.a. the Pantone 2025 color of the year), it’s proof the trend is here to stay.
Wicked actress Ariana Grande wore a Schiaparelli Couture gown that was on the Paris Fashion Week runway a mere month ago. The Basque waist dress was reimagined in Glinda-fied pink duchess satin and a nude tulle skirt with over 190,000 crystal sequins, rhinestones, and beads.
Naked dresses were on everyone’s mind on Oscars night. When Hollywood’s favorites grace the Academy Awards red carpet— and the Vanity Fair Oscar Party — to take home a trophy and celebrate the best films of the year on Sunday, March 2, another highlight of the affair was seeing Hollywood’s biggest stars bring their fashion […]
Meanwhile, Rachel Zegler, the titular star of the Broadway musical Romeo & Juliet wore a Shakespearean-inspired corset dress with a sweetheart bodice and pleated tulle skirt with pearls — a gem Willaim Shakespeare wrote about often, as they were hugely popular in Elizabethan England.
Backwards Bling
Several stars made a shimmering statement coming and going in backward necklaces. Michelle Yeoh amplified the electric energy of her cobalt Balenciaga couture dress in a high-wattage Boucheron creation with round baguette and princess-cut diamonds.
The Substance actress Margaret Qualley went in a similar direction, as she paired a black velvet Chanel gown with what looked like a classic choker from the front, only to reveal a dazzling diamond tasseled centerpiece grazing her exposed back.
Even Coralie Fargeat, the creative force behind the film, embraced the look, in an Atelier Versace gown with a beaded necklace that trailed down the bodice and also below the nape of her neck.
