The Biggest Trends on the Oscars Red Carpet

Every year, awards season culminates with the Oscars. Due to the timing and the achievements that the ceremony celebrates — the very best in film — the Academy Awards have come to represent the pinnacle of award shows, both in terms of what winning means and the level of glamour, pomp and circumstance.

On the red carpet, that tends to translate into more formal looks: couture gowns for women and tuxedos for men. In recent years, however, the men attending have begun taking more liberties with what they wear, opting for less traditional colours and silhouettes, or adding an irreverent accessory.

It’s a fine balance between making a statement and falling short of the formality that the Oscars warrant. Tradition can be reworked, but there are still codes to abide by, especially at the Oscars.

Take, for example, Pedro Pascal’s look this year, which was among the nicest of the evening, but lacked a jacket — what would have been perfectly fine at the Golden Globes feels underwhelming at the Academy Awards.

Yet it’s undeniable that Pascal’s more laid-back-than-usual look typified one of the evening’s trends, which saw stars break from tradition and slip into something a little more comfortable. Below, we dive into that and three other trends from the evening.

Redefining Red Carpet

Pedro Pascal, who was presenting an award, may have looked like he forgot his jacket in the car, but there was no denying that he looked good. The brooch (more on that in a minute) brought a touch of formality to the look, as did the cummerbund, but it felt slightly incongruous to see the latter without a jacket. Ultimately, Pascal opted for casual comfort and proved that one could look good doing it.

Leading Actor winner Michael B. Jordan is usually among the best-dressed on the red carpet and tends to favour a peak-lapelled tuxedo, but on what ended up being the biggest night of his career thus far, the Sinners star opted for a more casual option, wearing a buttoned-up jacket with a silver pocket chain. While traditional eveningwear largely prevailed, maybe Pascal and Jordan are setting a new norm for film’s biggest night.

Brooches Are In Business

Not to give ourselves kudos, but 18 months ago, we were expounding on the importance of brooches in the modern man’s evening wardrobe. Last night, brooches cemented their move a tastemaker’s accessory of choice to a must-have for almost every man on the red carpet. Pascal’s was perhaps the boldest, supremely large and worn tone-on-tone with a white shirt, but it was far from the most noticeable.

Last year’s Leading Actor winner Adrien Brody used a sweeping silver number to add a pop of shine to an otherwise black-on-black-on-black ensemble. Where some went big, others opted for something more subtle. Leonardo DiCaprio wore a tasteful bee brooch with a tuxedo that was as timeless as they come. Joe Alwyn’s retro-modernist look, with its flared trousers and askew bowtie, was topped off with a curving floral brooch, while Shaboozey’s brooch was just one of several pieces of jewellery that tied his look together and took it to the next level.

Perhaps nobody drove the point home better than Reece Feldman, whose white smoking jacket was adorned with at least 10 brooches, scattered across the chest area. If you don’t have a brooch, what are you doing?

Who Needs a White Shirt?

Historically, white dress shirts have dominated the red carpet – the perfect, no-thought-required option to pair with an elegant tuxedo. But that may no longer be the case. The all-black evening ensemble has been making a comeback in recent years – last night, Adrien Brody did it best, but the man of the moment, Hudson Williams, also gave it a shot (albeit an underwhelming one).

Kieran Culkin paired a black shirt with a rust-brown peak lapel jacket. Sinners actor Miles Caton wore an all burgundy outfit, perfectly matching his shirt and tie with his suit. Sean Wang and Carlos Lopez wore matching outfits, pairing red shirts with brown double-breasted suits and black bowties for a modern, mould-breaking look.

Meanwhile, Kumail Nanjiani, Ethan Hawke and Jesse Plemons opted for dusty shades of grey, green and blue with their respective tailoring. A white shirt might be the safe option – but that doesn’t make it the only option.

Taken together, the evening’s looks suggested a red carpet that’s slowly loosening its grip on strict tradition. Classic tailoring remains the foundation, but personal flourishes – whether through colour, accessories or a slightly more relaxed approach to formality – are becoming part of the Oscars style playbook. The tuxedo isn’t going anywhere, but how it’s worn is clearly evolving.

Feature image by John Shearer/98th Oscars/Getty Images

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