Let the glamour flow! The 2021 awards season wraps up on the Oscars red carpet with a final chance for the Hollywood elite to deliver their fashion prowess. The undefined dress code leaves the door wide open for a spectrum of looks that could speak to the escapism of high fashion or the relaxed trends that have emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Because the Academy Awards is an in-person event, it is unlikely we’ll see any tie-dye sweatshirts à la Jason Sudeikis or the Prada pajama set worn by Jodie Foster at the Golden Globes. However, there is no doubt Regina King and Emerald Fennell will bring their A-game as they have done all year, even when Zooming in from home.
The Oscars red carpet offers a ripe moment to make a statement. That could mean a fashion statement of grandeur, like Angelina Jolie’s sultry, velvet Atelier Versace gown in 2012 or Lupita Nyong’o’s powder blue Prada dress in 2014 that made her the belle of the ball. It could also mean honoring one’s own entertainment legacy, as Rita Moreno signaled in 2018 by wearing her gown from the 1962 ceremony when she won for her role in “West Side Story.” Others may be more sentimental, like Spike Lee, who honored the death of Kobe Bryant last year by wearing a Lakers-inspired suit emblazoned with Bryant’s jersey number, 24.
The Academy Awards are limiting the audience to 170 people, so attendees will be rotated in and out throughout the ceremony, which is being held in downtown Los Angeles at Union Station. The premiere ceremony does not require masks, but because attendees will have to slip one on during commercial breaks, there is a chance we’ll see stars in masks that match their respective looks the way many artists did at the Grammys. The broadcast of the red carpet begins at 3:30 p.m. PT/ 6:30 p.m. ET.
