At the Oscars, for some, the red carpet is just as important as the awards themselves. The Oscars are all about celebrating the amazing work done this year in film, but that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate the fashion as well. So who was hot, and who was so not? Hypable writers Marama Whyte and Brittany Lovely discuss their favorite and least favorite looks.
You can check out our Oscars predictions to see who we think will take out the top honors, and compare those with the full list of nominees and winners. And don’t forget our drinking game.
Anna Kendrick
Marama: Miss. With the color, the style, the hair and the glitz, it’s all very pageantry. It’s not that she looks bad (that’s objectively impossible), she just looks terribly bland.
Brittany: Miss. I think this color drains her and feels more high school spring fling than Oscars. I can get behind the neckline. Her accessories and her hairdo work wonders to grab the attention. But the bottom half of the dress is a pool of loose fabric.
Gina Rodriguez
M: Miss. She has been killing it this award season, so I suppose it was bound to happen. The color is stunning, but the top isn’t doing her any favors. There’s a nice drape at the back that you can’t see in this picture, but it’s not enough to save this dress.
B: Hit. I love the conservative feel of this dress. You don’t need to reveal the cleavage to grab all the attention of the night, ladies! The color is also amazing.
Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka
M: Hit and Hit. Aren’t these two just adorable? David Burtka is looking very classic, and I am obsessed with NPH’s color choice here, down to his slightly askew bowtie. I wonder how many costume changes he’s going to have this year. Either way, this is a great start.
B: Double hit. It’s hard to put NPH and David Burtka in anything and have it go wrong. The combination of white and grey does not exactly grab the eye right away, but it works well on the couple who could pull off wearing their sweats to the red carpet.
Patricia Arquette
M: Miss. She looks all right; she also looks like she’s ripped Meryl Streep’s Golden Globes dress off her back. I always enjoy this tuxedo-inspired look, but Meryl wore it better (natch).
B: Hit. Comparative to her Golden Globes gown, the two tones are doing wonders for Arrquette tonight. It is a sophisticated look for the nominee who will most likely need to make her way to the stage to get her much deserved Oscar.
Dakota Johnson
M: Hit. Very well played, Dakota Johnson, but it’s not enough for me to forget the atrocious film you’re a part of. I wonder if her color choice is inspired by the Red Room of Pain? I can’t fault her look, only her film choices.
B: Hit. I love the detailing on the neckline and sleeve, and red isn’t a color we are seeing much of on the carpet tonight. It makes her stand out, and not for her questionable career defining role.
Marion Cotillard
M: Hit. Let’s all take a minute for the back of this dress. It might not be the most flattering silhouette, but I kind of love it, even with the vaguely shower-curtain vibe it’s giving off. It probably helps that Marion Cotillard could make anything, even a shower curtain, look elegant.
B: Miss. I want to love this dress so much, but what is going on with the back? If this was a simple white gown, combined with her hair and makeup, I’d love it. But the bottom black band looks like it is creating a pocket of fabric to make her seat more comfortable for the evening.
Felicity Jones
M: Miss. I know Brit likes this, but I do not. At all. Which is a shame, because I love Felicity Jones and I love Alexander McQueen. It’s very Cinderella-gone-wrong. The two parts are totally disconnected and neither of them are working on her.
B: Hit. The high neck is GORGEOUS on her. The rest of her looks for this awards season were forgettable. This icy blue/grey gown finally sets her on a level playing field with her blue tuxed co-star Eddie Redmayne.
David Oyelowo
M: Hit. Obviously men get an easier ride on a red carpet; it’s pretty difficult to mess up a tuxedo. But sometimes, they go above and beyond. David Oyelowo should have been recognised for Selma, but at least we can recognise him now for his fabulous color choice and tailoring.
B: Hit. Although Selma may not be making huge waves in the nominations, Oyelowo’s red tux is not shying away from breaking the mold of the black and white of the evening. Love the red, just wish he’d lose the vest.
Lupita Nyong’o
M: Miss. Lupita has set an insanely high bar for herself on the red carpet, and this look doesn’t come anywhere close to some of her previous gowns. I completely agree with Brittany that she looks best in color, and while the detail on the dress is stunning up close, from this vantage point it almost looks cheap.
B: Miss. Close up the dress is gorgeous. But from a red carpet photography standpoint, color works better on Lupita as a statement maker. The gown does not photograph well, nor does it allow Lupita to play with her accessories much.
Julianne Moore
M: Hit, just. Lupita and Julianne are clearly shopping at the same places. The softer silhouette makes all that beading a little more bearable, and I like the patterned inserts. My only big issue is the color, which is totally washing her out.
B: Miss. Again, if Lupita can’t pull it off chances are Julianne can’t either. The beading? I don’t get it. I don’t think I ever will. Not only does it look heavy, but it the minimal detail makes it look more like bathroom tiling than an Oscar gown.
Lady Gaga
M: Miss. Someone explain this to me. Why is there so much fabric? Why is she wearing dishwashing gloves? Why is this happening? It’s like she tried to wear something Oscar-appropriate and then halfway through remembered she is Lady Gaga.
B: Miss. It’s hard to even give Lady Gaga a hit or a miss, but I can’t stand it when she dresses down. The gloves and hair accessory are what break it for me. I love the gown and I think it works wonderfully on her, but the red of her lips is enough of a pop. If you are going for less, keep it less.
On page 2: Benedict Cumberbatch, Emma Stone, Kerry Washington, and more.
Page 2: Oscars 2015 red carpet: Hits and misses
Emma Stone
M: Hit. Take note ladies, this is how you do beading. The bolder color choice adds to the texture, and she breaks up all that detail with a gorgeous low-cut back and the high slit in the front. She is so old world glamorous in this, I just adore it (and her).
B: Hit. Emma is bringing that old Hollywood glamor and I am here for it. I come from the “Emma Stone can do no wrong camp” and this dress is another example to add to my growing list. From her hair, to her lip color, to the dress color, it is perfect.
Naomi Watts
M: Hit. What is this metallic brick pattern? I don’t care, I love it. It not only breaks through the monotony of all the nude beaded gowns we have seen tonight, it objectively looks amazing on her. Her simple styling allows the dress to shine in all its weird, brick glory.
B: Miss. Follow the silver brick road. The style of the dress is beautiful, but the pattern is too distracting. I’m not loving her hair with the dress either. A higher neckline could rock an updo. I do love her darker lip though.
Eddie Redmayne
M: Hit. We can all agree by now that this boy looks damn good in a tux. We’ll most likely be seeing him up on stage accepting his much-deserved award, so I’m glad he went a little bolder than most other men tonight with the color choice. This is what Ansel Elgort tried, and failed, to do.
B: Hit. Ok, by now we’ve seen Eddie on a million red carpets, accepting every award, and looking adorable while doing it. But boy, can this Brit pull of a blue tux with a ruffled hair look. Carry on, Redmayne.
Rosamund Pike
M: Hit. This is stunning. I love the color and the design, and especially that almost too-high split in the front. She looks fabulous. Not even a Cool Girl would look this good.
B: HIT. Girl may not be getting recognition as crazy bitch number one in Gone Girl, but she knocks this color and gown out of the park. The shoes are horrendous, way too matchy, but this dress is an Oscar stunner.
Kerry Washington
M: Miss. It seems that this is the year of the poorly-advised nude beading. This works better than some of the others, because it is limited to the skirt, but the top looks ill-fitting and the embroidery does nothing for me. Kerry would have done better to borrow something fabulous from the fabulous Olivia Pope’s fabulous closet.
B: Hit. Oscars, handled. Besides Marion Cotillard, Kerry is going to be the most elegantly dressed and most comfortable of the evening. The color is great, her hair is fabulous, and maybe it has something to do with Scandal not being that great, but I am back on board with Olivia Pope in white.
Cate Blanchett
M: Hit. I’m Australian, so I should make clear that Cate is essentially our Queen and she can do no wrong, so excuse any gushing. The open back of this gown is absolutely stunning, and works beautifully with the high neckline and her statement necklace. Perfect, as always. Cate, call me?
B: Hit. I know, I know. It’s simple, it’s bordering costume jewelry, but who else could pull this off on a red carpet? Maybe Tilda Swinton, but it’s not nearly crazy enough for her taste. I love the turquoise necklace with black and her hair looks amazing. Rock it, Cate.
Margot Robbie
M: Miss. This is a bad attempt at Morticia Addams. I don’t like anything about it; the dress looks too big, there’s too much volume in the sleeves, she’s wearing a tassel around her neck, and her styling looks tired. Back to the haunted house.
B: Hit. Only one huge problem: the necklace. This dress is one of the best of the night. Normally I am not a fan of a plunging neckline, but this is well done while still being classy. Sleeves are not common on the Oscar red carpet and this dress proves that they can work if done right.
Reese Witherspoon
M: Hit. As may be clear by now, I’m a big fan of black and white color blocking. I like that she has made white, rather than black, the focal point. She won’t win, but she looks like she’s ready to enjoy herself.
B: HIT. The gown is gorgeous. The simple black bands and her jewelry are gorgeous. But her hair. Reese, your hair! I think even a bit of a wave or a half up/half down would have really set this over the edge for best dressed.
Octavia Spencer
M: Miss. It breaks my heart, but this isn’t working. This is such an insipid color, and the combination of the color and all those pleats, AND the drape, AND the fabric makes this way too fussy on her.
B: Miss. Octavia has had some stunners over the years, but this is not one of them. I love the cut of the dress, but there is too much bunching on the fabric for my taste. I think Octavia could pull this off in a deep purple without any of the detail and it would be a knockout.
Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter
M: Married Hit. The Oscars are practically a honeymoon for this attractive pair, and they have shown up in style. Cumberbatch is another one who can do no wrong in a tux (what is it about those Brits?), and Sophie Hunter looks completely stunning. The drape and the color are gorgeous, and I love the little injection of punk through those side fastenings. She’s one of my best dressed of the night.
B: Hit and Miss. Sophia is shutting down the red carpet. Is it the pregnancy glow? The ring on her finger? The man on her arm? No, it’s Sophia knowing how to rick a gorgeous shapeless dress and making that updo her bitch. She is escorted by a cater waiter with a little bit of extra jewelry on his left hand.
Gwyneth Paltrow
M: Miss. You can always count on Gwyneth to do something weird; this year, the weird is the giant flower that tells me she’s been taking style advice from Carrie Bradshaw. Without that, the style of the dress is nice enough, but the pastel is doing nothing for her.
B: Miss. Wow, Gwen, no. This is that bridesmaid’s dress you had in the back of your closet that you never found the opportunity to wear again. The earrings would work better on a simple gown without a giant flower obstructing everyone’s, including her own, vision.