The 2025 Oscars Red Carpet was a showcase of diverse attire.
At the Dolby Theatre in L.A. on Sunday March 2, 2025, at 7:00 PM EST, the Oscars took place. Notable awards-winners include “Anora” for best picture, Adrien Brody for best actor in “The Brutalist,” and Mikey Madison’s performance in “Anora” for best actress.
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, according to their website, began in 1929. Each year, the awards take place to honor the year’s award-winning films and all that encompasses the process.
Esther Glazer, a senior from Newtown, Mass., who will be attending Parsons School of Design next fall, admired the outfits of the “Wicked” cast.
“Ariana Grande wore a red Schiaparelli dress and Cynthia Erivo wore a white Vivienne Westwood dress. Ariana Grande’s dress was really interesting because the back featured an illusion of a ballet slipper, which represented her movie, ‘Wicked,'” she said. “Cynthia Erivo’s dress was very classic Vivienne Westwood, but it still felt fresh with different elements, like tulle underneath her skirt, and the flowers on the skirt.”
Dame Vivienne Westwood was a famous British fashion designer who passed away in Dec. 2022. She was known for her statement on “punk fashion.” She started her own company, known as Vivienne Westwood, that is praised for its luxury clothing and accessories.
Ava Howard, a senior from Westfield, Mass., agrees that Grande and Erivo’s ensembles were on her list of favorites. She says she liked Erivo’s “witchy collar” on her dress.
Ava adds that throughout the “Wicked” press tour both Grande and Erivo “were always either in something green or pink for their respective character or in an outfit that like gave their characters vibes.” She believes it shows the importance of the movie to them and says she thinks it acts as “a good luck charm.”
Senior Pearl Rungrotkitiyot liked best actress Mikey Madison’s outfit saying, “it’s simple, but so stylish.”
Madison wore a Dior sleek black and satin pink dress with a simple bow, small train, and topped off the look with jewelry from Tiffany & Co.
Pearl also notes that, while best supporting actress winner Zoe Saldaña is under flames for her participation in the controversial film “Emilia Pérez,” she was well dressed at the Oscars in a Saint Laurent part bedazzled mesh, part layer red satin, dress. She topped the look off with a pair of black mesh gloves and a Cartier necklace called the “Pantheres Versatiles.”
Ava enjoyed the subtle reference Demi Moore made to her character in “The Substance.”
“I liked her dress because in “The Substance” she plays Elizabeth Sparkle and at the Oscars, you see her in this silver sparkly sequin dress,” she said.
As for the best dressed men, Ava feels that Jeff Goldblum was top of her ratings. She feels that Goldblum is “always doing something a little funky, like a little flower, a little fun pattern on his shirt.” She claims that “he doesn’t have to take himself so seriously.”
She believes this mentality of not being too serious is not always taken into account in men’s fashion. She notes that it gets repetitive after a while.
“It’s always the same thing no matter the event. Met Gala, it’s the same old tired suit. Fashion show, it’s the same old tired suit. Awards for like the Oscars and the Grammys, it’s just the same old suit,” she said. “I need to see men in like bell bottoms or something.”
When comparing Oscars outfits to other events, as Esther puts it, the Oscars is often considered more serious.
Pearl feels that Oscars outfits are much different than Met Gala looks.
“The Oscars seems more lenient in outfit choice. Of course, the designer chooses what the celebrities wear, but for the Met, there is a theme,” she said. “In my opinion it’s definitely more fun to look at the Met’s outfits. I feel like they’re more creative.”
Ava agrees saying that people are “not trying to be experimental ” at the Oscars. She agrees with pearl about the Met Gala being different saying, “that’s where like a lot of crazy performative outfits shine. Like you’ll see Camila Cabello who had a purse made of like ice, or when Tyla wore a dress made of sand. Like those things don’t happen at the Oscars.”
Esther judges that there was not much of a common theme, while Ava feels that many outfits embodied the “classiness of old Hollywood.” Ava remarks that “there’s not a lot that’s like challenging the status quo fashion at the Oscars.”
