Oscars 2021 brought back some of the glamour that had been missing in the last year

From gold worn head to toe, to exposed mid-sections, to oversized shoulders, the 93^rd annual Academy Awards ceremony brought a bit of old-Hollywood glamour to the fore in what is the first in-person awards ceremony since, well, the 2020 Oscars that was held just before the world shutdown in the Covid-19 pandemic.

Nothing about Sunday night’s ceremony was “normal,” with a number of Oscar traditional being (thankfully) cast aside: no musical numbers during the live broadcast, no orchestra playing music over the longer acceptance speeches, no interminable walks down long aisles just to get to the stage by the winners. This year’s fete what also held in multiple locations: primarily the historic Union Station in Los Angeles, which allowed for distance and room for the nominees and presenters, the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, the usual site of the ceremony, and the nearby Highland Center. This year also meant no more Zoom acceptance speeches where you can only see the top half of the recipient. Whew!

This year’s installment of the Oscars also brought a return to the red carpet (or was this year’s runway more of a pink?) glamour that seems to have provided an outlet for style that has been missing since the Covid-19 shutdowns of early 2020.

With the crazy year that it has been, there was much to anticipate on who would wear what, and who would make the biggest statement of the night. The night traditionally is a moment of setting and creating new fashion trends. Considering it has been a relatively “interesting” past year to say the least when it comes to movies being released and having no theater to go to watch – this is the time for our favorite actors and actresses to make their debut. 

Looking back and referencing back on 2020’s Oscars ceremony, and its most memorable fashion moments include many beautiful actors and actresses. Scarlett Johansson’s “Gorgeous Goddess” – a structured, beautiful gold, soft, beautiful neckline, paired with soft smoky eyes. The dress drips down her body almost flawlessly. Last year entailed many iconic body moments for celebrities, to show off their figures. Charlize Theron at the 2020 Oscars ceremony wore a black, half off the shoulder, half on the shoulder, slit at the leg, with a soft “U” neckline. The layers make it look beautiful. Her statement piece was the diamond necklace.

Colors such as light pink, metallics, and black played as a major fashion trend just last year; as well as having sequins and beads all along the dresses.

And 2021, took those trends a step further.

Best Actress nominee Carey Mulligan wore an astonishing two-piece metallic gold gown by Valentino Haute Couture. The top part of the two pieces is a strapless tube top in that flattered her figure beautifully. The other half of the dress is “cupcake” like, and trails out to the floor. As we will see further on into this fashion piece, the color gold color played as a major fashion trend. What is particularly interesting about this fashion moment was the fact that there was no statement necklace or earrings. Mulligan’s hair was put up in a bun to show off the star of the show: the gold dress and all of its glory.

Our next gold moment on the Oscar’s carpet was Best Actree nominee Andra Day in an enchanted gold dress designed by the one and only Vera Wang. This dress showed off Day’s figure and a lot of skin to say the least, but she of course rocked the look. The dress was almost cut in half at the hips, and spills open at a beautiful slit on her right leg, revealing it entirely. She paired the dress with a beautiful chain bracelet, earrings, and a matching clutch. Her hair was also up, to show off the entirety of the dress’s true beauty and its gold statement of the night.

Maria Bakalova wore a gorgeous plunging Louis Vuitton tulle. The white champagne and shipper at the top of the dress truly brings together the entire look. The bottom half of the dress shows off the elegance of the look, and pairing the look with the diamond necklace and earrings, along with the red lip, is sure enough to stun the crowd.

Best Actress nominee Viola Davis walked out with a magnificent custom-made, laser-cut, silk white, floor-length gown by Alexander McQueen. She paired this look with a matching clutch, which seems to be a trend as well this year; and her natural curls pulled up elegantly. The mid-section of the dress allows for eyes to wander to the beautiful detailed work by the McQueen team. The straps give the illusion of a fine piece of jewelry. This dress and its abstract designs along the mid-section is truly eye catching.

Double Oscar-nominee Leslie Odom Jr. (supporting actor and original song for “One Night in Miami”) and his wife, Nicolette Robinson, (shown at top of post) stole the carpet with his golden suit, by Brioni, which evoked an Oscar-statuette-feel, and most definitely brought a sense of “royalty” with this look to the Oscars. Odom paired the suit with Cartier jewels and an Omega watch. His wife wore a stunning black dress designed by Zuhair Murad, and seemed to glow after giving birth to their son just four weeks ago.

Regina King stunned the crowd last year with her pink Atelier Versace gown, with beautiful beading, a fitted mid-section, with a cape around the hips, to reveal the front of the dress, and of course her gorgeous curves. This year, however, King made jaws dropped with her custom-made blue silk dress by Louis Vuitton. This gown has butterfly wings as straps, with beaded sparkles detailing all throughout the dress in striping motions. This Cinderella inspired light blue-color brought out her inner and outer beauty. Her bright blue eyeshadow also brought out the colors of what her dress brought to the carpet. 

Always bringing a statement piece to any award carpet, Amanda Seyfried wore a cherry red gown by Armani Privé. I adore this dress, and it is probably my favorite dress of the night. With its deep-V plunge of a neckline, its hourglass shape to the body, and its color, the entire look just holds together like a perfect picture of modern fashion perfection. Fringe at the neckline and the bottom of the dress are just spectacular. Seyfried’s team paired the dress with an updo to show off the dress entirely, and a beautiful red lip, to bring the red scene to the carpet.

Angela Bassett, also brought a red moment to the Oscars, with her red Alberta Ferretti gown. With its super-sized sleeves and a huge bow on the back of the gown that transforms into a stunning train, this dress was a show stopper. She paired this dress with her hair down, beautiful earrings and bracelet, and, of course, a matching clutch. The slit at the side of the dress on the left leg allows to show off her beautiful silver heels.

Colman Domingo stands with yet another Oscar trend, wearing a bright neon pink Atelier Versace. This tuxedo is quite out of the ordinary when it comes to special award ceremonies like the Oscars. Typically, what we see out of tuxedos are either navy blue, gray or black. Domingo decided to change the game, and that’s exactly what he did. With its gold detailing and sparkles down the middle, this piece is a statement that will be heard for years to come.

Oscar winner H.E.R. changed from the norm of the “typical ball gown,” to a gorgeous hooded, lacy jumpsuit by Dundas. This vibrant blue ensemble set H.E.R. apart from everyone else. Her long black hair and trademark retro glasses paired with this piece to make a memorable moment in Oscar fashion history. The layers of lace that ran from the hood down to form a cape that ran down her back was, in a word, stunning.

Presenter Zendaya shocked the crowd in a neon yellow Valentino dress. Zendaya wore her hair long and wavy, with stacked silver jewelry along her neck. This statement piece allows for vibrant, bright colors, and new trends considering the cut outs, and the style overall. The mid-section shows off part of her stomach, but the rest of the beautiful dress still allows for a bit of conservativeness with the rest of the gown, down to the train.

And, finally, presenter Marlee Matlin wore an elegant gown by Vivienne Westwood. This off the shoulder gown with its slight V-neck, the droopy sleeves lay on the ground, and its fitted body, was and is absolutely stunning to say the least. Matlin didn’t pair a statement necklace, as the dress was already statement enough, but these long dangly earrings seem to be a trend as well amongst the actresses and singers, and all those who attended the Oscars.

Clearly there were many trends set on Sunday night. These trends include: gold metallics, butterfly sleeves, capes, vibrant and neon colors such as red, blue, yellow, and pink, and matching clutches, both vintage and custom, to finish out a look. These fashion trends will most likely last throughout the Spring and Summer considering the appearances they made on Sunday night at the Oscars, and just how stunning the attendees made these pieces look. This night will continue to go down in history as a historical fashion moment for all actresses and actors.