A “Hawaiian god and a very mature Englishwoman,” a Pretty Woman, two Crazy Rich Asians, and most everyone in between, made pink the dominant color at the 91st Oscars.
We had never seen pink—a color long associated with girlish, Barbie sweetness and youthful innocence—look so grownup as it was on the red carpet this week.
Her unplanned color-coordinated look with co-presentor Jason Momoa (“Hawaiian god”) was even the subject of (“Englishwoman”) Dame Helen Mirren’s spiel onstage: “… it goes to show that these days… we can both wear pink.” Yesterday’s “millennial pink” just became ageless and genderless.
Mirren, 73, wore layers of tulle and accordion pleats by Schiaparelli, in various shades of the pink spectrum, including the house’s signature color, “shocking pink.”
The hunk “Aquaman” chose a dusty pink velvet suit by Fendi. His wife, Lisa Bonet, also wore pink.
While it may be a stretch to assign meaning to the prevalent color choice on Hollywood’s biggest stage, beyond pure aesthetics, it was a joyful sight to have many women owning the color, embracing it with its attendant symbolism of femininity and seduction.
There was Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Kacey Musgraves in tiers of cotton-candy cloud by Giambattista Valli, its sweetness a contrast to Angela Bassett’s figure-hugging Reem Acra in the tartier shade of fuchsia.
“Green Book’s” Linda Cardellini also wore a shocking pink Schiaparelli, a maximalist ruffled number.
Young actor KiKi Layne (“If Beale Street Could Talk”) went for a custom Atelier Versace that sported a massive ruffle bow on one shoulder, much like Bassett’s.
Even Julia Roberts, who skipped the red carpet, went pink in a one-shoulder dress by Elie Saab, as she presented the Best Picture trophy.
Our absolute favorite was Gemma Chan’s glorious bubblegum-pink Valentino Couture that could’ve looked like a tent on a girl with less moxie, but she wore it with requisite style and panache.
Chan’s costar Awkwafina also chose pink, a shimmery suit by DSquared2.
And while everyone went color, fashion rebel Lady Gaga went all-black, in Alexander McQueen and a $30-million Tiffany diamond necklace. She changed to another black number, by her former stylist Brandon Maxwell, to perform “Shallow” with Bradley Cooper. (Maxwell dressed other stars, including Melissa McCarthy in a black-and-white caped number and Sarah Paulson in magenta.)
Charlize Theron and Irina Shayk wore near identical looks—sleek bobs and high-neck, long-sleeved dresses with bare backs, Dior couture for the actress and Burberry for the model.
Here are our Oscars’ best dressed.
