Old Hollywood — and the way it is represented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and its award nominations — has been under the microscope for a while now, whether because of #OscarsSoWhite or #MeToo or the lack of recognition of female directors (and the lack of recognition of Jennifer Lopez in “Hustlers”! Scandal!).
So you have to wonder why so many actors still think dressing à la old Hollywood is the way to go on the red carpet when it comes to the biggest night of the award season.
If ever there were a time to throw down the gauntlet and change things up a bit, the Oscars entrance parade should be it. Especially given the rapturous reception given to Billy Porter’s tuxedo ball gown last year, and the way it spoke to gender stereotype and the evolving world.
As a result, it was hard to see all the Veronica Lake hair and silver screen-era gowns, the bows and crystals and corsets on Sunday night outside the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, no matter how good they looked, and not think: “lost opportunity.”
To be fair, the fairy tale princess puffery of years past had gone, replaced by a more mature, kind of power royalty silhouette — led again by Mr. Porter, this year a lone male peacock in gilded feathers and a voluminous skirt by Giles Deacon silk-screened with images of Kensington Palace, the London home of Prince William and Kate Middleton (Mr. Porter seems to be engaged in an endless game of one-upping himself in the fashion sweepstakes, and the results are becoming increasingly baroque).
So there was Regina King in queenly, peach-toned Versace, overskirt sweeping majestically behind. Here was Charlize Theron in off-the-shoulder corseted black Dior, slit thigh-high along one leg, like some sort of dangerous Marie Antoinette about to seize the throne. There was Olivia Colman in sapphire velvet Stella McCartney, complete with train streaming out from her shoulders and — aeration holes on her upper arms? It was hard to tell.
In any case, before you could get too worked up wondering, here was Brie Larson in gleaming (and comfortable looking, despite the 13,000 Swarovski crystals) Celine-with-cape. She could fly herself to the moon.
Save for some dangling black lampshade tassels on Laura Dern’s shell pink Armani Privé, and what looked like small shrubberies on Sandra Oh’s shoulders courtesy of Elie Saab, the decorative froufrou had been streamlined. That’s a step forward. Bow down.
In case you missed the point, Salma Hayek wore a crown-like laurel leaf Boucheron necklace curled around her updo, as well as a one-shouldered white Gucci goddess gown, which turned out to be something of a trend.
The asymmetric white, that is — seen also on Renée Zellweger in Armani Privé and Cynthia Erivo in Versace. For contrast, there was also a lot of black (Penélope Cruz and Margaret Qualley in Chanel; Geena Davis in Romona Keveza). It was one of the dominant colors of the night — rare in an evening where gold to match the statue, or red to match the runway, often rule.
Maybe it was a sign? “Parasite” just made history as the first foreign-language film to win best picture. The red carpet as we know it is starting to feel like a relic from another time.
Which is why those who strode it with another purpose in mind (besides simply power posing as effectively as possible) stood out among the throng. The denouement was in the details.
Natalie Portman, for example, in gold-embroidered Dior gown and a long black cape — edged in gold embroidery with the names of the female directors who hadn’t been nominated.
Spike Lee, longtime basketball superfan, in a purple-and-gold Gucci suit, with the number “24” on the lapels as well as on the back, in honor of Kobe Bryant. Along with his appearance at last year’s Oscars in a different purple suit — and shirt — in honor of Prince, this solidified his status as a man who understands how to bend the red carpet circus to his own ends.
Margot Robbie, in mid-1990s vintage couture Chanel — one among a small contingent approaching the evening with sustainability in mind. Reduce, reuse, recycle!
That included Saoirse Ronan, whose peplum-sprouting Gucci included off-cuts from the dress she wore earlier this month to the EE British Academy Film Awards, otherwise known as the BAFTAs; Jane Fonda, who made a vow not to buy any more clothes last year when she began her Friday climate protests, shopped her closet for a 2013 Elie Saab gown she last wore at the Cannes Film Festival in 2014; Kaitlyn Dever, whose red strapless satin, she announced to E!, was “a completely sustainable dress made by Louis Vuitton.” (The brand notes said it was “an ethical and eco-responsible custom-made gown,” which is not exactly specific, but let’s take Vuitton’s word for it for the moment.)
Also Timothée Chalamet, whose somewhat confusing Prada zip-up satin garage mechanic’s suit at first seemed pointlessly different and kind of blah — oh, sparkling harness of times past, we missed you! — but then turned out to be an example of the brand’s Re-nylon project, made from regenerated nylon that can be “recycled indefinitely,” according to the company.
Along with Billie Eilish, once again rejecting the body-judging gaze in head-to-toe enveloping bouclé Chanel jacket and baggy pants, these choices marked a change in the weather. Forget old Hollywood; this is new Hollywood. Not in terms of generation, but approach.
It meant when the dreaded question “What are you wearing?” came, the answer could be about something more than marketing.
Janelle Monáe, in silver crystal-covered, hooded Ralph Lauren, had the best dress. She looked like the ruler of an entire galaxy. (Later she used her opening performance as a platform to showcase diversity and female artists.) But in the end, Ms. Portman, Mr. Lee and Co. had the best looks. Let’s give them something to talk about.
