Abby Lipscomb 

atl5355@psu.edu

With every award show, there is a red carpet, and with every red carpet, there is fashion. Though, whether or not the fashion is good or bad is left to the audience to decide. And the Academy Awards 94th iteration has been no different with fans split on some of their favorite artists’ ensembles because despite being some of the richest people in the world, they just do not know how to dress. No matter what award show it is, whether it is the Oscars, Grammys, or Tonys, it just feels so shocking to see some of these highly influential people walk down the red carpet in what is sometimes atrocious clothing. 

Billie Eilish, a famous musician who won the Oscar for best original song, wore a ruffled black dress that looked akin to crumpled up tissue paper. Then for the after party, she wore a cropped version of it with combat boots that looked so much better. It fit her frame perfectly and didn’t just drown her out. Plus, the boots were just so cute. 

Zoë Kavitz, who just recently starred alongside Robert Pattinson in the new Batman movie, attended in a baby pink dress that was cute except for the neckline. It is not clear what was going on exactly, but the odd half bow is just not what people were looking for and left them slightly disappointed. Especially after she completely killed it at “The Batman” premiere earlier that same month when she wore a stunning black dress with the neckline cut out to look like cats, alluding to her role as Catwoman in the film. 

Diane Guerrero, the actress who played Isabella in “Encanto”, wore a slightly prom-ish dress that would have been more dazzling if the silhouette was different and patterns weren’t so sparse. Or maybe if the pattern was not there at all as black and white is an amazing color combo, but it just was not done well in this instance. Despite that, she did accessorize well with her elbow length gloves, big rings, and cute, sparkly mini purse.

Though, not all looks were lackluster.

Jill Scott, a singer-songwriter who was there as a presenter, looked absolutely stunning in her form fitting sequin black dress with dramatic bishop sleeves. The plain waistline gave an illusion of a belt and helped to define her figure so she did not just blend into her sleeves. 

Yuh-Jung Youn, the first Korean actor to win an Academy Award, looked regal in her simple, yet timeless, black dress with gold buttons adorning the front. While it was not as flashy as some of the other looks of the night, it showed that it is not always necessary to go big or go home. Celebrities can still make an impact even in more muted attire as shown in her beautiful interaction with Troy Kotsur who won the Oscar for best supporting actor. 

Last, but not least, is Lily James, an actress who attended as a presenter and whose look was my personal favorite. Her dress was a gorgeous light pink embroidered gown that had a thigh high slit to show off her pretty and pink platform heels. A layer of lace lined her waist to give the dress a little more volume and drama at the bottom. 

Overall, there did not seem to be any total fashion blunders at this years’ Academy Awards. It definitely was not the best, but nothing will ever be worse than the fashion nightmare that was the 2002 Oscars.