Despite Some Standouts, 2025 Oscars’ Outfits Fall Flat

Graphic by Alexander Hernandez Gonzalez

This year’s Academy Awards broke records. Paul Tazewell became the first Black man to win “Best Costume Design,” Sean Baker tied for most Oscars wins in one night and Best Actor Adrien Brody gave the longest speech ever. And yet, the Oscars’ fashion was lackluster, minus a few notable outfits. Here’s the round-up on the outfits of the night:

Ariana Grande’s pale pink Schiaparelli dress was the most iconic of the night. The top's structure is distinct and reminiscent of Glinda’s dress in Wicked. The tulle skirt draped beautifully, and the crystals created a subtle, classy gradient. 

The corset in the back was delicate, even if you could see it aggressively cinching her back. With a sleeveless dress, her silver necklace fell at the perfect length to balance everything out.

Cynthia Erivo’s green Louis Vuitton dress pulled from her character in Wicked, too. Structure and bold shapes were in this season, as shown by the high neckline of her dress and the bow-shaped sleeves being three times the size of her waist. 

All of her jewelry is silver, with her painstakingly designed nails being mostly gold. I appreciated the mixing of metals and the balance between the solid-color dress and the detailed nails.

Timothée Chalamet’s yellow Givenchy suit left me wondering what his stylist, Taylor McNeill, has against him. The shirt and jacket were nicely cut and tailored, even though they clearly shouldn’t have been worn together. His pants are the most confusing part of the ensemble. 

For a seemingly dressy outfit, they’re too long and the pattern is more like jeans than dress pants, especially given the rivets. His hair is a few inches tall, and I’m curious as to how his hairstylist got it to subtly defy gravity.

Despite these shortcomings, the brooch on the suit is so unique. It’s been a while since brooches were in, much less on a men’s suit. Despite its ridiculousness, it provided plenty of entertaining X (formerly known as Twitter) discourse and fit with his current theatre kid image.

Miley Cyrus’s outfit was underwhelming. I loved the accessories, hair and makeup, but the dress and gloves felt wrong. The gloves seemed to be awkwardly short, and the appliques on her Alexander McQueen dress looked tacky and cheap. It felt more fit for a funeral than an award show. 

Lily-Rose Depp was in Chanel, as usual. I thought the dress was classy, with the thinner straps and lace fabric being sensual and on-brand for Depp. Her hair and the jewelry were gorgeous, though I think gold would suit her better. 

Her makeup, done by Nina Park, also looks great, but it hasn’t changed up since 2019. Timeless makeup can and should still have some variety to it.

Andrew Garfield’s Gucci suit was one of my favorites of the night. Unlike Chalamet’s outfit, the color is muted enough to look refined. The satin undershirt offers enough of a contrast, and even the ring, Jaeger-Le Coultre watch and pendant gem are color-coordinated. 

The reading glasses he wears work. They’re as sophisticated as the rest of the fit, but match the intellect he consistently shows in interviews. While his hair looks great, I wish they put more effort into making his facial hair look better, as it looks a little patchy. The mustache looked great, though.

Mikey Madison’s Dior outfit was okay. The color of her satin skirt and bow was so feminine and perfectly suited her complexion. I don’t like the length of the bodice and I think if it was longer, it would have looked less like a high school prom dress. 

The necklace and makeup, especially the eyeliner, were perfect, but the hair was lacking. Her stylist should have done a better job of reducing flyaways and making her updo look less lumpy.

Ava DuVernay’s Louis Vuitton dress was a favorite of the night. The makeup, hair and color of her dress were all flattering on her. The structure in the shoulders of the dress was just fun and the boxy purse balances it out. It’s the perfect balance of structure and draping elements. It’s cohesive and has a perfect combination of simplicity and detail.

Penelope Cruz’s Chanel dress was disappointing. The top felt too long and the shape felt awkward. The fabric of the skirt seemed to come from under the bodice when it would have looked so much better if it was layered on top. 

I didn’t love the silver buttons going down the middle. If it had been a few, instead of going all the way down the bodice, it would have looked less gaudy. Otherwise, I liked that her ring matched the brooch at the top of her dress. 

The draping on her dress was gorgeous, but I wish it was shorter because it just looks like tendrils on the floor. The hair and makeup especially looked great. 

Lupita Nyong’o’s Armani Privé dress was perfect. Her makeup was great, and the lipstick shade suited her. I loved the pearls on the dress — the straps and the trim on the bodice. The corset was my favorite part, especially the perfect boy around the waist. It sits in a perfect spot and the skirt of the dress is perfectly simple. 

The silver jewelry ties it together, with her pink stiletto nails matching the dress’s color. The dress deserved a delicate silver necklace to fill out the area, but overall it was one of the most beautiful outfits of the night. 

Margaret Qualley’s Chanel outfit was good, but not great. The shape of the dress wasn’t very flattering, especially in the waist and sleeves. Her updo was technically well done, but I didn’t like the shape of it. 

The makeup was pretty good, with the lipstick being a gorgeous color, but her contour just looked like a line of brown on her face. The dangling tassel on the Chanel diamond necklace was gorgeous and reminds me of Sabrina Carpenter’s JW Anderson dress from the Grammys this year.

Finally, Jeremy Strong’s tuxedo from Loro Piana was one of the worst men’s fashion moments of the night, second only to Timothee Chalamet. The suit was nicely tailored, with a debonair criss-crossed bow tie. It is described as olive green, but it appears more of a sad mix between beige, gray, and green. 

From Chalamet’s butter yellow suit to Strong’s depressing steel-toned tux, it seems like male actors struggled to get their colors right this season. Monochrome color palettes took the red carpet by storm, with Grande and Erivo bringing in the most striking looks of the night.