LOS ALAMITOS, CA – The renowned red carpet was rolled across the streets of Hollywood for the 96th annual Academy Awards show on Sunday, March 10. The red carpet has always been known for its wild fashion, but were celebrities’ outfits this year a fashion no or worthy of a fashion show?

Before we start, I do have to add that fashion is a form of art and is in the eye of the beholder. You should 100% wear whatever makes you happy, and nobody should be there to judge. On that note, I will be judging eight celebrity outfits for the 2024 Oscars awards. (P.S. If you are a celebrity reading this and I had negative opinions on your outfit, I mean no harm and would still like to be friends.)

Photos of the red carpet looks will be linked in the names below. 

ZENDAYA

ZENDAYA! ZEN! Z! What’s 4+4? Because this look ate. Honestly, I’m not surprised because Zendaya never disappoints. She could wear a trash bag, and you’d see me in a trash bag the next week. But her look for the Oscars was much more than a trash bag. Zendaya looked amazing on the carpet as she wore a pink, satin dress with sparkly designs that looked like palm trees. I loved how the dress strap was twisted to add some effect, along with a half-revealed sparkly corset style top. The simple, yet matching jewelry let the dress have full attention. 

EMMA STONE

“She was like a shot of espresso.” This outfit must be decaf. I like the top half, I like the bottom half, but I don’t exactly like them together. It seems a little stiff and uncomfortable, and I wasn’t totally surprised that it broke. I’ll say that again. Her dress broke! She was literally walking up to accept her award, and the back popped open. So for her whole speech, she had a broken dress. I would sue. On another note, even though the dress seems a little bit boring, I do like the color. The washed out mint lets Stone’s eyes and hair pop. Along with this, her hair and makeup is a complete 10/10. Super simple and natural, but her features are really accentuated. 

NCUTI GATWA

Gatwa bodied this look. Literally. He was seen in a stunning silver chest plate and dress pants during the Vanity Fair Oscar party. This chest plate fashion is becoming a new trend, and I’m 100% here for it. I first saw it on the queen herself, Zendaya, and recently on Timothee Chalamet, but Gatwa made this look his own. He kept the rest of the look simple, really giving the chest plate the full attention. 

ARIANA GRANDE

My first thoughts of Grande’s outfit were: “Did she get tangled in her duvet cover?” and “Shoot, that looks hard to walk in.” I’m saying “thank u, next” to this outfit. It’s giving earthworm. Maybe a cloud? Is she promoting her new perfume? What is going on? The color is a yes, the makeup is a yes, everything except for the poofy thing she was carrying around. No hate towards Grande, but after this fit I had “no tears left to cry.”

RYAN GOSLING

Gosling showed up to the Oscars in a pretty simple suit, but I want to talk about his outfit change. About halfway through the show, Gosling switched fits to sing “I’m Just Ken” from the Barbie movie. He appeared in a whole new outfit to perform his award-winning song, live. Not only was it hot pink, but it was also bedazzled. The suit was totally on-brand for the Barbie movie, and I loved it. The outfit was also accompanied by some sunglasses, and matching pink gloves. Gosling really brought his “Ken-ergy” for this performance. From another view, the performance perfectly mirrored Marilyn Monroe’s performance of “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” in 1953. Gosling took influence from Monroe’s hot pink outfit and iconic staircase.

COLMAN DOMINGO

This outfit is snazzy. The tux. The cut. The boots. The jewelry. EVERYTHING! Domingo brought his all, and did not come to play. The simple black tux was elevated with silver buttons and a bowtie with a brooch in the middle. The pants added shape with their bootcut, and below them were actual boots. I will stand with my words that cowboy boots can be worn with anything. And they should be worn with everything. Lastly, the jewelry! Domingo layered rings and bracelets which really pulled together the outfit. I love love love this outfit, and I truly hope that more men on the red carpet learn from this masterpiece of a look. 

RITA MORENO

I am so sorry. I’m not sure if I’m looking at a person, a feather duster, or both of them combined. Maybe a loofa? Again, I’m sorry, but I do not like what is going on with this outfit. It’s just not for me. The black monochrome was a good move, but the excessive ruffles and curve shape of the dress was an odd choice. This year’s look was not fantastic, but I will have hope for next year.

HAILEE STEINFELD

HAILEE. MISS MA’AM. I am completely in love with this look. Absolutely enamored. Favorite look of the night. I’m both speechless and full of words. This outfit is giving Greek goddess and nothing less. The flowy gown was a beautiful blue color, and it seems so light and elegant. It was paired with an arm and neck scarf type thing that, honestly, I have no idea what it is but I love it (Ariana Grande, please take notes). This outfit was also accompanied by gold accents adding life to the look. And the hair and makeup?! Absolute slay. The slicked back bun and natural makeup gave the dress the spotlight, but Steinfeld also served face (as always). This outfit was everything I needed and more. 

At the end of the show, I realized that there weren’t as many atrocious outfits as I was expecting, and that means that the red carpet was a success. Everyone came to play, and did not disappoint. Even though the outfits are the fun part, the Oscars are about honoring people for their outstanding work, and this year’s award show did a great job doing that. So, in total, the 2024 Oscars was great, and we’ll see what kinds of fashion we get in the upcoming red carpet events.