It didn’t help that the red carpet was, in fact, gray. And that, like much of the UK, it was raining in Beverly Hills. And that the most famous stars — Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet, Rihanna — who we count on to kick off awards season with their reliable frou frou glamor, actually didn’t make it.
And it really didn’t help that the best looks were all black, though Triangle of Sadness star Dolly de Leon, wearing an extraordinary gown in buttery-soft black leather by stylist Norman René Devera; Hacks’ Megan Stalter giving Angelina Jolie’s leg a run in Versace, and Natasha Lyonne in clingy Givenchy, patent wedges, and a copper bob, looked anything but dull.
But this year, as is often the case these days, it fell to the men to shake things up.
Call it the Chalamet effect, but penguin suits are gone and even ties are gone. Influencer Josh Richards may be better known among Gen Z, but going forward, he’ll also be known as the guy who traded his shirt for a sheer mesh top.
Historically, what men wear to a red carpet has always been relegated to background chatter, certainly amongst the clutter of princess dresses and long hair. Then, in 2019, Chalamet wore a Louis Vuitton harness to the Golden Globes and Billy Porter wore a Christian Siriano ball gown to the Oscars, and the menswear landscape was forever changed, reflecting the ever-shrinking divide between it and the Feminine fashion. At least, on the red carpet.
It was Donald Glover who won the proverbial red carpet, however. Wearing a black jacket with pointed shoulders over cream silk Saint Laurent pajamas that pooled over her shoes, the effect was heightened pandemic, practical – the pajamas had pockets, which at the very least makes for a good way to pose – but comfortable, the old meets the new.
Also see Andrew Garfield, in a burnt orange linen suit, pretending it wasn’t January; Tyler James Williams in a faded Matador-style suit from streetwear brand Amiri; Seth Rogen in a peach Dior tuxedo; Mark Indelicato of Hacks in a 1930s-style suit of buttercream brocade and Barry Keoghan of The Banshees of Inisherin in pastel blue Louis Vuitton, gift wrapped around neck with small scarf. Porter wore yet another Siriano ball gown, this time in Pantone’s 2023 color of the year, Viva Magenta.
Social media has always had a hand too, with the most successful looks becoming memes. The Instagram moment of 2023 came in the form of opera gloves. Worn by Nicole Byer in Siriano, Lyonne in Givenchy and Ayo Edebiri, they were an old-school flourish – it’s impossible to see a pair and not think of Audrey Hepburn – modernized by the sprinkling of extravagant diamond rings worn on top.
In some cases they made a disconcerting addition (some were even attached to the dresses themselves), although, given the number of viruses in circulation, no one wore masks, probably a sensible mask too.
It is perhaps telling that the most eye-catching look of the night was in fact neither a suit nor a dress, but a mixture of the two – complemented by a single blue teardrop painted on the left cheek – worn by House of the Dragon’s Emma D’Arcy. Blink and you’ll miss the skirt worn underneath. “I was going for a ‘child prodigy at the grand piano recital’ kind of look, except we added a single teardrop to the makeup, so I think the recital was pretty bad,” the actor said of the “Acne Studios suit.” ” before the ceremony. “I’m wearing a skirt and pants, because nothing says ‘non-binary’ like wearing pants and skirts simultaneously.”
What people wore on red carpets was never what they really wanted to wear. A star’s choice of dress was largely engineered in collusion with the marketing power of big brands who paid for the privilege, with some designers becoming as famous as the people they wear.
When MeToo happened — and when we realized that the red carpet was as much about objectification as who was dating who — we expected a redefinition. But Hollywood’s fashion industrial complex will likely never shake off its dark past. Nor will people stop wearing Dolce & Gabbana, despite its history of racism and homophobia. An economy in itself, thousands of dollars pass hands at these events. And they probably will forever.
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