Oscars 2025: The best dressed and the blah on the red carpet

SINGAPORE – The 97th Academy Awards was an expected parade of glamour, as the stars pulled up to impress on March 2 evening (March 3 morning, Singapore time) at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

There were more hits than misses on Hollywood’s biggest night, although many played it safe in 2025 with unremarkable ensembles.

Silver, pink and shimmering sequinned gowns made a big appearance on the red carpet, as did somewhat shapeless velvet numbers that drowned their wearers. American actresses Mikey Madison and Elle Fanning looked like they were in on an inside joke in near-matching svelte gowns cinched with feminine bows.

Others chose to let their jewellery do the talking, as priceless gems from Cartier, Tiffany & Co, Boucheron and Chopard glittered provocatively on the red carpet. The Straits Times rounds up the best and worst looks of the evening.

The Best

Selena Gomez

The pop star and actress has been on fire this awards season, turning out look after glamorous look on the red carpet. Following impossibly classy numbers at the Golden Globes in January and Screen Actors Guild Awards in February, she continued to channel Old Hollywood elegance at the Oscars in a custom blush Ralph Lauren gown and perfectly coiffed hair.

There to celebrate her Oscar-nominated film Emilia Perez, the actress was dripping in jewels. She paired her figure-skimming gown – covered top to bottom in over 16,000 glass droplets and Rosemont crystals – with a Bvlgari diamond choker featuring a 10-carat pear-cut diamond drop pendant.

Elle Fanning

Ever the picture of period film sophistication, she looked at home in a custom Givenchy haute couture outfit that was simple but elegant.

In designer Sarah Burton’s first look for Givenchy since she joined the house as creative director in September 2024, the white couture dress in French Lyon lace and silk tulle was inspired by Hubert de Givenchy’s first collection in the 1950s – featuring a moulded corset and Watteau caped back, belted with a black grosgrain bow.

Ariana Grande

The silhouette might not be for everyone, but literal props must be given to the Wicked star and best supporting actress nominee’s frothy pale pink Schiaparelli gown for its clear nod to her role as Glinda.

The sculptural corset bodice was perfectly balanced by the full tulle skirt, studded with more than 190,000 crystal sequins and rhinestones. You can almost picture her floating away in a giant bubble.

Colman Domingo

You can always count on the stylish actor to deliver a sharp red-carpet look. Nominated for Best Actor for his role in Sing Sing, he brought welcome colour to the red carpet – in a custom Maison Valentino outfit created for him by creative director Alessandro Michele.

The ensemble featured a red shantung silk double-breasted tailored jacket with a black lapel and matching red-collared shirt, black wool trousers and a belt with tassels. The accessories – jewellery from Boucheron and snazzy wire frames with red-tinted lenses – pulled everything together.

Demi Moore

The first-time best actress Oscar nominee, for her role as fictional Hollywood has-been Elisabeth Sparkle in horror film The Substance, has never looked better. In a plunging custom Armani Prive silver number with a gathered hip detail, Moore kept it classy with matching chandelier earrings and a chunky wrap-around bracelet from Chopard. With a body like that, who needs the Substance?

The blah

Scarlett Johansson

This vintage Thierry Mugler ensemble did the actress’ hourglass figure no favours, its navy velvet fabric failing to catch the light in the right places and weighing her down. The elbow-length opera gloves looked more costume than couture, and made Johansson look positively matronly.

Zoe Saldana

Karma will strike whoever convinced her to don this dress to accept her first Oscar for best supporting actress for Emilia Perez. There are too many layers in this maroon monstrosity, which brings to mind a silky cabbage ready for harvest.

Luckily for her, the camera showed her from the chest up during her acceptance speech, leaving all eyes on the glittering Cartier necklace encircling her throat, a new high jewellery piece from the maison’s Nature Sauvage collection.

Laura Blount

We have no words, only condolences, for hair and make-up artist Laura Blount, whose involvement in Wicked certainly came through in this fantastical emerald dress. Can someone show her the yellow brick road back to the Emerald City?

Yasmin Finney

Someone please save the British actress, who looks like she is lost in a swamp of cheap peacock feathers, trying to smile and not sneeze at the same time.

Stacy Martin

Just because it is designer does not mean it works. Wearing custom Louis Vuitton, the French actress looked part-lampshade from the waist down in a baffling number. Whatever potential it had was ruined by the structured black band that looks like it was sourced from a local furniture shop.