Reviewing all the 2021 Oscars fashion moments! Who tops your Best Dressed list?

Greetings, fashionistas! After quite the unusual year for the entertainment industry — the 93rd Academy Awards took place and we have fashions to review!

The ceremony was the first entirely in-person event the film industry has hosted since the pandemic began last year. Guests attended an in-person event in LA as well as overseas at satellite parties in London, Paris, Seoul and more.

It was great to see the Academy rethink the format of a ceremony that many say has become stale. With a change of venue, no host and a focus on the nominees rather than unnecessary extra bits — it was a freshened up event that celebrated the best in film over this historic year. We also saw the most diverse cast of winners to date taking home grand prizes!

Reviewing the 2021 Oscar Fashion Moments

In honor of the occasion, Oscar nominees and presenters of course came dressed to impress! Custom Louis Vuitton, Valentino, Gucci and Alexander McQueen all made appearances on the red carpet. The breakout trend for the night? GOLD! Which is rather fitting giving the night is all about handing out gold trophies.

Another thing we saw from the 2021 Oscars fashion was stars working with designers to pay homage to iconic moments in fashion history.

Zendaya and her stylist Law Roach worked with Valentino’s creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli to design a beautiful neon yellow haute couture gown that was inspired by a similar look from Cher. Similarly, Best Song nominee H.E.R. teamed up with Dundas to create a hooded purple look that was inspired by Prince’s 1985 appearance at the Oscars.

The scaled back Academy Awards may have had a more limited guest list than we’re used to seeing for the event, but there was no shortage of major looks on the red carpet. Peruse the night’s top looks below! Who tops your Best Dressed?

Amanda Seyfried in Armani Prive

It was no surprise to see Armani Prive have a few 2021 Oscars fashion moments, but perhaps most notably they partnered with Amanda Seyfried to customize a couture gown for her in a beautiful cherry red! Amanda was a Best Actress nominee for her performance in MANK.

Andra Day in Custom Vera Wang

I was absolutely delighted to see Vera Wang have a 2021 Oscars fashion moment and Best Actress nominee Andra Day turned up like a golden goddess!

Angela Bassett in Alberta Ferretti

Alberta Ferretti is a designer that deserves more recognition on major red carpets. Fingers crossed this GORGEOUS gown on Angela Bassett inspires more great moments like this in the future.

Dua Lipa in Custom Balenciaga

The Elton John AIDS Foundation continued their tradition of an Oscars night fundraiser – albeit this year, it was virtual. To liven up the occasion, Elton enlisted the always phenomenal Dua Lipa to perform and she did NOT disappoint in two ultra glamorous Balenciaga gowns.

Dupa Lipa in FW21 Balenciaga

Dua also wore a sparkly Balenciaga FW21 collection gown for her duet performance with Elton John.

Glenn Close in Armani Prive

8-time nominee Glenn Close gave a twerking performance at the 2021 Oscars that had the internet abuzz — and she did so in a colorful Armani Prive tunic paired with black trousers.

Halle Berry in Dolce and Gabbana

I was super excited when I saw Halle Berry on the guest list and expected a fantastic 2021 Oscars fashion moment from her. What we got was a rather divisive dusty rose gown from the ever controversial Dolce and Gabbana. She also debuted a daring choppy bob that was cut the same day of the event.

Carey Mulligan in Valentino Spring 2021 Couture

This Spring 2021 Valentino Haute couture finale gown was destined for a major appearance after it debuted on the runway in January. Well, a major appearance it got on Best Actress nominee Carey Mulligan!

H.E.R. in Dundas

Best Song Winner H.E.R. has a great partnership with Dundas emerging. The two worked together beautifully for her Grammy’s looks and teamed up once again for the Academy Awards. This particular 2021 Oscars fashion moment was inspired by the one and only Prince — and can you really go wrong there?

Laura Dern in Oscar de la Renta

Oscar winner Laura Dern wore a beautiful Fall 2020 gown by Oscar de la Renta with a lush feathered skirt.

Maria Bakalova in Custom Louis Vuitton

Nominated for her first film performance ever in the Borat sequel, Maria Bakalova worked with the Louis Vuitton on a beautiful custom gown fit for a princess!

Regina King in Custom Louis Vuitton

The Louis Vuitton atelier delivered another great 2021 Oscars fashion moment with a custom Cinderella blue gown for Regina King. The dress included a record-breaking number of Swarovski crystals for the house as well as 62,000 sequins!

Vanessa Kirby in Custom Gucci

Pieces of a Woman‘s Best Actress nominee Vanessa Kirby worked again with Gucci on a custom column gown in a soft blush pink for the occasion.

Viola Davis in Custom Alexander McQueen

Nominated for her performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Viola Davis and her stylist Elizabeth Stewart partnered with the Alexander McQueen atelier to design a dream dress for this year’s show! What they landed on was a crisp white gown with intricate appliques and beading on the corset over a romantic chiffon skirt.

Zendaya in Custom Valentino Couture

We knew we were destined for a great 2021 Oscars fashion moment as soon as Zendaya was announced as a presenter. Many speculated she would wear the SS21 couture gown from Valentino that Carey Mulligan wore. Instead, Zendaya and her stylist Law Roach took things several steps further by working with Valentino to create a vibrant neon yellow dress that was absolutely exquisite on screen.

Chloe Zhao in Hermes

Nomadland‘s Chloe Zhao made history as the first woman of color to take home the Best Director trophy and she did so in hot-off-the-runway Fall 2021 Hermes.

Fashion Forward Friends Podcast

2021 Oscars Fashion Recap Episode

In the latest episode of the Fashion Forward Friends podcast, my co-host Thomas Monks and I discuss all of the looks from this year’s Oscars and reveal our picks for the BEST (and worst) dressed.

Tune in on iTunes

Tune in on Spotify

Join the #DreamSquad:

Sign up for the weekly newsletter and receive exclusive dreamer content you won’t find on DREAMINLACE.com straight in your inbox. Let’s be dreamers, together!