US actress Teyana Taylor attends the 98th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
Image: ANGELA WEISS / AFP
If the Oscars are Hollywood's biggest night, the red carpet is its greatest fashion show.
Sunday evening at the Dolby Theatre delivered both spectacle and surprise, old Hollywood glamour sitting comfortably alongside bold artistic statements and the occasional puzzling choice.
The best dressed
Teyana Taylor proved once again that she knows exactly how to reign on the red carpet.
The “One Battle After Another” star arrived in a showstopping black-and-white feathered Chanel gown dripping in fringe and beading, finished with Tiffany & Co. jewels that caught every flashbulb in sight.
While the look was not as daring as her Grammy or Golden Globe Awards outfits, this was perfect for the Oscars.
Teyana Taylor attends the 98th Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March 15, 2026 in Hollywood, California.
Image: Julian Hamilton / Getty Images / AFP
Bridgerton's Charithra Chandran understood the brief completely. The British-Indian actress chose a rich emerald satin strapless gown by Miss Sohee.
The voluminous skirt, a quietly elegant bow at the back, certainly stood out on the red carpet.
Jewelled tones always triumph at the Oscars, and emerald green in particular is a show-stopper.
The “KPop Demon Hunters” breakout brought artistry to the carpet in a shimmering custom Rahul Mishra minidress layered beneath a long, hand-embroidered shrug that felt genuinely one-of-a-kind.
The pairing of David Webb jewellery and Flor de Maria shoes completed a look that honoured craft and individuality in equal measure.
Among a sea of familiar silhouettes, Ami's arrival felt genuinely refreshing.
In a sea of pastels and metallics, Martin arrived in a sculpted chocolate satin Christian Siriano gown that immediately set her apart.
A corset-style bodice, sweetheart neckline and gathered waist detail flowed into a clean floor-length skirt with a soft trailing hem.
Minimal jewellery, a structured choker and stacked bracelets kept the focus exactly where it belonged. Sharp, controlled and confidently her own.
Hudson stepped onto the carpet and reminded everyone exactly why she remains one of Hollywood's most dependable style presences.
Her custom jade-green Giorgio Armani Privé gown, cut into a plunging sweetheart bustier and nipped at the waist with a sculpted peplum, was mermaid glamour done with real intention.
US actress Kate Hudson attends the 98th Annual Academy Awards.
Image: ANGELA WEISS / AFP
As a Louis Vuitton ambassador, the “One Battle After Another” star carried the weight of expectation onto that carpet and surpassed it.
Her custom lavender gown, with its precisely fitted bodice and cascading tiers of ruffles sweeping into a full train, was the result of 750 painstaking hours of craftsmanship. It showed.
Romantic and refined, it was one of the night's most talked-about arrivals.
The “Sinners” actress arrived in a swirling crimson Gaurav Gupta Couture gown that felt more like a sculpture than a dress, and that was entirely the point.
Dramatic, architectural and unapologetically bold, it was the kind of look that belongs in a museum as comfortably as on a red carpet. Completely unforgettable.
There is something to be said for a woman who arrives knowing precisely what she wants to say.
Byrne's black Christian Dior gown, with intricate beading, a floral print, and a dramatically dipping back, said it without raising its voice. Quietly spectacular and thoroughly Oscars-worthy.
Rose Byrne attends the 98th Oscars.
Image: Julian Hamilton/Getty Images/AFP
The “Frankenstein” actress chose something altogether more ethereal.
Her Dior gown, cream, plunging and held up by the finest of spaghetti straps, was constructed from whispery layers of sheer fabric, hand-embroidered with lacy white florals and finished with delicate scalloped hemlines.
Large fabric blooms at the bust added a final dreamy flourish.
Ones that didn’t quite land
The “Hamnet” director’s head-to-toe black leather outfit stood out, but not in a good way.
With all the ruffles, oversized sleeves and a dark veil covering much of her face, it reminded us of Morticia Addams.
Gothic dressing certainly has its place, but the Oscars red carpet isn’t one of them.
The novelist behind “Hamnet” brought a vivid burst of pink to the carpet in a silky cape-dress cinched at the waist with a black belt.
Black lace gloves, a black mask and a large pendant necklace completed the look.
The intention to create a striking contrast between bold pink and sharp black was clear, but the combination felt deliberate rather than at odds with itself.
It is genuinely difficult to put this one on the list because the pieces themselves, a floral-embroidered wrap jacket, a velvet skirt with metallic detailing and studded sleeves, were individually beautiful.
The problem was the sum of the parts. Layered together, the textures competed rather than collaborated, and the relaxed tailoring tipped the overall look from artfully undone to slightly chaotic.
This is a look she could have rocked at the after-party.
The concept was genuinely inspired. A celebrated ballerina nodding to her craft on one of the world's most-watched stages.
And there was real beauty in the details: the white tulle, the floor-length skirt, the clean lines of the custom David Koma design.
But the oversized structured blazer sitting on top of it all threw the proportions completely off, drawing the eye upward and away from everything beneath it.
US ballerina Misty Copeland.
Image: ANGELA WEISS / AFP
From feathered Chanel to hand-sculpted couture, the 98th Oscars red carpet delivered far more highs than lows.
A new wave of stars made their presence felt, old favourites reminded us why they endure, and even the missteps gave us something worth debating over morning coffee.
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