The red carpet was *tense* this year, mostly because of the whole Ryan Seacrest of it all. Adding to the weirdness, it was really, really hard to pinpoint many “bad” dresses. For the most part, everyone brought it — or, at the very least, didn’t embarrass themselves. So let’s celebrate the good and reflect on the (very few) bad:
BEST DRESSED AT THE 2018 OSCARS:
Jen: Look, if you had told me yesterday that Jennifer Garner would be my best Oscar dress pick, I would have side-eyed you hard. And yet, here we are! Loved the colour, loved the neckline, loved the earrings, loved the hair. This is how you announce to the world that you’re ready for your comeback.
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Nicole: There were some great pops of colour on the red carpet and Alison Janney’s custom Reem Acra looked like it was molded to her body. I don’t know how she looked so comfortable in a dress that fitted but she radiated confidence. I hope she has fun with those sleeves!
Jen: This Michael Kors dress didn’t photograph as vibrantly as it looked on TV, but holy smokes Viola Davis was stunning in bright pink and big hair. I’m in love.
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Nicole: We had a room full of people watching the red carpet and there was a collective gasp when Gal Godot walked onscreen in her Givenchy gown. It was fitted but had great movement and was sexy but not over the top. Equally loved by the men and women in the room.
Jen: There was a lot of white on this carpet (Mary J Blige in Versace, Laura Dern in Calvin Klein, Margot Robbie in Chanel) but for my money, Jane Fonda rose above the rest by looking like she’s auditioning for a Dynasty remake in this white Balmain dress.
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Nicole: There were some lovely white gowns and Jane Fonda was luminous, however Mary J Blige was my favourite. She was stunning in a simple and structured Versace gown with a dropped waist. She glowed on the red carpet.
Jen: Dior has let Jennifer Lawrence down a lot in the past (a lot!) but that wasn’t the case this year. I don’t know that I loved the makeup, but the perfectly fitted dress was fierce.
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Nicole: Greta Gerwig has had a terrific awards season and her grand finale in custom Rodarte was a ray of sunshine on the red carpet. She embraced colour all the way through the season and looked radiant with simple accessories and her hair tucked behind her ears. Perfect.
Jen: Sandra Bullock can do no wrong when she opts for metallic. I love this Louis Vuitton dress. She’s 53(!) and she just keeps looking better and better.
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Nicole: Lupita Nyong’o brought more of her Black Panther promo tour glam to the Oscars with her custom atelier Versace gold gown. The simple fitted bodice flowed like liquid gold into a metallic skirt. She can do no wrong.
WORST DRESSED AT THE 2018 OSCARS:
Jen: There weren’t many full-on disasters on this year’s red carpet, but Emily Blunt came the closest in this dowdy Schiaparelli dress. Is this some kind of weird pre-promotion for her upcoming Mary Poppins movie?
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Nicole: My mouth dropped when I saw Salma Hayek’s pink sparkly Gucci tiered…prom dress? Completely unnecessary draped diamond epaulettes turned this dress into a spangled cowboy look.
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Jen: Saoirse Ronan has been killing it on the awards circuit this year, so I’m bummed that her pale Calvin Klein dress underwhelms. It was boxy, poorly fitted and not as flattering as it should be.