Oscars 2020 best dressed: A-listers take a safe style route on lacklustre red carpet
Margot Robbie shows the value of vintage, Natalie Portman makes a statement and Spike Lee honours Kobe Bryant, but the most exciting moments came from rising stars Billie Eilish, Beanie Feldstein and Saoirse Ronan
The red carpet at the 2020 Academy Awards lacked the wow factor of previous years or of more extravagant events such as the Grammys and the Met Gala. Female nominees and award presenters mainly stuck to the tried-and-tested, and not very exciting, column and mermaid gowns worn that are undoubtedly beautiful but rarely stand out.
Some A-listers, however, still made strong statements despite their safe choices. Natalie Portman wore a Dior Haute Couture black-and-gold gown with a cape embroidered with the names of all the female directors snubbed as nominees by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences this year.
Director Spike Lee wore a purple tuxedo paired with Nike trainers in homage to Kobe Bryant while Australian actress Margot Robbie, nominated for her role in Bombshell, showed that you can look chic and au courant while wearing vintage, in this case a Chanel haute couture look from 1994. More celebrities should take heed and wear “pre-loved” clothes, a sustainable choice in a wasteful industry.
Among the young starlets, some of them making their first appearance at the Oscars, Billie Eilish did not surprise in her street-inspired custom-made Chanel ensemble while Saoirse Ronan in Gucci and Beanie Feldstein in Miu Miu proved to be red-carpet stars in the making.
If there ever were a best-dressed award for a family, it would have to go to Laura Dern, in Armani Privé, who showed up with her mother and very stylish children.