Making a Starry Statement

The Oscars saw some fabulous fashion and powerful political statements taking a bow on the red carpet

THE MOST note-worthy red carpet moments were also the ones that made a statement, in more ways than one. Iconic actor and 20th time Oscar-nominee Meryl Streep made headlines for calling designer Karl Lagerfeld a liar for alleging that she didn’t wear a Chanel dress in favour of the Elie Saab gown she eventually wore, purportedly in lieu of money. Jennifer Aniston reportedly wore 10.7 million worth of diamonds, and Lion child star Sunny Pawar wore colourful keds with his tuxedo.

Then there were actors such as Ruth Negga, Lin-manuel Miranda and Karlie Kloss, who wore blue ribbons on the red carpet in support of the American Civil Liberties Union, for their initiative against President Donald Trump’s immigration ban. But the bow-ties were out, diamonds were glittering from every celebrity orifice and many gowns looked like feather dusters. Few vignettes:

Apart from a moving acceptance speech for her first Oscar win as Best Supporting Actress, dedicated to acting “because we are the only profession that celebrates what it means to live a life” Viola Davis made quite a vibrant splash in a crimson Armani Prive gown. A razor sharp pixie cut

SPEECH THERAPY:

lent an edge to the Fences actor’s appearance.

Carrying on the musical vibe of her award-winning film La La Land, Best Actress winner Emma Stone chose to wear a Givenchy Haute Couture gown by Ricardo Tisci with a fringed skirt, designed to

WINNING VIBE:

perfection for a twirl on the dance floor. Apart from her Tiffany & Co. earrings and ring, Stone made a statement by wearing a pin in support of “Planned Parenthood”, taking a stand against American President Donald Trump’s administration’s controversial policies.

While the pre-oscars parties had Freida Pinto and Deepika Padukone make appearances, it was Priyanka Chopra who represented India on the red carpet at the big event. The Quantico and Baywatch star wore an architectural Ralph & Russo gown with matching Lorraine Schwartz cuffs.

DESI GIRL:

Director and nominee Ava Duvernay’s grey Ashi Studio gown may not have been the most spectacular, but she managed to make headlines the world over when she tweeted, “A small sign of solidarity. I chose to wear a gown by a designer from a majority Muslim country. Thanks to @Ashistudio of Lebanon. #Oscars.” And while she may not have been the only one wearing a gown by a Lebanese designer — Chrissy Teigen wore Zuhair Murad, Janelle Monae and Streep both wore Elie Saab — Duvernay’s look took on more significance since she said it was her way of taking a stand against President Trump’s executive order in January.

STATEMENT PIECE:

Blue was definitely the colour of the night for the men, as Matt Damon, Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans sported shades of the hue. But the clear winner for us was Riz Ahmed, looking suave in an Ermenegildo Zegna Couture suit and Christian Louboutin shoes.

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