The 14 Best Oscars 2025 Red Carpet Fashion Moments Deserve a Standing Ovation

I’d like to thank the Academy for the best 2025 Oscars red carpet fashion. Without the 97th Annual Academy Awards’ takeover of Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre on March 2, hosted by Conan O'Brien and attended by style stars like Elle Fanning, Halle Berry, and Selena Gomez, there’d be no excuse for these exquisite pieces to see the light of a Los Angeles afternoon.

More importantly, I'd like to thank stars like Zoe Saldaña and Fernanda Torres, stylists like Micaela Erlanger and Samantha McMillen, and all the glam teams, for saving the best red carpet looks of the year for the 2025 Oscars. Sure, the best looks at the SAG Awards dialed in on Old Hollywood glamour, the Golden Globes gave us jaw-dropping moments like Zendaya's engagement ring reveal, and individual film premieres have delivered rare vintage fashion all season long. But the Academy Awards' best red carpet fashion capped the journeys first-time nominees like Demi Moore, Ariana Grande, and Mikey Madison have taken on their press tours (all the way to a Best Actress win for Madison). It also gave returning stars, like Lupita Nyong'o, a chance to shine brighter. On this carpet, the method dressing trend took a subtler, more refined turn. There's no doubt fashion like this will go down in Oscars history—even with Zendaya missing in action.

With looks like these, "Thank you" really is the most appropriate reaction. Ahead, see the best 2025 Oscars red carpet fashion moments that will make you write an acceptance speech, too.

Mikey Madison wearing Dior

Thank you, Mikey Madison, for your final collaboration of awards season with stylist Jamie Mizrahi. All season long, Madison has shown her range with an impressive array of vintage and brand-new custom pieces, emphasizing timeless silhouettes that cast the actress as an equally eternal star. Naturally, the pair went for a 1950s-esque gown by Dior for the Academy Awards, juxtaposing a black bandeau with a soft pink skirt and bow detail. A Tiffany necklace sourced from the 1910s and a coordinating bracelet cemented this look as fit for an Old Hollywood starlet—though from Madison's performance in Anora, we know she's the industry's new guard. The Academy seemed to agree, anointing Madison the Best Actress award by the end of the ceremony.

Ariana Grande wearing Schiaparelli Couture

Thank you, Ariana Grande, for floating into the 2025 Oscars with help from Schiaparelli couture. Glinda references have appeared in forms from Dior hoop-skirt dresses to Yellow Brick Road-coded Givenchy throughout the Wicked press cycle. This final look for the two-part film series manages to capture her character's essence—light, airy, romantic—without overshadowing Grande herself. Then there's the construction of the actual gown: a beautiful juxtaposition of a sculptural bodice and a flowing skirt (coated with thousands of crystals, of course). Okay, fine: I would love another year of Glinda-inspired dresses sourced by Mimi Cuttrell now.

Da'Vine Joy Randolph wearing Tamara Ralph

Thank you, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, for showing what it means to pass the Oscar-winning baton while expanding your personal style. The Holdovers star became a rising fashion muse in her own right on the Best Supporting Actress campaign trail last year. Now that she's a winner, and returning to the ceremony as a presenter, she can tap into sides of her expression that are a touch more experimental than her first awards season. That manifested in a cinched-in corset gown by Tamara Ralph, styled by Wayman + Micah, with a deliciously draped detail along the hips and a flowing chiffon train. She's never looked more like a star—or more sure of herself.

Fernanda Torres wearing Chanel

Thank you, Fernanda Torres, for an absolutely delightful entry into the Best Actress Oscars fashion canon. As commentators on E! noted, a black dress has to be special if it's debuting somewhere like the Oscars red carpet. Stylist Antonio Frajado seemed to agree, and steered the first-time nominee toward a truly compelling Chanel couture gown. From the glittering bolero jacket to the peplum waist made entirely of feathers, no one could call this gown "just" a little black dress.

Cynthia Erivo wearing custom Louis Vuitton

Thank you, Cynthia Erivo, for defying my 2025 Oscars fashion expectations with this custom Louis Vuitton dress. The moment she walked on to the carpet, "best dressed" accolades were flying around the Marie Claire fashion Slack channel like so many sorceresses. But the beauty of this Jason Bolden-styled look is how it channels Elphaba Thropp without doing too much: heavy lifting happens in the exaggerated shape and so-emerald-it's-nearly-black fabric. Zoom in, and Erivo once again has Oscars nails that could merit their own award. Just like the effort she put into training for her character, Erivo commits when she walks the carpet, all the way down to her fingertips.

Selena Gomez wearing custom Ralph Lauren

Thank you, Selena Gomez's custom Ralph Lauren gown, for restoring my faith in the art of the Old Hollywood gown. Stylist Erin Walsh's homage to Sophia Loren is absolutely dazzling—and, somehow, not overpowered by Gomez's equally gorgeous diamond engagement ring or diamond necklace by Bulgari High Jewelry. Like her Celine SAGs dress and Schiaparelli BAFTAs gown before it, this look is symbolic of Gomez's evolution from child star to movie star. And with more than 16,000 hanging from its fabric, it's the most dazzling one of them all.

Lupita Nyong'o wearing custom Chanel

Thank you, Lupita Nyong'o and stylist Micaela Erlanger, for this custom Chanel moment. Nyong'o was neither individually nominated nor presenting at the 2025 Oscars, but her red carpet fashion nonetheless rose to the top. The first impression is rich-girl heaven, with more than 22,000 pearl embellishments and matching accessories pinned into her hair. But upon a closer look—and conversation with the stylist—one realizes Nyong'o's radiant confidence in the look derives from her decade of red carpets with Erlanger by her side. With a close friend guiding every decision, of course she looks and feels her very best.

Demi Moore wearing custom Armani

Thank you, Demi Moore, for ending your Best Actress run with your best custom Armani look of the season. While the sculptural gold gown from the 2025 Golden Globes made an impression, this silvery creation styled by Brad Goreski is even more fitting for an acclaimed performance. There's a wink-wink, nudge-nudge quality to wearing glitter when your character is named "Elisabeth Sparkle," but it doesn't overpower the elegance of the draped hip detailing or the plunge neckline. This is, in other words, a Substance homage with substance.

Lisa wearing Markgong

Thank you, Lisa, for landing on the 2025 Oscars red carpet fashion radar with your debut performance—and your debut suit to go with it. Speaking with E!, Lisa said that she more often wears sweeping gowns and feminine mini skirts when she's in front of the camera. But for her first major foray into Hollywood, she channeled a silent film star in a fresh way with a Markgong suit that dramatically swept the carpet behind her (plus heaps of Bulgari jewelry). Most stars play it safe on a carpet like the Academy Awards, but I have to commend Lisa for choosing Hollywood's biggest night for her biggest style risk.

Elle Fanning wearing custom Givenchy

All awards season long, Elle Fanning's A Complete Unknown fashion has paid homage to the 1950s and 60s. At the 2025 Oscars, she and stylist Samantha McMillen honored one famed house's new design era by looking back at its past. Partnering with Sarah Burton, recently named creative director of Givenchy, Fanning channeled one of the house's 1950s creations in a custom white lace gown with a cinched ribbon belt. Then, her red carpet fashion ratcheted up from "vintage-inspired" to "full-on vintage," with a Cartier necklace sourced from 1958.

Raye wearing custom Vivienne Westwood

Thank you, Raye, for bringing some London sophistication out to Los Angeles with this Vivienne Westwood dress styled by Eniola Dare. While she's a recording artist—and preparing to take the stage with Lisa—her dress was fit for a silver screen starlet. The dripping off-the-shoulder neckline and deep cherry red also brought Taylor Swift's Grammys dress to mind—but this take was much more subdued for the formal, stately Oscars. As for the vibe of her performance outfit? You'll have to see it to believe it.

Zoe Saldaña wearing custom Saint Laurent

Thank you, Zoe Saldaña, for understanding that style is a craft—and executing it flawlessly. The Emilia Pérez star and Best Supporting Actress frontrunner told E! on the red carpet that "fashion is an art." Her tiered gown styled by Petra Flannery embodied her belief, from the way the layers of the skirt gently draped to the contrasting diamonds along the bodice and coordinating semi-sheer gloves. The shape was like nothing else other celebrities chose, and the elegance it radiated will certainly go down in Oscars history.

Michelle Yeoh wearing custom Balenciaga

Michelle Yeoh, thank you for your embrace of color with a capital C. Blush pink and moody black were the two most prominent palettes on this carpet, but the longtime Balenciaga fan decided to buck tradition and try a daring cobalt blue. This elegant strapless gown (and the icy jewelry by Boucheron) hit like a cool drink of water by the time it glided down the carpet.

Halle Berry wearing Christian Siriano

Halle Berry, hallelujah. The actress returned to the Academy Awards red carpet as a presenter this year—and while her Christian Siriano gown is silver, it earns the gold from me. Stylist Lindsay Flores chose a breathtaking mosaic resembling a shattered mirror, one that everyone Berry passed could see their reflection within. And wouldn't we all like a chance to try something like this on?