2024 Oscars red carpet fashion: Best-dressed women on cinema's biggest night

Several stars wore red protest badges calling for a ceasefire in Gaza

Emma Stone accepted her Oscar for Poor Things in pale pistachio Louis Vuitton. AFP

Zendaya in Armani Prive and Bulgari jewellery. EPA

Lily Gladstone in a dress by Gucci and Joe Big Mountain of Ironhorse Quillwork, and Bulgari jewellery. EPA

Ariana Grande in powder pink Giambattista Valli and Tiffany & Co jewellery. AFP

Lupita Nyong'o in Armani Prive. Getty Images

Margot Robbie arrives for the 96th annual Academy Awards ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA, 10 March 2024. The Oscars are presented for outstanding individual or collective efforts in filmmaking in 23 categories. EPA / ALLISON DINNER

Jennifer Lawrence in Dior haute couture and Swarovski jewellery. AFP

Carey Mulligan in Balenciaga Couture. AFP

In matching cream, Emily Blunt, in Schiaparelli and Tiffany & Co jewellery, and her husband John Krasinski. AFP

Ava DuVernay in Louis Vuitton, wearing a red protest badge calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. EPA

Jodie Foster in Loewe. EPA

Greta Lee in Loewe. Getty Images

Annette Bening in fluid layers. AFP

Da'Vine Joy Randolph in Louis Vuitton. AFP

Molly Sims in baby pink. AFP

Regina King in Atelier Versace. Reuters

Cynthia Erivo in Louis Vuitton. AFP

Anya Taylor-Joy in Dior haute couture and Tiffany & Co jewelllery. AFP

Sandra Huller in Schiaparelli and Cartier jewellery. AP

The 96th Academy Awards is undoubtedly the biggest night on the cinema calendar, yet for many, the real excitement is watching the red carpet.

Stars arrive dressed to the nines in custom-made looks and pieces fresh off the runway to celebrate one glittering evening that wraps up award season.

Lily Gladstone, lauded for her performance in Killers of the Flower Moon, arrived wearing a collaborative look by Gucci and Joe Big Mountain of Ironhorse Quillwork, paired with Bulgari jewellery, while Emma Stone, who won the Oscar for Actress in a Leading Role for Poor Things, wore pale pistachio Louis Vuitton.

Several micro trends were spotted on the red carpet, especially sombre black, worn by Margot Robbie, Issa Rae and Carey Mulligan, who brought the house down in mermaid-cut Balenciaga haute couture.

Jodie Foster, meanwhile, was one of several wearing midnight blue, including her Nyad co-star Annette Bening.

Silver was another colour that dominated, spotted on Florence Pugh, Charlize Theron and Anya Taylor-Joy who opted for silver-tipped “feathers” around her Dior haute couture gown.

Ice blue was another big hitter, spotted on Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Lupita Nyong’o and Ava DuVernay, who accessorised her Louis Vuitton dress with a red protest badge calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Made by Artists4Ceasefire, similar badges were also spotted on Ramy Youssef and Billie Eilish, who teamed hers with a skirt and jacket look by Chanel.

Hailee Steinfeld, meanwhile, looked ethereal in a gown of gold and sea foam by Lebanese designer Elie Saab.

Another micro trend was raised shoulder straps – spotted on Emily Blunt and Florence Pugh – both of who wore dresses with straps that hovered above the shoulder for a look that was odd but interesting.

No stranger to daring looks (she recently raised the fashion stakes by wearing a suit of armour for the world premiere of Dune: Part Two), Zendaya played it relatively safe at the Oscars, arriving in shimmering Armani Prive.