The stars at the Oscars 2025 opted for maximum drama with their couture looks, their stylists having planned the best looks for last.
Trends quickly emerged on the red carpet at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood, from pastel hues, such as the Dior gowns worn by Mikey Madison and Monica Barbaro, to high-drama sculptural gowns, notably the pink satin and tulle gown designed for Ariana Grande by Schiaparelli creative director Daniel Roseberry. At the other end of the spectrum, black gowns also ruled, including the black silk crepe Louis Vuitton gown worn by Ana de Armas, and Miley Cyrus’ custom high-neck McQueen gown. Squarely in the middle of that color palette, who made bold statements with red? Colman Domingo’s vivid Valentino suit stood out, as did Gal Gadot’s lush satin ballgown with side pleated, designed by Prada.
We narrowed the bevy of stylish stars down to 10 high-wattage favorites, each wearing stunning looks that fit the moment and suited the wearer’s individuality in equal measure.
Demi Moore in Giorgio Armani Privé
Demi Moore Mike Coppola/Getty Images
If anyone exuded classic movie-star glamour at the 2025 Oscars, it was best actress nominee Demi Moore. Her glittering custom gown by Giorgio Armani Privé was handcrafted to highlight an allover crystal embroidery, with a plunge neckline and pleated hip detailing that led to the gown’s train. The Substance star paired her gown with Chopard jewels — including earrings featuring 17.114 carats of diamonds set in 18-karat white gold — and Christian Louboutin shoes.
Fernanda Torres in Chanel
Fernanda Torres ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images
The best actress nominee and star of I’m Still Here fairly floated into the Dolby Theatre, carried along by the black silk chiffon and feathers that comprised the skirt of her gown, a design from Chanel’s Spring 2025 haute-couture collection, while the bodice and cropped jacket of the look are crafted of guipure lace with jeweled buttons. Overall the gown required roughly 2,000 embroidery elements and 450 hours of work. Torres finished her look with Chanel high jewelry and Chanel shoes.
Cynthia Erivo in Louis Vuitton
Cynthia Erivo Mike Coppola/Getty Images
Erivo and co-star Ariana Grande have excelled at method dressing for more than three months of premieres and the awards-season run — and with the sequel Wicked: For Good set for a November 2025 release, these stylish women are only getting started. But how will Erivo possibly top the look she wore on the Oscars 2025 carpet, an ultra-dramatic velvet ballgown in deep green, a custom design with exaggerated collar and sleeves by Louis Vuitton. Erivo also pointed out that her stellar nail game was sharper than ever, with gilding details — including a clock on one finger — that were designed to honor Oz and the Emerald City and were crafted by Los Angeles-based nail tech Mycah Dior. “She made it by hand,” Erivo noted on the carpet of the nail artist’s work. The actress finished her look with jewels by Roberto Coin.
Elle Fanning in Givenchy
Elle Fanning Christina House / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Sarah Burton’s first collection for Givenchy in Paris is just days away, but at the 2025 Academy Awards, the designer offered a taste of just how deftly she is taking on the house that Hubert built. Burton’s design for A Complete Unknown‘s Elle Fanning, who presented the Oscar for best costume design, is a delicate look in white French Lyon lace and silk tulle with a molded corset bodice and a Watteau train, accented with a black grosgrain bow belt. If the look felt vaguely like something Audrey Hepburn might wear, that’s not an accident: The design is inspired by Hubert de Givenchy’s own inaugural collection in 1952. Fanning completed her look with diamond jewels by Cartier, including a 1958 necklace borrowed from the house’s archives, and Christian Louboutin shoes.
Ariana Grande in Schiaparelli
Ariana Grande Monica Schipper/Getty Images
Taking its cue from a design seen in Daniel Roseberry’s Spring 2025 haute-couture collection, the Wicked star’s exquisite custom gown exuded Glinda-esque perfection. Below the sculpted bustier in pale pink satin, the shape of the clamshell-like peplum was inspired by an Alberto Giacometti lamp in the Maison Schiaparelli archive. The voluminous nude-hued skirt, meanwhile, was crafted of tulle and silk and embellished with more than 190,000 crystal sequins, rhinestones and cut beads. Grande completed her look with diamond jewels by De Beers and Jimmy Choo shoes.
Jeremy Strong in Loro Piana
Jeremy Strong Monica Schipper/Getty Images
The Apprentice best supporting actor nominee is known for embracing fashion-forward style on red carpets, and for Oscars 2025, he struck a terrific balance of modernity and tradition. His mushroom-hued silk tuxedo by Loro Piana was accented with an artful tie in a tonal hue, a white shirt and velvet tuxedo slippers. Strong finished his look with Richard Mille’s RM 74-02 Automatic Tourbillon in Gold Carbon TPT®, a proprietary blend of carbon and gold leaf.
Doja Cat in Balmain
Doja Cat Mike Coppola/Getty Images
Like Fanning, Doja Cat was into a vintage vibe for her Oscar Night look, choosing a custom Balmain leopard-print gown inspired by a 1953 Pierre Balmain design. The leopard print on the curvaceous strapless gown is all handcrafted, a detailed embroidery of hand-applied micro-sized gold glass tubes, created by 46 artisans over 5,600 hours. Attending the 2025 Academy Awards to perform a tribute to the James Bond films, the performer completed her red-carpet look with diamond jewels by Messika.
Zoe Saldana in Saint Laurent
Zoe Saldana ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images
With her lush, custom silk gown by Anthony Vacarello for Saint Laurent, which also produced Emilia Pérez, best supporting actress Zoe Saldaña was among a few women embracing a trend of empire waists at Oscars 2025. The gown featured a crystal-accented bodice and a tiered skirt of washed double silk in deep crimson. The sheer gloves, also by Saint Laurent, were a perfect, light touch. Saldaña’s Cartier jewels included a necklace enjoying its first outing: Panthère Versatiles, a convertible piece crafted of emeralds, diamonds and onyx set in 18-karat white gold, is part of the house’s just-released Nature Sauvage high-jewelry collection.
Selena Gomez in Ralph Lauren
Selena Gomez Mike Coppola/Getty Images
Handcraft truly was a major trend among the gowns at the 2025 Academy Awards, and the Ralph Lauren design worn by Emilia Pérez co-star Selena Gomez ranked high on the list of intricate work that should be appreciated as its own art form. Gomez’s custom gown was crafted by Italian artisans who specialize in hand embroidery, creating a delicate latticework embellished with handsewn crystals and more than 16,000 glass drops, while an airbrushing technique lent the gown a subtle ombré finish. Gomez completed her look with diamond high jewelry by Bulgari.
Ralph Fiennes in Manolo Blahnik
Ralph Fiennes Monica Schipper/Getty Images
Amid the barrage of labels clamoring to dress stars for awards season, occasionally it’s refreshing to see a classic actor in a classic tuxedo that may very well have been pulled from his own closet. We’re not confirming that’s the case with Conclave best actor nominee Ralph Fiennes — but if anyone were to fit in that category at the 2025 Academy Awards, it might be Fiennes, whose single-breasted tuxedo fit him to perfection. Savile Row, perhaps? The only detail was the most subtle white trim on his hand-tied silk bow tie. Fiennes completed his look with Manolo Blahnik’s Mario loafer in black velvet.
The 97th Academy Awards, hosted by Conan O’Brien, were held Sunday at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood. Find the full winners list here, and check out the A-list red carpet arrivals here.
