Best and Worst Dressed at the 2018 Academy Awards

The Academy Awards are an international source of fascination and intrigue, not only because most movie-goers are eager to learn the outcome of the nominations, but also because we all invariably take enormous delight in reviewing the sartorial triumphs –and tribulations – on the Red Carpet.

In an effort to streamline your analysis, we have compiled a brief shortlist of the best and worst looks from this year’s ceremony, ranging from the pinnacle of elegance to the dregs of disaster.  

Best

Saoirse Ronan in Calvin Klein

Saiorse Ronan was nominated for an Oscar for her breakout performance in Ladybird, and her fresh, effortlessly youthful take on Old Hollywood glamour was a beautiful complement to this incredible achievement. Her pale pink Calvin Klein gown was also refreshingly distinct from the metallic motif that seems to have dominated this year. Although the Irish ingénue didn’t win an Oscar, she unquestionably trumped her competition on the Red Carpet.   

Zendaya in Giambattista Valli

Zendaya is fast solidifying her reputation as a trendsetter, and we like the form-flattering burgundy gown she sported at the Oscars. The Grecian silhouette of the dress is romantic, without being overly-predictable or clichéd; it looked like a natural extension of her statuesque frame, and gave us a glimpse of the mature performer she is gradually evolving into.

Margot Robbie in Chanel

The I, Tonya star looked like an angel in a dreamy floor-length Chanel gown, which might have escaped our notice were it not for the beautiful – and beautifully strange –silver, chain-link embellishments, which added some texture and complexity to this classic silhouette.

Worst

Salma Hayek in Gucci

There’s so much going on here, and none of it is good.

Viola Davis in Michael Kors Collection

Question: what does it take to make a woman as innately flawless as Viola Davis look less than perfect? Answer: One ill-fitting, dated, hot-pink Michael Kors Collection dress, better suited to a showgirl than a Hollywood legend in the making.

Whoopi Goldberg in Christian Siriano

Don’t throw out your old curtains if you’re eager to replicate Whoopi Goldberg’s voluminous disaster of a dress. It really was a travesty, reminiscent of a re-jigged ’eighties prom-dress; possibly the worst look of the evening. Whoopsie.