I Was on the Oscars Red Carpet on Sunday—These Are the 5 Trends I Loved as a Fashion Expert
Lauren Chan is a Who What Wear editor in residence, model, former award-winning fashion editor, and founder of Henning, a luxury plus-size clothing label.
Live from Los Angeles: I attended the 98th Academy Awards! As part of Etalk’s Oscars coverage, I reported from the red carpet alongside Tyrone Edwards and Lainey Lui. And let me tell you: this was like no other assignment I’ve had before. The carpet was the longest of the season, taking up multiple lanes down Hollywood Boulevard, tracking all the way inside the Dolby Theater. Our coverage lasted for a whopping three and a half hours. And the scene was filled with the world’s biggest stars, from Michael B. Jordan to Zendaya.
Etalk’s camera angles captured several memorable moments—thanks to Lainey’s infamously sharp eye for gossip—like Timothée Chalamet avoiding Stephen Spielberg—and celebs like Brandi Carlyle and Elle Fanning shooting tequila. Tyrone was able to speak to stars like Best Supporting Actress winner Amy Madigan who confirmed to Etalk that Warner Brothers is behind a Weapons prequel. And my job? Fashion expertise, of course.
It didn’t take long for me to spot the trends of the evening: glitter, feathers, chokers, brooches, and red lipstick. Here, the best examples.
Bold Glitter
Whether it was sequins or, more unexpectedly, beading, sparkle was the name of the game at this year’s Oscars. And there was a version for everyone, from sexy to classic to too-cool. We saw stars like Wunmi Mosaku go for bold gem tone sequins in Louis Vuitton, Kate Hudson in head to toe seafoam paillettes by Armani Privé, and Audrey Nuna in gilded beading paired with a ball gown skirt from Thom Browne.
WHO: Wunmi Mosaku
WEAR: Louis Vuitton
WHO: Kate Hudson
WEAR: Armani Privé
WHO: Audrey Nuna
WEAR: Thom Browne
Feathers
One of fashion month’s top trends was feathers—cut to Schiaparelli couture, Chanel Fall 2026, et cetera, et cetera. It was exiting to see that theme hit the red carpet a matter of days after Paris Fashion Week wrapped. Chanel took the front position here with Teyana Taylor in a tiered ostrich feather skirt with a matching black and while handbag as well as Nicole Kidman in a feather-accented peplum number. Demi Moore wore a more birdlike custom by Gucci.
WHO: Teyana Taylor
WEAR: Chanel
WHO: Nicole Kidman
WEAR: Chanel
WHO: Demi Moore
WEAR: Gucci
Choker Necklaces
I’m not exaggerating when I say that almost every single woman had a statement choker on. Below are my favorites on Anne Hathaway in Bvlgari (and Valentino) Chase Infinity in DeBeers (and Louis Vuitton) and Jesse Buckley in Chanel. But we also saw them on Zoe Saldaña, Mikey Madison, Kristen Wiig, Alicia Silverstone, Ava DuVerney, Elle Fanning, Priyanka Chopra, Anna Wintour—the list goes on.
WHO: Anne Hathaway
WEAR: Valentino
WHO: Chase Infiniti
WEAR: Louis Vuitton
WHO: Jesse Buckley
WEAR: Chanel
Beautiful Brooches
For those who wore menswear, it was all about the brooch. My favorite of the evening was Pedro Pescal in an unexpectedly large white floral pin made from feathers against a crisp white shirt. More classically, Hudson Williams donned a small diamond brooch on the lapel of this all-black three-piece Balenciaga fit. And if you looked super closely, you could see the tiniest gold adornment on the center of Miles Caron’s brown monochrome Amiri ensemble.
WHO: Pedro Pascal
WEAR: Chanel
WHO: Hudson Williams
WEAR: Balenciaga
WHO: Miles Caton
WEAR: Amiri
The Standout Beauty Look: Red Lip + Slicked Bun
If there was one standout beauty trend, it was easily red lips and slick hair. (For the men: mustaches and bow ties.) Renate Reinsve, Rose Byrn, Li Jun Li, and Jesse Buckley all rocked this look. At the Vanity Fair after party, model Precious Lee followed suit.
WHO: Renate Reinsve
WEAR: Louis Vuitton
WHO: Rose Byrne
WEAR: Dior
WHO: Li Jun Li
WEAR: Guarav Gupta
