All of the red carpet looks from the 2021 Oscars you definitely need to see

The Academy isn’t letting the ongoing pandemic put a damper on its legendary ceremony (stream the full show now on CTV). Unlike other award shows from earlier this year, like the Globes, SAGs and Grammys, all of which hosted its ceremonies remotely via Zoom and/or limited guests, the 93rd annual Oscars went ahead with an in-person gathering in Los Angeles and strongly encouraged all nominees to show face IRL—and dress the part, too.

“We’re aiming for a fusion of Inspirational and Aspirational, which in actual words means formal is totally cool if you want to go there, but casual is really not,” the Academy explained in a letter back in March.

Hollywood’s finest didn’t disappoint. Here are some of the most memorable looks from the 2021 Oscars red carpet.

Leslie Odom Jr.

Leslie snagged two nominations this year, one for Best Supporting Actor and the other for Best Original Song. The new dad arrived on the red carpet in a gold on gold Brioni suit (and in case you were wondering, yes, the thread is dipped in 24K gold), looking ready to take home a statuette. 

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Steven Yeun

Steven’s role in Minari scored him his first-ever Oscar nomination for Best Actor and the star looked poised and put together in a classic black tux and wife Joana Pak by his side. 

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Emerald Fennell

Emerald, who was one of two women up for Best Director, wore an eye-catching green Gucci floral gown with ruffled neckline and three-quarter sleeves that were also lined with ruffles. 

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Glenn Close

Glenn’s Armani Privé fit was so on point with its long sleeves, high neckline and slim trousers worn underneath. The colour looked stunning on the eight-time award nominee.

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Chloé Zhao

The other female director nominated this year was Chloé Zhao for Nomadland and she went for a laidback pleated grey gown. There was sort of a Star Wars vibe happening, with the detailed pattern on the chest and her long braids, and I’m not upset about it.

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Viola Davis

How ridiculously stunning is this white gown that Ma Rainey's Black Bottom star Viola Davis wore? The Best Actress nominee was one of my favourite looks of the night in this custom creation by Alexander McQueen.

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Carey Mulligan

Carey’s gold ball gown was fit for a Best Actress Nominee (she’s up for her role in Promising Young Woman) and the star arrived on the red carpet looking gorgeous in her metallic look.

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Andra Day

Daaang, Best Actress Nominee Andra Day also went for gold and didn’t hold back. The cut-out Vera Wang gown, with its sky-high slit up the leg was a showstopper for sure.

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Maria Bakalova

White was a go-to hue on the red carpet this year, and first-time nominee Maria Bakalova got the memo. The custom Louis Vuitton ball gown she wore with its enormous tulle bottom and deep-V top looked perfect on the new star.

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Regina King

Regina King had the best look of the night, hands down. The structural sleeves and vertical detail of the icy blue custom Louis Vuitton made the star look like an actual goddess. 

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Vanessa Kirby

Vanessa Kirby, who was nominated for her role in Pieces of a Woman, took the neutral route in a creamy cut-out Gucci gown with plunging neckline. 

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H.E.R.

While many stars went for metallics and neutrals like white, musical talent H.E.R. chose a bold iris-coloured pantsuit by Dundas with matching head scarf. 

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Angela Bassett

Did Angela and Regina chat about structural sleeves before picking their fits? Seems possible. Angela looked like pure fire in a bright red Alberta Ferretti gown with impressive shoulder detail.

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Halle Berry

While there were a lot of new faces and first-time nominees, the veterans made their presence known. Example A: Halle Berry and this mindblowing berry-hued Dolce & Gabbana gown with its layers of fabric and strapless top.

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Zendaya

Due to Covid restrictions, stars were only allowed to bring one guest to the red carpet. It seems that Zendaya may have made her +1 a wind machine—how is her hair so perfectly flowing!? The Euphoria star chose a fab yellow custom Versace gown that showed off her midriff.

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Youn Yuh-jung and Han Ye-ri

South Korea’s Han Ye-ri made the trip overseas to walk the Oscars red carpet. Han posed with Oscar-nominated co-star Youn Yuh-jung (who opted for elegant black), and looked striking in a bright scarlet-hued halter neck gown with its embellished detail down the front.

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Margot Robbie

Does Margot Robbie’s beauty lewk make you want to consider getting bangs? Me too. The silvery metallic Chanel gown she wore on the carpet was so perfectly elegant and yet understated. 

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Reese Witherspoon

Reese Witherspoon was a presenter at this year’s ceremony and the actress went for a red Grecian-inspired gown with asymmetrical shoulder straps.  

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Watch the full 93^rd Academy Awards on CTV.ca and the CTV app. 

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[video_embed id='2188536']BEFORE YOU GO: Director Regina King is excited to celebrate the success of 'One Night In Miami' in persony[/video_embed]