Glittering, Body-Conscious Gowns Dominated the Oscars Red Carpet

If you tuned in to the Academy Awards red carpet on Sunday, you might have felt some déjà vu: “Hey, didn’t I already see that glittering, figure-hugging dress just a few minutes ago?” The thought might have crossed your mind a handful of times during ABC’s multihour pre-event coverage. Not only during the Oscars, but at the subsequent after parties as well, everywhere you looked stars were squeezing into sequins. Was there a dress code among the celeb set this year we didn’t know about?

To be fair, we don’t blame all the actresses for gravitating toward the sparkly. (We’re all just magpies at our core, aren’t we?) And are we surprised that these women—who likely work very hard on their bodies—want to show them off during one of the biggest events of the year? Of course not. Besides, who are we to complain that all these actresses look like statuettes in their sparkling gowns? We’re simply here to point out that a lot of actresses looked like statuettes in their sparkling gowns.

The first person coming to mind is Demi Moore, who attended the ceremony in a silver Armani Privé dress. Low-cut with added padding around the hips and a reptilian pattern, this particular design did actually manage to stand out among the rest. And clearly, Moore favors shimmer, because when it was time to change for the after party, she stuck to the self-imposed theme and attended in a just-as-eye-catching golden Gucci number.

Selena Gomez, too, kept the sparkle shining throughout the night. She arrived to the Oscars in a Ralph Lauren gown made from hand-sewn Rosemont crystals and more than 16,000 drops of glass. Following the ceremony, Gomez changed into a sequin-covered, deep blue Armani Privé look—one cut just as close to her body.

There was also Emma Stone, who went for a more minimal approach in scaled Louis Vuitton (perhaps to keep the attention on the nominees…though she couldn’t help but shine just a little). Rachel Sennott brought Barbie pink into the conversation while Doja Cat saw the other attendees’ sparkles and raised them a glass tube-encrusted leopard Balmain dress. The rapper also kept to this theme at the after party, changing into another Balmain gown with a similar silhouette, but this time featuring a trompe-l’oeil design.

Speaking of the after party, let’s include Anna Sawai, Sydney Sweeney, Tate McRae, and Monica Barbaro in this conversation, because they also seemed to get the unofficial dress memo. It’s also interesting to note that many women opted not to wear necklaces with their gowns, though many of the designs were strapless, leaving their clavicles exposed and ready for diamonds. But there’s something to the idea that, when you wear a dress absolutely covered in crystals, you are the jewelry, and no added gems are necessary.

But it isn’t terribly shocking that the big trend of the night culminated in a shower of iridescence. The recent fall/winter 2025 collections have featured many designs that fall right into this category with brands like Carolina Herrera, Conner Ives, and Amiri presenting pieces that easily could have been in the running for the actresses on Sunday night. Similarly, the spring/summer 2025 couture collections—many of which are mined carefully for awards season—also presented an array of tight, sparkling gowns.

Getting blinded by shimmer and snatched waists is what awards season is all about, right? Couture, red carpets, and sparkles go together like pizza, pasta, and a good glass of red wine—all things these women are likely enjoying now that those rib-crushing looks are behind them.