Oscars 2018: The trends that dominated the red carpet

The 90th Academy Awards took place last night, and as always, the red carpet became the global stage for actors and actresses to express their style, personalities and even political stands for the world to see. Unlike the sea of black and Time’s Up pins seen at the Golden Globes in January, this year’s female Oscars attendees arrived in ultra-glamourous gowns — bedazzled dresses in an array of metallics and bright colours — putting their individuality on full display as they celebrated the success, bravery and independence of women today. Scroll down to find out some of the trends that emerged on the red carpet this year, many of which will likely inspire your bridal and party looks in the near future.

Sculptural and vibrant

Setting the mood for a night of celebration, actresses including Nicole Kidman, Saoirse Ronan and Allison Janney (winner of Best Supporting Actress for I, Tonya) opted for beautiful vibrant colours from cobalt blue to fiery red, all topped with sculptural silhouettes and clean cuts for an eye-catching and contemporary appeal.

The Oscar statuettes

Dressing like the Oscar statue itself, actresses including Jennifer Lawence, Lupita Nyong’o, Gal Gadot, Sandra Bullock and more were all spotted wearing figure-hugging metallic gowns that dazzled brightly under the spotlights.

Suffragette white

Though there were barely any black dresses on the red carpet, many actresses including Jane Fonda, Margot Robbie and Laura Dern continued to show their support of women’s rights by wearing white inspired by the suffragette movement.

Plush velvet

Not to be overlooked, the men also upped their style game this year, with Daniel Kaluu, Ansel Elgort and Armie Hammer choosing tuxedos in rich velvet and unconventional colourways to celebrate another year of hard work and achievements across the industry.