Cate Blanchett, Michelle Yeoh, Paul Mescal and the fashion of the Oscar nominees

A look at the awards show style of some of the major nominees.

Prudence Wade
Friday 10 March 2023 07:00 GMT
(L-R) Cate Blanchett, Michelle Yeoh and Paul Mescal on the red carpet (Ian West/PA)
(L-R) Cate Blanchett, Michelle Yeoh and Paul Mescal on the red carpet (Ian West/PA)

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The 95th Academy Awards (March 12) will kick off with a glittering red carpet and some of Hollywood’s most fashionable people are nominated.

Cate Blanchett, Michelle Yeoh and Paul Mescal have shown off their aesthetic on the awards show circuit so far.

So here’s a look at their style from the Baftas, SAG awards and beyond.

Cate Blanchett

Nominated for her role in Todd Field’s film Tar, Cate Blanchett’s fashion during awards season has had a meaningful message behind it.

Working with celebrity stylist Elizabeth Stewart (who also dresses Julia Roberts and Viola Davis), Blanchett’s outfits have put sustainability at the forefront.

At the Critics’ Circle Film Awards in London on February 5, Blanchett wore a tailored black suit with sculptural electric blue arms by Alexander McQueen.

The actor has recently made a habit of rewearing outfits for environmental reasons – she first wore the custom-made suit to a premiere in 2019.

For the EE Bafta Film Awards on February 19 – where Blanchett took home the award for best actress – she wore a reworked version of a black Maison Margiela gown she wore to the 2015 Oscars.

John Galliano designed the original dress, and was also responsible for the new iteration – adding padding to the shoulders for a more dramatic silhouette.

Blanchett continued this ethos throughout her awards show outfits – including the Giorgio Armani dress worn to the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards, which was made with repurposed lace left over from another dress.

Michelle Yeoh

If Michelle Yeoh takes home the best actress gong on Sunday, she’ll be the first South Asian actor to win in that category.

While Yeoh’s style can be described as classic and glamorous, she isn’t afraid to take risks on the red carpet.

Highlights from this awards season include a gauzy, see-through black trench coat-style gown by Alexander McQueen, worn to the Critics’ Circle Film Awards, and an experimental black gown with gold detailing by Schiaparelli to the SAG awards.

Yeoh went down the non-traditional route for the Baftas. Instead of a typical gown, she wore a blush-coloured Dior suit with caped sleeves.

Paul Mescal

Nominated in the best actor category for his role in Aftersun, Paul Mescal has been making waves on the red carpet.

While he’s no stranger to a classic black tuxedo – as seen in a double-breasted black Gucci suit at the Baftas, accessorised with a 1930s Cartier brooch – he also has a more experimental side to his style.

He wore a cutting-edge slouchy Vivienne Westwood suit with a nautical-inspired striped Acne shirt to the Newport Beach Film Festival UK Honours event. While he donned a long black Simone Rocha jacket to the SAG awards, complete withpearl and jewel detailing.

Austin Butler

Nominated for best actor for his role in Elvis, Austin Butler channels old Hollywood heartthrobs like James Dean on the red carpet.

His suits are often slightly oversized, yet still perfectly tailored – like the pinstriped Tom Ford ensemble he wore to the Bafta Nominees’ Party.

Kerry Condon

Kerry Condon’s red carpet aesthetic is all about understated elegance.

Nominated for best supporting actress in The Banshees of Inisherin, Condon’s Baftas outfit is a prime example of this.

She wore a shimmering Giorgio Armani Privé gown with a bejewelled strapless bodice, accessorised with Lorraine Schwartz jewels on the red carpet.

She told Harper’s Bazaar: “I really love it when simplicity is a little elevated… The way that the dress is cut really reminds me of Nineties fashion – especially at the back, which is so beautiful – so there’s a nostalgic aspect to it. It’s very ladylike and reminds me of something you’d see at the Oscars back in the day, which I would have seen when growing up.”

Angela Bassett

Nominated for supporting actress for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Angela Bassett’s aesthetic embodies exuberant opulence.

To the Baftas she wore a bright lilac gown by Pamella Roland, with statement balloon sleeves.

Other standout outfits include the black, tiered Christian Siriano gown at the Critics Choice Awards, and the sunny yellow Giambattista Valli fishtail dress she wore to the SAG awards.

Barry Keoghan

Up for the best supporting actor Oscar for his role in The Banshees of Inisherin, Barry Keoghan made a bold choice at the Baftas.

He wore a crimson Alexander McQueen double-breasted suit with a white shirt and red trim.

It wasn’t the first time Keoghan chose an unusual coloured suit for the red carpet – he wore all-white for the SAG awards, and rocked powder blue for the Golden Globes.

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