Academy Awards 2021: Colourful fashion kicks off the Oscars red carpet

Colman Domingo and Paul Raci were among the first arrivals.

Prudence Wade
Sunday 25 April 2021 23:32 BST
Composite pic of Colman Domingo and Ariana DeBose on the red carpet at the Oscars
Composite pic of Colman Domingo and Ariana DeBose on the red carpet at the Oscars

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After more than a year of awards shows held either virtually or only partially in person, the 93rd Academy Awards represented something of a return to form.

While it might have been a more scaled-back red carpet than usual, the ceremony was an in-person affair – meaning no technical glitches or Hollywood stars wearing hoodies instead of tuxedos.

The early arrivals were a sign of things to come, with colour and exuberant fashion being the name of the game…

Showing real experimentation with menswear, Colman Domingo wore a bright, custom-made fuschia ensemble by Versace He wrote on Instagram: “Composed of a suit jacket with a peak lapel, enriched by an embroidery with an liquid effect made of 4500 precious Swarovski crystals and sequins that cover the shoulders of the jacket in a degrade effect. A shirt in tone with the same embroidered placket, the vest and the trousers with smoking bands, as well as the golden buttons with a Medusa detail complete the look. 150 hrs of embroidery work!”

Continuing the theme of candy colours is Ariana DeBose, who is set to play Anita in this year’s adaptation of West Side Story. She walked the red carpet in a bright orange one shouldered dress, with delicate Grecian detailing.

Paul Raci – who is nominated for best supporting actor for his role in Sound Of Metal – kept things classic in a black double-breasted suit, but his wife Liz Hanley Raci more than made up for it in the colour stakes with an elegant turquoise gown.

Tiara Thomas used colour blocking to make a statement on the red carpet, wearing an all-white tuxedo-style outfit with feathered detailing and a major diamond pendant necklace.

Thomas Vinterberg – nominated for best director for his film Another Round – opted for a sleek white tuxedo, while wife and actor Helene Reingaard Neumann donned an ethereal high-necked baby blue gown with subtle sequins.

Patterns are something of a rarity on the red carpet – but Promising Young Woman director Emerald Fennell shows us how it is done in a floaty floral gown in purple and green hues.

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