Oscars 2018: Celebrities Ditch Black, But Not Their Support

The 90th annual Academy Awards or the Oscars as we like to call them, is undoubtedly one of the biggest nights for the Hollywood fraternity. While there is excitement aplenty amongst the movie buffs and film critics of the world to see who wins what, there is the other half of the world that consists of fashion enthusiasts and red carpet critics who are all about who's wearing what.

The red carpet at the Oscars saw a refreshing turn from all the other red carpets from this year's award season. While celebrities, standing in solidarity with the Time's Up movement chose to wear black to all the other award shows of the season, the Oscars red carpet was a melange of colours. Celebrities made a departure from the colour black and turned up in custom-made gowns and designer tuxedos, in colours of their choice.

While stars such as Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and Viola Davis showed up in red, blue and pink respectively, stars such as Jennifer Lawrence, Lupita Nyongo and Sandra Bullock chose to make their own style statement in metallic numbers. Veteran actor and comedian Whoopi Goldberg made a statement of her own as she showed up in a floral multi coloured gown wearing sunglasses, and combat boots underneath.

The colour of protest, black, might have taken a back seat at the Oscars which took place at the Dolby Theatre in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, but that's not to say that the mood at the award ceremony was completely devoid of a political undertone. Stars such as Jane Fonda, Sam Rockwell and Richard Jenkins, showed their support to the Time's Up movement by sporting a badge. The colour orange also made its presence felt with some stars wearing orange badges in a call for stronger gun control in the wake of the Florida school shooting.

Various Hollywood A-listers, still dressed in black and even walked in hand-in-hand with Time's Up activists. Taraji P Henson as well as Chadwick Boseman of Black Panther fame were amongst the stars that showed up in all black.

Veteran actor Rita Moreno also wore a black and gold gown, but more than anything else, she proved that some looks really never go out of style. Rita Moreno showed up to the 90th Academy Awards in the same gown she first wore to the Oscars in 1962. The actresses' dress was a black strapless number with a full, patterned skirt. This was the same dress she had worn when she won the Best Supporting Actress award for West Side Story.

Even with the political undercurrent very much still alive and kicking, although in a more inconspicuous manner than earlier award ceremonies, the Oscars red carpet really was more about stars and their partners having fun and letting loose a little. And of course, designers and celebrities, both, finally getting a moment to shine in the fashion sun.

With inputs from PTI