In 1954, a year after the Oscars were first televised, the Academy introduced a fashion show as part of the Best Costume Design segment. But what started out as a tasteful tribute to dressmaking gradually morphed into a surreal pageant. Highlights over the years include an elephant clad in a Passage to India costume in 1985, Regency-era gentlemen in Valmont garb breakdancing across the stage in 1990, and Tyra Banks strutting – Victoria’s Secret-style – in a demure Sense and Sensibility gown for what would be the final showdown in 1996. That last gasp came just 12 months after the costume designer Lizzy Gardiner arrived at the Oscars in a dress made of 254 Amex Gold cards – clearly, the red carpet now supplied enough in the way of fashion spectacle to render an in-show segment superfluous. (See: here.)

Wedged between the end of Milan and the start of Paris Fashion Week, the 2025 Oscars once again rivalled the catwalks for talking-point looks. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande swept onto the red carpet in Elphaba-green Louis Vuitton and Glinda-pink Schiaparelli, followed by Michelle Yeoh and Raye in electric blue Balenciaga and hot red Vivienne Westwood. Miley Cyrus and Lily-Rose Depp took the opposite approach – sheer, pitch-black sheaths by McQueen and Chanel– breaking with the still-ongoing trend for Old Hollywood, as seen on Elle Fanning in Givenchy, Mikey Madison in Prada and Selena Gomez in Ralph Lauren. Kylie Jenner could be spotted inside the event wearing a cut-out Miu Miu bodycon dress – the flag-bearer for a new sort of Hollywood.

Scroll down to see every look from this evening’s 97th Academy Awards.