Best of the Red Carpet (and a Few Worsts)

It was a night of facial hair and sparkles, fairy princess frocks and character dressing, with the characters, and the (Hollywood) royals, dressed straight from the silver screen playbook. Of course, some costumes are less obvious than others. And when it comes to the red carpet, at least pretending to dress as yourself as opposed to, say, a cut flower or Disney caricature, has power.

Ruth Negga, for example, in a silvery-gold sequined T-shirt gown (who doesn’t love the idea of a T-shirt gown?) by Louis Vuitton, took the idea of dressing for the award you want, a popular seasonal trope, and gave it a dose of futuristic cool. Evan Rachel Wood, channeling Marlene Dietrich and David Bowie (and Julie Andrews in “Victor/Victoria”) in an exactingly cut Altuzarra tux with white vest, offered absolute proof of her words that when it comes to awards season, there was no dress required. And Thandie Newton, in off-the-shoulder white Monse, flames picked out in paillettes licking up her hem, just hinted at the idea of an avenging angel come to earth.

Also on the best-dressed list, though in a more classical mode: Emma Stone, in star-strewn blush-pink (pink was a trend) Valentino, metaphor obvious but still undeniably enchanting; Brie Larson, in strapless red Rodarte with a draped and beaded bodice, matching lips and Veronica Lake hair; Natalie Portman, in ’60s-inspired chartreuse Prada maternity gown, a little “Jackie,” but not too much; and Viola Davis in sunshine yellow one-shouldered sequined Michael Kors, so bright she gave off her own light.

For good or ill, Fashion with a capital F dresses can often look overdone or out of place on what has become a pretty visually safe space, and such was the case with Nicole Kidman’s Scottish shipwreck of a puff-sleeved corseted Alexander McQueen. Ditto Sarah Jessica Parker’s white cold-shoulder Vera Wang, with its echoes of both wedding dresses past and Princess Leia. And ditto Janelle Monáe’s bubble-skirted Armani: short in front, trailing in back, sequined on top. Just when you had taken one detail in: whoa! There was another. The red carpet just doesn’t reward risk. At least the very boring — all those sequined columns, yawn — doesn’t linger long in the brain.

— Vanessa Friedman

Read a review of the night’s looks and see a red carpet slide show.