Entertainment

Oscars 2023: The best looks from the champagne carpet

The 95th Academy Awards on Sunday saw stars pose in stylish haute couture, brightening this year's muted, champagne-coloured carpet in Hollywood, Calif.

'I don't like to be cold and I don't like my feet to hurt,' Sarah Polley says of tux choice

From left, a woman in a yellow gown, purple gown and red gown pose at an event.
Sandra Oh, Angela Bassett and Salma Hayek, left to right, walk the champagne carpet at the 95th Academy Awards on Sunday in Los Angeles. (Getty Images)

Bright pinks, dramatic capes, slick tuxes, oh my! The 95th Academy Awards began Sunday as they normally do, with stars posing in stylish haute couture — and this year, they brightened a muted, champagne-coloured carpet.

Jimmy Kimmel was host of the 2023 ceremony, a year after the Hollywood event was turned upside down by the slap — when Will Smith approached the Oscars stage and smacked Chris Rock for his comments about Smith's wife.

On Sunday, 11 Canadian nominees — recognized in a range of categories, from best picture to best makeup and hairstyling — were resplendent as they made their way along the carpet.

Among the carpet's standouts were Canadian actor Sandra Oh, wearing a fluttery canary yellow dress belted above the waist and a bold pendant.

Best supporting actress nominee Angela Bassett stunned in a deep purple Moschino mermaid gown with a dramatic shoulder, while Salma Hayek wore a festive, red-gold halter dress with a fringe skirt.

A woman wears a pale pink gown with a sequined body and long skirt.
Allison Williams wore a pink, spring-like gown. (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)

M3GAN actor Allison Williams arrived early in a soft, sequined gown paired with a baby pink cape.

A man wearing a dark suit poses on a champagne-coloured carpet.
Ram Charan looks dashing on the champagne-coloured carpet while arriving at the Oscars. (Eric Gaillard/Reuters)

Indian actor Ram Charan, who stars in Telugu-language box office hit RRR, worked the carpet in a classic black sherwani, a long buttoned coat with a high collar.

A woman in a sherbet-pink dress poses on a champagne-coloured carpet.
Stephanie Hsu looks stunning in a sherbet pink-coloured Valentino gown. (Eric Gaillard/Reuters)

Stephanie Hsu, nominated in the best supporting actress category for playing Joy in Everything Everywhere All at Once, wore a sherbet pink-coloured Valentino gown. She told carpet co-host Lilly Singh that the gown was meant to "take up space."

An older man wears a blue bowtie with googly eyes attached to each bow.
Everything Everywhere All at Once star James Hong smiles for photographers at the Oscars. (Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

Hsu's Everything Everywhere co-star James Hong cheekily referenced one of the movie's motifs with googly-eyed appliques on his navy blue bow tie.

A woman wears a tuxedo with a rose attached to the lapel.
Canadian filmmaker Sarah Polley wore her signature dark frames and a black tuxedo on Hollywood's biggest night. (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)

Canada's own Sarah Polley — who directed best picture nominee and best adapted screenplay winner Women Talking — wore a black tux with a ruffled shirt and a rose attached to the lapel. 

"I don't like to be cold and I don't like my feet to hurt," she told carpet co-host Ashley Graham.

A woman wears a sparkling silver gown with a bright green coat.
Chinese star Fan Bingbing brought classical Hollywood flare to the champagne carpet on Sunday evening. (Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

Chinese actor Fan Bingbing channelled old glamour in a sparkling gown with a plunging neckline and a dramatic emerald cape.

A man wears a white tuxedo jacket with black seams and a thick wraparound belt.
Everything Everywhere star Harry Shum Jr. brought a charming, sophisticated look to the Oscars. (Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

Actor Harry Shum Jr. put a modern twist on a classic, wearing a white evening jacket with black trim and a bold, wide sash tied around the waist.

An actor wears a bright orange skirt and a black corset.
Glass Onion star Janelle Monae poses on the champagne-coloured carpet, wearing a bold choker and midriff-baring dress. (Reuters)

Glass Onion star and Oscars presenter Janelle Monae wore a fiery orange skirt wrapped at the waist with a black bodice.

A woman wearing a gown with a blue top and a black skirt poses on a champagne carpet.
Cate Blanchett hits the carpet in an elegant two-toned gown. (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)

Cate Blanchett, nominated for best actress after starring as fictional composer Lydia Tár in psychological drama Tár, wore a two-piece ensemble with a shiny blue top and a sleek black skirt.

A man wears a soft pink jacket with a carnation attached to the lapel.
Dwayne Johnson smiles in a shimmering salmon-coloured jacket. (Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

Dwayne Johnson went non-traditional in a salmon pink evening jacket with a carnation on his lapel.

A woman wears a white feathery gown.
Best actress winner Michelle Yeoh looks elegant in a white gown ahead of the ceremony. (Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

Best actress winner Michelle Yeoh looked angelic in a feathery white frock, long hair flowing past her shoulders and delicate ear and wrist jewelry.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jenna Benchetrit is the senior business writer for CBC News. She writes stories about Canadian economic and consumer issues, and has also recently covered U.S. politics. A Montrealer based in Toronto, Jenna holds a master's degree in journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University. You can reach her at [email protected].