With the pressure of being nominated at the Oscars off, last year’s Best Supporting Actress winner Ariana DeBose looked calm, cool, and sensational at the 2023 Academy Awards. The gorgeous star commanded attention in a a custom-made Atelier Versace gown crafted in a gray silk with embroidered, sparkling motifs. The look was every inch Old Hollywood glamour meets modern movie star and we are here for it!
Last year at the Oscars, the North Carolina native was nominated following her outstanding performance as Anita in Steven Spielberg‘s film adaptation of West Side Story. She was no slouch in the fashion department either when she made her historic win. Ariana took the stage as the first openly LGBTQ person and Afro-Latina woman to win Best Supporting Actress. And she dazzled in a custom red Valentino pantsuit with a matching cape for the groundbreaking moment.
“The red was kind of subconsciously telling,” Ariana’s stylist Zadrian Smith explained to WWD. “We did yellow [at the Critics’ Choice and BAFTAs], which was an homage to Anita, and then the red came back in and we paid homage to Anita with a red moment. We wanted to fuse masculine and feminine elements, so the cape and the bralette gave it the feminine mystique, and the trousers were strong and courageous like a suit moment.”
While Ariana’s win last year was groundbreaking, the 2023 Oscars was a historic night with a record-breaking number of actors of Asian descent up for this year’s top awards! Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu and Hong Chau were all up for supporting-actor trophies, while Michelle Yeoh had a nod for Best Actress. And Ke and Michelle won!
This year also marked the highest number of Irish actors ever nominated! The Banshees of Inisherin secured acting nods for Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan, while Paul Mescal was nominated for Aftersun.
Jimmy Kimmel hosted the spectacle for the third time, where Everything Everywhere All at Once won the top prize, Best Picture, after leading the night with 11 nominations. The ceremony took place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.