This year's Academy Awards would not let the pandemic stop them from being an all out, extravagant affair — despite being held in Los Angeles's Union Station.
Produced by Steven Soderbergh, Stacey Sher and Jesse Collins, the show was complete with a dress code that said the show would be: "a fusion of Inspirational and Aspirational, which in actual words means formal is totally cool if you want to go there, but casual is really not."
And while there were no hoodies, unlike the 2021 Golden Globes, some stars found ways to bring the casual anyway.
Questlove pulled up in golden Crocs — the only ever instance I will condone the shoe as a sartorial choice — but the real showstopper was Chloe Zhao, who won Best Director for Nomadland, wearing head to toe Hermes, including white sneakers by the brand.
And while we can't all drop $810 on the brand's sneakers, we can all get ready for spring with fresh white sneakers to make our post-vaccinated debut.
While there are many fire sneakers being released in April, you might be out of luck relying on the SNKRS app. But when it comes to white sneakers, there's something for everyone in every price range. Here are some of our picks:
The Classic: Nike Air Force 1s ($100)
The shoe of shoes, this versatile sneaker goes well with everything and has been spotted on everything. The classic style will never go out of style and can even be put in the washing machine for a deep clean (don't let us catch you in dirty AF1s; it's embarrassing).
Nike Blazer Mid '77 ($100)
Nike Blazer '77
If you're looking for Nike's that aren't AF1s — understandable, you don't have to match everyone at the basement party, in the subway, on the park, etc.
The Nike Blazer Mid '77 gives a classic style that is timeless and less trendy. If you're a converse fan, the Blazers have a similar shape and height but actually offer ankle support and more comfortable soles.
Adidas x Ivy Park 4.0 ($120)
Ivy Park White Gum
As Kanye makes his way to his Yeezy x Gap partnership, Adidas x Ivy Park can thrive. Beyonce's collaboration with the brand has helped cement the takeover of athleisure in their clothing, but their shoes are also versatile work out sneakers as well as a style statement.
And you get to know you're Beyonce approved — what else could anyone want?
Common Projects ($325)
On the higher end of the price spectrum, Common Projects are a sleek, versatile shoe which are built to last. The designer shoe boasts supple leather, gold detailing, and a clean shape for an undeniably luscious sartorial statement which goes forever.
These are also the closest in resemblance to the now-infamous Chloe Zhao sneakers — but for less than half the price.
Aime Leon Dore x New Balance Sneakers ($515)
If you want to break the bank (but still not spend the $810 the Hermes sneakers will set you back), New York-based brand Aime Leon Dore has become a streetwear favorite.
In one of the most anticipated sneaker collaborations, Aime Leon Dore and New Balance collaborated for a line of the New Balance 550s which have been selling out almost immediately. The resale price on the shoes has skyrocketed to over $515, but some sneaker fans find it worth it for the exclusive limited edition shoes in their cool colorways.
The 2021 Oscars aired on Sunday March 25th. They were the climax of a strange and socially distant awards season which provided many memorable moments and even more memorable looks.
The Academy Awards, the ultimate and most prestigious film awards ceremony, raised the bar of previous shows this year by having a mostly in-person ceremony. The production was a marked difference to the Zoom Golden Globes, which was replete with technical difficulties and reminders of the pandemic, and the al fresco Grammy Awards, which was held socially distanced, outside, and was actually a surprisingly good show.
However, the Oscars did their best to make the show feel as normal as possible (though it had its share of strange moments). With all attendees Covid tested beforehand, and many of them ostensibly vaccinated (celebrity status must have been a qualifying comorbidity in Los Angeles), the show remarkably resembled pre-pandemic life.
There were some changes made to follow COVID regulations: a smaller red carpet with less press, no presenter, and no infamous Oscar party. The guidelines did make some concessions, treating the show like a "film production" and therefore asking guests not to wear their masks while onscreen — though some, like Frances Mcdormand, were not willing to take the risk for the Academy.
The Oscars also had a dress code, which essentially encouraged the guests to actually dress up. The lax award season garb we were subjected to (in the tired case of Jason Sudeikis and his hoodie) and delighted by (in the case of Bill Murray's printed shirts) in 2021 were pretty much disavowed by the Academy, who urged guests to dress their best.
The show was produced by Steven Soderbergh, Stacey Sher, and Jesse Collins, who were determined to capture its notorious glamour. The dress code said the show would be "a fusion of Inspirational and Aspirational, which in actual words means formal is totally cool if you want to go there, but casual is really not."
At the Academy's behest, dress up they did — thrilling us the way only the sight of our favorite beautiful, rich people parading around looking beautiful and rich can thrill us. There are moments from this year's ceremony that we'll be thinking about forever: the charming exchange between Brad Pitt and Best Supporting Actress Winner Yuh-Jung Youn of Minari (just as we thought we'd recovered from last year's Brad Pitt congeniality tour and when we thought we couldn't love the Minari cast more), Daniel Kaluuya's acceptance speech, and Daniel Kaluuya's mother's reaction to his acceptance speech.
The actual awards portion of the night also provided a lot of opportunities for #OscarsSoWhite revivals — namely the giant upset over Chadwick Boseman's snub — despite some other historic wins for marginalized communities.
But Awards Season is nothing without the important stuff: the outfits. Often, Oscars looks become cemented in history — Lupita Nyong'o's Cinderella-esque blue gown in 2014, Angelina Jolie's right leg slit in 2012, Gwenyth Paltrow's giant pink dress in 1999, (the dress: gorgeous, the Oscar: haunts me) and arguably the most iconic look of all time, Diahann Carroll's magical gown in 1969.
After a year of cancelled press tours, at-home interviews, and little reason to dress up, the guests of the Academy Awards created looks that will surely be embedded in the cultural lexicon for years to come. Here are some of the most memorable:
Who would we be if we didn't start the list off with Zendaya herself, who has never, not once, missed with her red carpet outfit choices, and delivered the exact kind of seemingly effortless glamor that we needed?
In a stunning yellow Valentino Haute Couture gown, Zendaya's was one of the night's most standout looks. The unique cut-out dress was picked by her stylist, Law Roach, who also designed her iconic cut-out dress from Malcolm and Marie. If this is a trend we're going to be seeing on Zendaya in the future, we're already begging for more.
Daniel Kaluuya in Bottega and Pearl-Sized Cartier Diamonds
Daniel Kaluuya, who won the award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah, gave us one of the most memorable moments of the night during his acceptance speech, in which he marvelled about the process of his conception — but at least he wasn't muted, like he was at the Golden Globes.
The Academy Award winner was also among the best dressed in a polished Bottega Veneta suit complete with the best accessories of the night: a Cartier chain made of pearl-sized diamonds. Sorry Harry Styles, previous king of men-in-pearls, it's all about the oversized diamonds.
Fellow Judas and the Black Messiah star and Best Supporting Actor nominee Lakeith Stanfield also raised the bar for menswear in his custom jumpsuit by Anthony Vaccarello for Saint Laurent. The vintage-inspired look channeled the era of the film with its 60s style-fit and bold lapels.
Another menswear standout was Colman Domingo in all pink. One of the stars of the award-winning Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, the actor made a bold sartorial statement in his custom Versace suit. As if the hot pink suit wasn't eye catching enough, it was adorned with 4,500 hand embroidered Swarovski crystals and sequins on the jacket and shirt. According to his Instagram post, the intricate embroidery took over 150 hours.
On the more casual end of the Oscar's dress code recommendation, Chloe Zhao — whose award season outfits thus far have mostly consisted of t-shirts paired with a mug of tea — wore a neutral toned Hermès gown. More strikingly, she paired the look with bright white Hermès sneakers, making the rest of us consider the state of our own scuffed up "white" sneakers … but not enough to spend the $810 they cost, unfortunately.
Aside from looking impossibly cool, Chloe Zhao also finished up her winning streak with the Best Director Award, making her the first woman of color to ever win the most prestigious category of the night.
Someone tell Lil Uzi Vert that he is no longer the king of Thom Browne. Though the rapper is famous for his appearance in Thom Browne campaigns — like the Thanksgiving Football photoshoot where he appeared in one of their kilts and made headlines for playful gender expression — Alan Kim was undoubtedly one of the best dressed on the carpet in his Thom Browne suit.
The Minari star wore the brand's signature shorts and three-striped sock, evoking a preppy and sporty look that was adorable on the child star — who has consistently been the highlight of this awards season.
Thom Brown talked about how dressing Kim was all about highlighting his personality, saying: "I wanted Alan's personality to shine… I wanted his clothing to be timeless. And, of course, for the Academy Awards Alan had to be in black tie."
The overall look was the perfect combination of youthful and polished, and clearly the New York designer was the perfect fit to bring out the playfulness of the nine-year old rising talent.
Without the Met Gala in 2020, the past year has been devoid of elaborate gowns with even more elaborate trains. And since we will have to wait until September for the 2021 Met Gala, the theme of which was recently announced to be American Fashion, Carey Mulligan and Amanda Seyfried brought big gowns with big skirts from classic, European designers to the Oscars instead.
Big skirts were in this year, but the two actresses wore some of the most memorable. Was it an effort to socially distance? Was it a commentary on our collective year spent in sweatpants? Either way, the giant skirts on their gowns made soon-to-be iconic statements on the red carpet.
Carey Mulligan looked like she was dressing for the award she wanted in a metallic gold Valentino dress, and although she lost the Best Actress statuette she was nominated for as the lead in Promising Young Woman to Frances McDormand for Nomadland, her showstopping look was one of the most talked about of the night.
Seyfried wore in a bold red Armani gown. The actress was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Marion Davies in David Fincher's Mank, and her look was also one of the standouts of the night.
Also in bold, bright red, Angela Bassett gave exactly the energy you would expect from the literal queen in her Alberta Ferretti gown. The bold, bow-like sleeves were one of the most creative details of the night — not to mention also probably good for social distancing.
Paying homage to Prince in all purple, HER, the multi-instrumentalist singer and musical prodigy, wowed in a violet Peter Dundas jumpsuit. Inspired by the 1985 Oscar look worn by the late, great music icon, the look was part jumpsuit, part cape and made with delicate embroidery and sequin details. She, of course, paired it with her signature tinted glasses in a purple hue.
It's been a big year for Regina King, who has been serving us incredible looks all season, even for the Zoom telecasts. The Oscars finally gave us the opportunity to witness the full glamor of her intricate, incredible looks, and we were not disappointed.
A standout on a big night for hand embroidered jewels, Regina King looked like a fairy godmother or some other ethereal being in her custom blue gown by Nicholas Guesquiere of Louis Vuitton. With winged shoulders, a plunging V-neck and delicately encrusted stripes, the dress is full of detail without feeling over the top.
The night's showings prove that Fashion is Back, per Vogue's declaration on its May 2021 cover, which featured Amanda Gorman. And though the ceremony left a lot to be desired, the pleasures we got from some of the night's standout looks will hopefully carry us through to the September Met Ball.
In any given year, awards season is already painfully awkward.
Whether it be La La Land mistakenly receiving Best Picture or Jimmy Kimmel asking Steven Spielberg for weed, the Oscars are often riddled with puzzling moments. But after a year like this one, the 2021 Oscars were filled with some especially jarring moments that set the internet ablaze.
Aside from the fact that the award show was half Zoom acceptance speeches, half in-person, and mostly glitchy comic relief, there were a handful of painful moments that stood above the rest. Here are the most awkward:
Regina King Tripping on Stage
Regina King collectively embodied our biggest fear when she slightly tripped while heading to the award stage to present. Let it be known that King looked so beautiful and her outfit was so stunning that she made the falter look unusually graceful. She also recovered like a pro, "Live TV, here we go," she said with a glowing smile.
Daniel Kaluuya Thanked His Parents for Banging
In what was initially a heartwarming and moving acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actor, Daniel Kaluuya spoke on fate and how amazing it was that we were all alive and breathing and able to exist on this earth, especially after a year that seemingly exposed the frailty of our shared mortality.
He spoke on the power of unity, the power of the Black Panthers, and the power of self-love. Then the speech took a different turn. "My mom, my dad, they had sex, it's amazing, you know what I'm saying?" Kaluuya said. His mother's reaction, with her seemingly saying, "What is he talking about?" was absolutely incredible.
Marlee Matlin's ASL Speech Got Cut Off
Having Marlee Matlin present an award, then cut away from her entirely while she's speaking so you just hear the in… https://t.co/NYHqdzAu6y
— Dr. Lisa Duffy 🎥🎶 (@Dr. Lisa Duffy 🎥🎶)
1619400910
The Oscars asked Marlee Matlin to present an award in American Sign Language, which at first glance was a seemingly good choice. But then they cut away from her while she was signing, instead opting for a graphic and the interpreter's voice, so viewers couldn't actually see her use ASL. It was disrespectful, to say the least.
Brad Pitt Mispronounced Maria Bakalova's Name
We love Brad Pitt, we appreciate Brad Pitt, but we don't love Brad Pitt when he butchers the name of a famous Bulgarian actress. "For Maria Ba-ka-lava, it was all about Marilyn Monroe," the actor said. Frankly, Maria looked too starstruck by Brad Pitt saying her name to even care. "Maria, welcome," he concluded, to which Maria almost passed out.
Glenn Close Twerking and Getting Censored
Despite the idea that an Oscars music trivia game feels unnecessary, Glenn Close met the moment and then some when she was quizzed on whether she knew about the iconic go-go track "Da Butt." Needless to say, she knew plenty.
"I remember this: Spike Lee had it written for his brilliant movie School Daze, and my friends at the Oscars missed it, and it wasn't nominated, so it couldn't have won," she said as her sequin dress sparkled. "And I think it's a godd**n tragedy." The Oscars bleeped her out, and everyone around her was shocked. But once she was asked to do the track's signature dance, well, as host Lil Rel Howery put it: "It's dope and uncomfortable at the same time."
Anthony Hopkins Awkwardly Winning the Last Award of the Night
Joaquin Phoenix
Almost everyone predicted that Chadwick Boseman would posthumously win Best Actor, and the hype around the award came to a boiling point when it was swapped with Best Picture to be the final award of the night. But, as many witnessed, the Oscars closed out like a wet fart.
The award was given to Sir Anthony Hopkins, who had long been asleep by the time his name was called considering he lives in Wales. So in his absence, Joaquin Phoenix accepted it the award, and then the Oscars just sort of...ended.
This year, the Oscars attempted to host a semi-virtual ceremony that was supposed to play out like a movie.
It did this with mixed levels of success — until the ending.
For weeks leading up to the Oscars, speculators agreed on one thing: The late Chadwick Boseman seemed guaranteed to win Best Actor for his performance in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. The show's producers seemed to agree with this prediction, and they even moved the Best Actor award to the very end of the show, clearly expecting that Boseman would win and that the show would end with a bittersweet, emotional tribute to an extraordinary talent gone far too soon.
Instead, to everyone's surprise, Sir Anthony Hopkins won the award, apparently throwing everyone for a loop. Even worse, Hopkins — now, at 83, the oldest person ever to win Best Actor — was not even at the ceremony. Instead, he was fast asleep across the Atlantic, and Joaquin Phoenix had to accept the award on his behalf.
The show ended abruptly, leaving many fans feeling disappointed and enraged.
Some compared the Oscars' fumble to the infamous 2018 La La Land/Moonlight mix-up, when a presenter initially gave the award to the former before course-correcting to award the latter.
Others were unpleasantly reminded of other shows that had let them down.
In some ways, the ending feels strangely well-suited for a year of cancellations and unfathomable losses. So much was taken away this year, and there was often little comfort, redemption, or clear understanding to be found.
Even as the rate of vaccinations is going up in America, millions are still getting sick and dying around the world. There is no good ending to this plague year, nor all the tragedies it invoked and exposed, just as there was no good ending to the Oscars.
Following the show's anticlimactic conclusion, some chose to find higher meaning in it all. Franklin Leonard wrote that Chadwick would "want us to go back to work tomorrow aiming unconscionably high in both art and humanity," a sentiment that feels about as redemptive as any observation on what happened could possibly be.
Honestly not even stressed about Chadwick not winning, because I know Chadwick wouldn’t have been stressed about no… https://t.co/qP2UuLpDWj
For his part, Hopkins shared a video early Monday morning acknowledging his win. "At 83 years of age, I did not expect to get this award. I really didn't," the Welsh actor said. "I'm very grateful to the Academy. Thank you. I want to pay tribute to Chadwick Boseman, who was taken from us far too early. And again, thank you all very much. I really did not expect this, so I feel very privileged and honored, thank you." Hopkins had been in Wales visiting his father's grave.
Aside from its ending, the show did have some high points and historic moments. Nomadland, a story about life after the death of the American dream, garnered the award for Best Picture. Director Chloé Zhao made history as the first woman of color nominated for Best Director and naturally became he first to win; and actress Frances McDormand won Best Actress.
The film was another appropriately reflective choice for the current cultural moment. Anticlimactic and sparse, Nomadland is a meditation on absence and grief that lacks the pomp and circumstance of most Oscar winners, but that clearly resonated this year, perhaps because of its silence and quiet disillusionment.
Watch our breakdown of Nomadland, our (accurate) Oscars predictions, and discussion of diversity in the film industry in 2021:
Are the Pandemic Oscars Still #OscarsSoWhite?youtu.be
Daniel Kaluuya won for best supporting actor for his role as Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah, and his acceptance speech contained a few gems, including a tribute to Hampton and to the Black Panthers.
"They showed me how to love myself," he said of Hampton's Panthers Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. "With that love, they overflowed into the Black community and into other communities. They showed us the power of unity."
He also thanked his mom and thanked his parents for having sex, later backtracking and saying, "I really shouldn't have said that!" Still, the power of his speech and performance ensures all is forgiven.
Yuh-Jung Youn won best supporting actress for her role in Minari, making history as the first Korean actor to win in the category and the first Asian woman to win in the category since 1957. She also gave a charming acceptance speech.
Emerald Fennell took home Best Original Screenplay for Promising Young Woman. H.E.R. accepted the award for Best Original Song for her track "Fight for You," featured in Judas and the Black Messiah. Pixar's Soultook Best Original Score.
As usual, the Internet latched on to a few quirky highlights from the ceremony, including Glenn Close's instantly iconic "Da Butt" knowledge drop and dance.
GLENN. CLOSE. IS. AN. ICON. https://t.co/05zUGid0c6
All in all, it was a rough and strange ceremony at the end of a rough and strange year, when movie theaters were mostly closed and many studios were forced to stop filming. The ending of the show, with its promises of catharsis that faded into a shocking and unfulfilling twist, felt like salt in a still-fresh wound in more ways than one.
And yet as Leonard and many others have said, Chadwick Boseman exemplified grace and greatness. That legacy is far more valuable and everlasting than any award.
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