My 2017 Oscars Red Carpet Predictions

February 24, 2017

Alicia Vikander at last year's ceremony via Zimbio

What will the nominees wear?


The biggest night in Hollywood is almost here! I've already filled out my ballot with my guesses on who will take home the big awards (get ready to hear La La Land a lot) but now it's time to turn my attention to the red carpet!

Every year, I search through the latest couture and ready-to-wear collections and imagine I am styling all the Oscar nominees, then I give my top two picks for each actress. It's a fun guessing game, and while I have yet to correctly choose the exact dress an actress ends up wearing, I have correctly guessed colors (I called Vikander wearing yellow here, and Emily Ratajkowski ended up wearing that Reem Acra dress to this year's Golden Globes) and have picked dresses that other celebrities ended up wearing. Mostly, it's just a fun way to think about how the year's biggest stars will dress for the ceremony.

Anyway, here are my dress predictions for the 2017 Academy Awards nominees:

Best Actress Nominees

Emma Stone

Chanel Haute Couture | Giambattista Valli Haute Couture
As the apparent front-runner (look, I loved La La Land but was Stone really the best actress of the year? Ignore me, this is about the clothes!) Emma Stone is expected to dazzle come Sunday. I love her in silver, and a sequined, feather-bottomed Chanel Haute Couture dress would be perfect on her! And I'll take any excuse to see some Giambattista Valli on the red carpet, so I'd love this cool ballgown with a million-dollar statement necklace too. 

Meryl Streep

Carolina Herrera | Oscar de la Renta
Queen Meryl sometimes makes interesting red carpet choices, but come on, she's the queen of acting! She doesn't need to be on a best dressed list! That being said, I would love to see her in this lavender Carolina Herrera gown, or in a simple columnar Oscar de la Renta dress, because I think either color would look lovely on her, and I think she would appreciate the floral detailing on the Herrera dress.

Ruth Negga

Chanel | Oscar de la Renta
As this year's up-and-comer, Ruth Negga is bound to make a fashion statement on the red carpet. She's been rocking some seriously experimental style, and while she'll likely wear custom Louis Vuitton, I think she could pull off a cool 1920s style Chanel dress or the Oscar de la Renta dress of my dreams. Please, celebrity stylists, just make sure someone wears this dress on Sunday!

Isabelle Huppert

Elie Saab Haute Couture | Chanel Haute Couture
With all the suited offerings at the Spring 2017 Couture shows, I would love to see a glam pantsuit moment at the Academy Awards, and I think Isabelle Huppert could be the lady to pull off such a style statement. The Elie Saab jumpsuit in particular is perfect, because it's a pant-skirt hybrid that's formal enough for the Oscars, and I think Huppert would just look lovely in it. 

Natalie Portman

Alexis Mabille | Erdem
Natalie Portman is very pregnant right now, so I picked dresses with empire waists. I don't know if everyone would be enamored with the Alexis Mabille dress, but I'm obsessed with the neckline detailing, and it's totally Portman's style. If not, Erdem has a lovely gown with a big train that will make for an elegant maternity-style red carpet moment.

Best Supporting Actress Nominees

Naomie Harris

Atelier Versace | Zuhair Murad Haute Couture
The Spring 2017 Atelier Versace collection was made for the Oscars red carpet, and I think Naomie Harris could rock this gorgeous feathered dress. I love the neon green ombre and feel it would make for a great red carpet moment. The Zuhair Murad collection was full of big gowns too, but many of them skewed a little too 80s costume-y. This white firework-motif dress, however, is the perfect statement-making gown. 

Michelle Williams

Maison Valentino Haute Couture | Giambattista Valli Haute Couture
Michelle Williams could be wearing custom Louis Vuitton as well, but I could also see her in a ruby red Valentino gown. She's known for sweet, feminine style with a touch of edge, so I can also picture her going big with a thousand-layer Giambattista Valli gown.

Viola Davis

Armani Privé | Oscar de la Renta
No one rocks bright colors quite like Viola Davis, who I expect will be taking home an award for her role in Fences, so naturally I chose a look from the Armani Privé collection. Not many people could pull off bright orange—which was the signature color of the collection—but Davis would look absolutely radiant in the hue. On the opposite side of the color wheel, I also like this lovely blue Oscar de la Renta gown. It has pockets!

Nicole Kidman

Marchesa | Atelier Versace
Nicole Kidman isn't one to play it safe on the red carpet, so predicting what she will wear is particularly tricky. She could pull off a nude Marchesa gown, and I love her in an off-the-shoulder neckline, but let's be real, I want to see her in this sculptural Atelier Versace gown. The color is stunning, and the accordion-pleat details are just stunning.

Octavia Spencer

Marchesa | Alexis Mabille
Octavia Spencer definitely has a go-to dress shape for red carpet events, but I decided to mix it up for my pretend styling session. I fell in love with this turquoise Marchesa dress as soon as I saw it, and I think it would look gorgeous on Spencer. It would be something a little different for her, but it's the kind of style risk that would pay off. If she's feeling a more conservative look, may I suggest this lovely green Alexis Mabille dress? The color is so stunning it doesn't need much else, except perhaps a big pair of diamond earrings!

Shop Red Carpet Ready Gowns:

Who are you most excited to see on the Oscars red carpet?

5 comments

  1. This was so fun to read!

    http://www.vanitycapital.com/style-blog/2016/12/5/snow-leopard

    ReplyDelete
  2. SOO excited to see who wears what!

    xo Stylelista
    www.stylelistaconfessions.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. So many pretty gowns!
    Xo
    Elizabeth
    http://stripesandsolitaires.com

    ReplyDelete

I love hearing your thoughts! Thanks for reading! ♥︎Lindsey