Ever magical and ever disastrous have been age-long allies on the coattails of every fashion serve throughout all gala seasons and for the 96th Academy Awards, fate noted no transition. As every anticipative gaze remained fixed on the screen, eager to reserve a spot in the year’s Pinterest look-books, the ascent of fashion was paralleled by couture missteps, inadvertently making room in the closet for styles that should never find a place. 

As a result, this piece will provide a brief overview of the worst-dressed celebrities at the 2024 Oscars whose fashion serves were more of a miss than a hit. 

Ariana Grande

The 96th Academy Awards bore witness to the makers of history. But amidst these high points of the event, some others wrote the pages for their slimy red carpet presence, and topping that chart is the pop sensation Ariana Grande. Over the years, Grande’s stylish reserves have frequently driven fashion trends, whether it is her sleek signature ponytail, her iconic over-the-knee boots, or her cheeky cat-ear hairbands.

For the Oscar ceremony, however, her fitting into Giambattista Vali gown for her character Glinda in the upcoming Wicked adaptation did not sit well. The larger-than-life volumed pink gown more or less resembled a humongous satin blanket. All in all, the sudden break from the iconic ponytail along with the combination of blonde hair and a pink gown clashed with the overall color palette of the Oscars, making her appear like a bubblegum pop amidst a sea of elegantly dressed stars. However, she was not the only one who planned out her Oscar-ready get-up without an afterthought. 

Dwayne Johnson

At the Oscars, some stylists went above and beyond to curate an Oscar-worthy look like Cillian Murphy’s while others like Dwayne Johnson let slip of a grand appearance. Surprising as it is, for the 2023 Oscars, many noted Dwayne Johnson as one of the best-dressed A-listers at the Oscars whose ballet-pink-satin suit jacket by Dolce & Gabbana was the next best thing after the victory announcements. However, fashion does not always repeat in success, and for the Oscars this year, Johnson was a victim of this fluctuation.

This year too, the Rock rocked a Dolce & Gabbana satin suit in glazing grey, but its wrinkled appearance made him chart the roads of the worst-dressed celebrities instead of the best ones. Even his maroon scarf-like shirt could do only little to elevate the fashion blunder that probably neither he nor his stylist made a pass check for.

Much like Johnson, this next A-lister wore simplicity on her sleeves, but that was only a shortcut for a red-carpet-accurate couture blooper.

Jennifer Lawrence

After a seasonal hiatus from the red-carpet attendance, Jennifer Lawrence made a banging comeback for this year’s award season and yet fell a leg short for the biggest night, the Oscars. While it was expected that Lawrence would don a Dior as the French fashion kingdom’s longtime ambassador, the piece in concern, however, was definitely not Oscar-worthy.

The Oscar-winner stepped in wearing a strapless, off-shoulder gown of polka dots from Christian Dior Haute couture’s Spring 2024 collection with a matching wrap and a tennis bracelet and necklace from Swarovski’s Galaxy collection. Simplicity can often resonate with sophistication and if it were the Oscars jetting on a time warp to the 80s or even featuring a vintage-themed ceremony, Lawrence would be the ideal person to have couture conversations with. But since the 96th Oscars was not reminiscent of that parallel world, Lawrence’s addition to the list of fashion blunders is almost inevitable. 

Andrea Riseborough

The English actress Andrea Riseborough brought the winter fashion or more of the winter comforter for the Oscar night as she stepped in a long-sleeved tartan print dress by Loewe dress. While the efforts to elevate the look with a sleek bun, a Flamenco purse, and minimal accessories were quite visible, for those who saw the quilt design as a first, it is pretty difficult to unsee it henceforth. 

Even though when Emma Stone donned simplicity in all its forms for the Oscars, even her couture blunders could not earn her a spot on the list of couture slides. However, similar to Lawrence, Riseborough’s brooch of simplicity was definitely not in tandem with the glamorous Oscar-look-book anticipations. Hence, her alliance with the other 4 remains on record. 

Ava DuVernay

It looks like whoever took their chances for a simple makeover for the Academy Awards this year emerged a failure for couture mentions of Oscars. Hence, despite the stunning powder blue color scheme of the custom Louis Vuitton dress, one can hardly overlook the giant belt-buckle straps worn by Ava DuVernay.

The dress, unlike the others, was not a total misfire, but surely it was not something to complement a red-carpet-ready look, especially for the big night of the Oscars. While simplicity led to blunders in the fashion line for the Oscars, complexity also did not clear the way for the best outcomes. 

Erika Alexander

Fashion bloopers are like frenemies. In one event, it is someone’s enemy, and in another, it is someone else’s. For Erika Alexander, this time at least, fashion did not ride by her side as she chose a Christian Siriano dress for her first Oscar attendance. From the looks of it, the monochromatic essence failed to leave a mark with the skirt popping up with pink, purple, and green tulle.

Even though Alexander did confess that she wanted to have fun with her first Oscar appearance during the red carpet coverage, too much fun seems to have landed her on the wrong side of couture inspiration with all that busy, hotchpotch display. 

Julianne Hough

Despite her intentions to blow a wow for the paparazzi, Julianne Hough’s Alexandre Vauthier’s white jumpsuit, paired with a gold and silver fringe top, just did not serve fashion nod for the Oscars. It was surely bold, but the combination was one of the lesser-explored ones and fans would probably prefer to keep it that way.

For a costume party, Hough’s appearance could be a one-move-hit but for Oscars, like her 6 other companions, it just did not scream a true red-carpet moment. Hence, with that comes an end to the fashion pit-falls of this year, all courtesy of the big weekend of the Oscars.

Who do you think was the worst-dressed celebrity of the 2024 Oscars? Let us know in the comments below!