Viola Davis was in a white McQueen gown last night featuring an intricately cutout bodice and delicate chiffon skirt. I kept remembering Viola’s sneakers at the Emmys and wondering what kind of shoes she had on, but you couldn’t tell from the length of the dress. Everyone was raving about this gown and while it wasn’t my favorite of her Oscar looks, she did look incredible. I also liked how unique yet classic this was. It had detailing that stood out but wasn’t too busy or distracting. Viola presented Tyler Perry with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award last night. She was nominated for Best Actress for Ma Rainey, which was her fourth nomination and makes her the most nominated Black actress in history. That category went to a rather grumpy Frances McDormand. I was disappointed with the lack of awards for Ma Rainey, particularly for Chadwick Boseman for Best Actor. I really expected him to win but of course Anthony Hopkins took that category.
Tiara Thomas was one of the only other women I saw in white last night. She won, for Best Song for “Fight for You” along with H.E.R., from Judas and The Black Messiah. She was an early arrival on the red carpet and her suit is Jovana Benoit. This is very rock and roll and she definitely pulls it off.
H.E.R. was in this amazing flowy Peter Dundas sequin suit with a hoodie! It was a tribute to Prince’s 1985 Oscar look and I loved everything about it.
Mia Neal won the Oscar for Makeup and Hairstyling for Ma Rainey. Mia’s speech was one of the best, and she gave tribute to her grandfather, James Holland, who raised her and was one of the Tuskegee airmen. He couldn’t get a job as a teacher despite his Northwestern degree because they would not hire a Black man. Mia and Jamika Wilson were the first Black women to win in that category, and Mia said she hoped that one day it would just be normal and not groundbreaking for transwomen and women of color to win Oscar. Her gown was really cool I love the structural details around the neckline and side.
JUST IN: The Oscar for Makeup and Hairstyling goes to "Ma Raney's Black Bottom."#Oscarshttps://t.co/ScDUrk0xaG pic.twitter.com/UCL2xbLZzs
— Good Morning America (@GMA) April 26, 2021
photos credit: Avalon.red
Viola’s makeup is very eavy IMO, especially around her eyes. But all of these women look lovely! I love H.E.R. and Tiara Thomas’s looks!
I loved Viola’s look, her and her husband looked great.
I must be the only person that really doesn’t like Violas dress. It feels unfinished, the whites from the skirt to the top clash, the material on the top looks clumpy and dull, like weird white appliqués hastily sewn on. You can see some of the uneven work when you zoom in. Just unfinished. I usually love her looks. This one is not it.
Viola looks like a queen!
I love her confidence- she just rocks up looking amazing, but doesn’t seem to take herself too seriously.
Everything about the outfit works, her hair compliments the look so well too.
Props to her husband for co-ordinating and looking… chill. The shades and the blue socks… 🙂
The more I look at Viola’s dress, the more I love it! Her hair, her skin, her joyful presence…true beauty.
Oh wow I fell asleep last night and never saw Viola. Geez that dress is a WOW and she looks so fantastic in it.
Everyone in this post looks amazing. I don’t say that lightly, as I dislike most awards fashion, but all of these are really beautiful. The blue, prince-inspired one is my favourite.
Agreed. This is a rare post of all winning looks.
I think they all looked great. Viola’s dress was gorgeous.
They all look great to me. Viola looks amazing in that dress
Tiara, HER and Mia Neal are my faves of this set!!! All of these women looked like they had fun! Viola Davis’ dress wasn’t my fave. It was nice but i wanted more from her.
In my opinion H.E.R. had the best look of the night. Just stunning.
I like the blue pant suit on HER but I don’t like the flowy piece on the side. I don’t like Violas dress, I don’t like the neckline but I like that her jewelry is understated.
Ooh, I’d heard people mention Viola’s dress but didn’t see it until now. That is very pretty. Most of the outfits here are lovely, but she is the standout for me of this bunch.
I am sorry to be the dissenter, but I usually love Viola’s looks, but I did not like it at all. For me, it was worst dress of the evening.
Yeah me too. The fit is good but I don’t like the cutout bodice and I don’t like the colour.
Exactly! It’s like they spent so much time perfecting the tailored fit, and then ran out of time and haphazardly slapped something on top.
I agree, maybe if it were more colorful like red, I would have liked it on her. Love her hair though.
Oscar voters are still predominantly old and white, and they still vote old and white.
Yes, they’ll give non-white people “lesser category” wins, lest they look racist and self consumed. But mostly, old white people voting for old white people and stories that reflect them.
I love Viola in white. Gorgeous dress. Reading about Mia’s grandfather brought the tears this morning.
I agree with everything here. Mia Neal, best acceptance speech of the night. And yes, I’ve seen Viola Davis look this stunning and more, and her choices always flatter. She looks amazing dressed as a paper snowflake. (She’s worn other dresses I LIKE better, but SHE looks amazing.)
Thank you for explaining H.E.R.’s fashion reference! I commented to my husband that I knew it meant SOMETHING, but I didn’t know what! She was absolutely gorgeous. So accomplished and so young! She’s the real deal.
I think I’m completely over the Cranky Frances thing. I love her, and I did notice when her poker face broke and she started to cry, I completely get that her dour poker face is a deflection, a professional defense against over-emoting, but c’mon. That was a VERY small room. Other actresses would be so punished for performing the same “artiste” routine. I don’t know, whatever.
Viola’s dress is nice, but I would have loved it with some color. Just some very, very light, fading into white color on the flowers and leaves, then scattering down the skirt. But I never like any “fashion”, and I dislike hers a lot less than most.