By and large, the biggest trend on the 2025 Oscars red carpet was if you know, you know style. However, not in the quiet luxury, wealth-whispers sense; instead, subtle method dressing was the takeaway trend of the evening’s fashion at the 97th Academy Awards. From thoughtful color choices to blink-and-you-miss-it details, Hollywood’s finest actors snuck several nudge-nudge, wink-wink references into their best Oscars red carpet fashion moments.
For the uninitiated, the method dressing trend is when an actor strategically represents the film they star in through their clothing. Think Margot Robbie in Barbie pink on the 2023 press tour or Zendaya, styled by Law Roach, in her court-ready Challengers-inspired tennis set. Sometimes, the homage is subtle—like a secret, hidden Easter egg in the form of an embellishment or necklace sourced from a certain era that resonates with a character. Or, the fashion-to-culture connection can be so obvious that even if you haven’t seen the film and reside under a rock, you can grasp what the actor and stylist were thinking.
Considering the Academy Awards are the last stop on the awards ceremony train, the 2025 Oscars were the perfect chance for actors to say goodbye to the beloved characters they played and promoted for many months. Ahead, take a look at all the phenomenal method dressing trend moments you may have missed from Hollywood’s biggest night.
Cynthia Erivo in custom Louis Vuitton
Arguably the most explicit of the method dressing moments on the 2025 Oscars red carpet, Cynthia Erivo wore a Louis Vuitton dress in an opulent dark forest-green that was a clear connection to her role of Elphaba in Wicked. So were Erivo's nails, embellished with symbols seen throughout Oz.
Ariana Grande in Schiaparelli Couture
Ariana Grande wore a custom Schiaparelli gown featuring 190,000 crystals that shimmered and shined over her froth skirt. Wicked fans will catch that her dress's bubble-like waist shape is a clear reference to the bubble Glinda (Grande's character) arrives to Oz in during the musical.
Demi Moore in custom Armani Privé
In The Substance, Demi Moore plays an aging actress named Elisabeth Sparkle who is struggling with her self-worth and desire for fame. Speaking of: Moore's mega-watt custom Armani Privé dress was the real-life manifestation of both her character's Sparkle namesake and career aspirations.
Margaret Qualley in custom Chanel
Margaret Qualley's black Chanel gown featured a stunning scoop-back detailing, which The Substance star emphasized with a diamond necklace worn backward that draped delicately down her spine. Those who made it through the body-horror film know that the spine is a significant detail (that gets a lot of stomach-churning screen time), which made Qualley's backless gown the perfect nod.
Zoe Saldaña in Saint Laurent
Zoe Saldaña chose a Saint Laurent dress in deep cherry red. Emilia Pérez viewers will recognize the color as the same exact shade as the red velvet suit Saldaña wore when her character Rita Mora Castro sings "El Mal" towards the end of the crime thriller.
