The Red Carpet Is Back! Check Out These Trends

What did red carpet habitués miss the most during the long hiatus? Judging from the way they’ve been lighting up galas lately — from the Oscars to Cannes — they missed glamour.

Like everybody, celebrities want to get back to normal after the forced break, and looking glamorous on the red carpet is normal. They’ve spent too many days hiding their light, and now they want to have fun and look amazing.

And they have been succeeding spectacularly. So what are the biggest trends on the red carpet?

Beautiful Monochromatic Suits

Men seem to be taking themselves less seriously and, at the same time, getting more real. As a result, they’re more willing to loosen up and have fun with fashion, even letting themselves wear truly beautiful clothes.

And on the red carpet in 2021, they’ve been doing it monochromatically. The look is almost always flattering and captivating.

At the Emmys, Hamilton star Leslie Odom Jr. was a feast for the eyes in an all-white Dolce & Gabbana suit sparkling with crystals. Even his white boots sparkled. For the Oscars, he shone in a gold Brioni ensemble. Likewise, Lincoln actor Colman Domingo shimmered at the Academy Awards in an all-fuchsia suit by Versace that required well over a hundred hours of hand-sewing to attach the thousands of crystals and sequins.

Bare Midriffs and More

The ladies have been showing lots of naked skin on the red carpet lately, the better to display their diamond necklaces and toned thighs. Midriffs appeared at all the 2021 galas, often with the help of tops inspired by bandeaux. At the VMAs, singer Normani wore a very short wrapped mini by Patrycja Pages combined with a stylized crop jacket to bare her midriff in a sophisticated way.

Dresses slashed to there were everywhere, and cut-outs made some ingenious appearances. For example, at Cannes, Sharon Stone wore a seductively sedate white Dolce & Gabbana featuring a long sash at the waist that she tossed over her shoulder. The dress asserted itself beautifully with a thigh-high slit and a glittery silver bodice. Also, at Cannes, Gemma Chan looked spectacular in a gown by Oscar de la Renta featuring a fairly tame thigh slash, with an elegant gold leaf floral design arranged over a form-fitting nude foundation.

Feathers

Quite a few celebrities are wearing feathers on the red carpet, but Iman stole the show at the Met Gala. She looked like a sunburst in her Harris Reed costume, designed with the support of the ateliers of Dolce & Gabbana. The metallic gold jumpsuit featured a bustier top and flared legs. The huge but lightweight headdress made Iman look like a goddess with the sun radiating from her face, and the matching cage skirt had five tiers of hoops. Both the halo and skirt were embellished with row after hand-stitched row of feathers lavished with gold applique.

Color

Everyone on the red carpet seems to be craving color, with even the wearers of black and white sending out rainbows from their Swarovski crystals. In Cannes, Halle Berry was stunning in hot magenta in her Dolce & Gabbana gown with its big flowing skirt and a big draping bow at the waist.

Another popular trend these days seems to be to match the carpet. So red dresses are everywhere — although most didn’t get the attention they deserved at the Met Gala after Megan Fox appeared in an extremely distracting lace-up gown by Dundas.

The red carpet is back! Award shows and movie premieres are bringing out the celebrities, who are once again flaunting their glamorous finery for everyone to enjoy.