It's all gone prom: Princess power ruled the night as old-school gowns took centre stage at The Oscars

From puffball hems to girlish glam, Karen Dacre selects the stand-out frocks - and a few dapper gents
Karen Dacre29 February 2016

For every ham-fisted teenager the leavers’ ball is a rite of passage. Recalled by most as a night of transition, we embarked on the event as a Tammy Girl tween and wound up a fully fledged fashion horror show who vomits in her handbag.

The occasion was preceded by a shopping marathon that involved hours spent squeezing into polyester in the local branch of Monsoon and a traumatic trip to “upmarket” Coast.

Given the mental scarring and the fact that so many of us are able to discuss this social juncture without experiencing a flare-up of stress-induced eczema, it seems puzzling that Hollywood’s top tier should have harked back to the high-school prom when selecting their garb for last night’s Oscars.

Clad in strapless bandeau gowns with more puff than Mary Berry’s jam tarts and in shades so sugary they incite the same queasiness that comes from eating too many Haribos, what this red-carpet class served up was a high-school drama.

The Oscars 2016 - the dresses

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But we’re not talking gritty Grange Hill realism here — few reality checks were taken — this was an Oscars at which the sensible gave way to fantastical and the tasteful to the unapologetically OTT.

Witness Alicia Vikander. Choosing a lemon puff-ball gown by Louis Vuitton, The Danish Girl star channelled a particular Disney princess, admitting that Belle from Beauty and the Beast had been her style icon.

She was joined by Reese Witherspoon, who wore a supersized Oscar de la Renta gown which looked better suited to the wardrobe of Elle Woods — see Legally Blonde — and Sofia Vergara, who made her bid for the prom queen crown in a dress by Marchesa.

Isla Fisher, who also wore Marchesa, sported fluffy taffeta and a rose motif while Cate Blanchett took a break from her favourite Sarah Burton creations in favour of a twee Armani Privé gown that came complete with frilly flowers.

And then there was Kate Winslet, who transported us back to Kylie and Jason and to a sweaty school gymnasium in a dress by Ralph Lauren. The most memorable prom night puff came from Lady Gaga, who chose a poorly fitting gown trouser hybrid (trown?) by Brandon Maxwell.

But it wasn’t all sickly sweet. Julianne Moore, the evening’s Valedictorian, played it safe in Chanel while Brie Larson went for fashion cred in a Gucci gown (NB: the Italian house is hot right now).

As for prom king? It’s Pharrell. Not least because he turned his ankles into a walking feature wall but because his newly bleached buzz cut brought with it a hit of the modernity that was lacking elsewhere.

He was joined by Jared Leto, who showed creative promise both in terms of his look (it’s official, corsages look ace on the red carpet) and his choice in companion. After all, if you’re going to take a mate to the prom, he may as well be hottest man on the planet right now. Gucci’s Alessandro Michele is certainly that.

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