The 2023 Oscars red carpet has only just begun, but we’re already seeing trends forming as the stars arrive. As for the hottest color trend of the night, the top contender is about as classic as can be when it comes to award-show dressing: Black and white.
Some attendees have gone with head-to-toe black (a la Wednesday Addams), others with all-white ensembles (perhaps channeling their inner Marylin Monroe), and some wearing looks that combine the two. And while we’d love to call it a coincidence, there may be more to these colors’ popularity than at first meets the eye.
According to data complied by Dalston Mill Fabrics and Lyst, black is historically the luckiest color to wear to the Oscars—at least for anyone competing the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress categories. Roughly one third of all winners from those two categories were wearing black when they received their statuette, including Cher sporting her iconic Bob Mackie feathered-and-sequined stunner for her 1988 win for Moonstruck. An additional 12 percent of winners in those two categories did so while wearing white. In fact, Audrey Hepburn even referred to the white Givenchy gown she wore to collect her first Best Actress award in 1054 for Roman Holiday as her “lucky dress.”
So, coincidence or trying to stack the odds? Who’s to say? Regardless, here are our favorite black-, white- and black-and-white-clad Oscars guests thus far.
