5 style mistakes to avoid on the Oscars red carpet

This year too the Oscar night is upon us. This year's edition will perhaps be the one that will save a vaguely drained awards season and, of course, all eyes will be on the red carpet which, besides the actual awards, is definitely the best part of the evening. An Oscar Night outfit is definitely not easy to build and there is a lot of pressure on the stylists considering that a bad outfit will remain in the history of the worst dressed and will hardly be forgotten by the audience. Luckily, in the last few years, many of the missteps made in the past, when the stars didn't have a stylist and they practically decided what to wear themselves, have been avoided - nonetheless, a guide to the dos and don'ts of the Oscars is definitely needed to fix some key points on what works and what doesn't on the red carpet.

So here are 5 style mistakes not to make on the Oscars red carpet.

1 – Long dresses so confused they hit themselves

Uma Thurman

Glenn Close

Hillary Swank

Geena Davis

Demi Moore

Whoopi Goldberg

It happens more often than you might think that a star decides to wear an evening gown that mixes pant legs and skirt together or possesses, as in the case of Hillary Swank, a sheer skirt over a dress that would actually be cocktail. Make up your mind. Do you wear a skirt or do you wear pants? Dresses with a long back and short front skirt also fall into this category (thank goodness we see less and less of them), but even here it would be worth understanding where you want to go with this. 

2 – The "House on the Prairie” aesthetic

Margot Robbie

Andra Day

Barbra Streisand

Gwyneth Paltrow

Emily Blunt

A dress can be more or less revealing, more or less conservative - but there is a conjunction of earthy or pastel colors, old-fashioned details like lace, floral prints and various crinolines that brings to mind 19th century Wyoming. It's the dreaded "Little House on the Prairie" effect: a style somewhere between western aesthetic, Victorian doll and grandma's armchair that literally makes the wearer disappear under a cloak of heaviness and never leave it.

3 – The chaotic energy suits

Jared Leto

Woody Harrelson

Pharrell Williams

Timothèe Chalamet

Leslie Odom Jr.

Mickey Rourke

will.i.am

Tim Robbins

Terrence Howard

Adam Rippon

Billy Bob Thornton

If menswear only has one category on this list, it's because, the Oscars being a gala, men are required to (ideally) wear a suit. Period. There is a certain amount of wiggle room if you want to be creative - but if you want to break the static but sensible rules of the harmonious men's suit you have to at least do it with a very high level of knowledge. So a firm "No" to lavender or gold suits, suits with short shorts (we're looking at you, Pharrell), jumpsuits and smart chich diversions that are neither smart nor chic. Sometimes an excellently cut suit is enough - flair looks better in street styles anyway.

4 – Shapeless outfits

Diablo Cody

Helena Bonham Carter

Jennifer Connely

Chloe Zhao

Sarah Jessica Parker

Olivia Colman

Regardless of the body that wears them, the hundreds of thousands of dollars dresses at the Oscars (but also dresses in general) should be a complement to the body, able to embrace and elevate the silhouette despite the size. It has happened in the history of the Academy, however, to see dresses on the red carpet that fell on the unfortunate actress, annihilating her silhouette in a cape in which the body disappeared to leave room for the dress. These are the clothes without form, which fall on the body like amorphous curtains creating an effect that is not exactly horrible but only «Meh». 

5 -  The Prom effect

Jodie Foster

Kim Basinger

Meryl Streep

Sharon Stone

Tyra Banks

Faith Hill

A haute couture evening gown is one thing, a dress that conjures up visions of a wedding favor is another. Disney princess skirts, lace and lace, shimmering fabrics in pastel colors, paired with fluffy tulle, old-fashioned or just plain kitschy cuts, details that are more appropriate for a Tally Weijl rack than Oscar night. If you think that glitter and lace are synonymous with sophistication - well, think again.