The Oscar of Feathers
– 5 min read
There were a few fashion and beauty trends happening on the Oscars red carpet last night. A lot of buns. Monochrome looks with a bold lip. And also feathers. So many feathers. Award-winning feathers.
Amy Madigan is now the second-oldest woman to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress – relevant to this conversation for a number of reasons. It’s unusual for an actress to win in a performance from a horror/thriller and there is no way she could have imagined, when she first accepted the role of Aunt Gladys in Weapons, that it would bring her to the Academy Awards. Related, she has spoken candidly about feeling ignored by Hollywood and casting agents for so long, which made her available to add dimension to role that could have easily just been a genre stereotype and then be awarded for it on Hollywood’s biggest night. That might explain her reaction to the win.
She was flabbergasted at the whim of the fates, delighted that the destiny had curved in her direction, finally, but at this point in her life, processing it as a bonus and not a necessity. Award season has been a fun experience for her – you can tell by how much flair she’s had in her red carpet choices, saving the best of all her looks, a pure streak of pantsuits, for Oscar night.
Amy’s in Dior Haute Couture by Jonathan Anderson, black and gold feathers, like if a rockstar and a quirky auntie had a baby, I love this jacket SO much. Not only was she the big winner in her acting category, she’s also the big winner in the feather category on the carpet.
Other feather or textured looks include Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas in Loewe in a black column dress with what looks like a bathroom rug coming out of her chest in the shape of a tongue… which I quite like for it’s strangeness.
And her co-star and fellow Best Supporting Actress nominee, Elle Fanning, who wore exactly what you would expect her to wear: Disney princess ball gown. This is custom Givenchy by Sarah Burton, just like last year for her first Oscars. The skirt is exquisite, light but also luxurious, and the gauziness of it makes it seem like it could feel feathery.
Then there’s Demi Moore, in the most feather of all the feather looks, a custom Gucci by Demna that is a relative of one of the most beloved award season dresses of the last 20 years – can you see the DNA?
Here’s Demi, in 2026 Gucci, a dramatic bird.
And here’s Nicole Kidman at the SAG Awards in 2017, the green parrot dress, also Gucci, then under the stewardship of Alessandro Michele, probably at the height of his popularity with the house.
Since taking over Gucci, Demna has been nodding to the brand’s history, honouring the collections that came before him and laying his own interpretation. Demi’s dress is clearly an homage.
Speaking of Nicole, though, she was in feathers too. Chanel, obviously, since she’s returned to the house as ambassador with Matthieu Blazy leading the creative and you really can’t go wrong with Nicole Kidman in a feathered peplum, even if it’s not the best feathered Chanel of the night.
There were so many feathers that Nicole’s wasn’t the only feathered peplum. Misty Copeland’s David Koma peplum blazer over that slinky skirt was exquisite. That’s a piece I feel like we’ll be seeing a lot because you can wear it so many different ways.
Amy Madigan attends the 98th Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March 15, 2026 in Hollywood
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas and Elle Fanning attend the 98th Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March 15, 2026 in Hollywood
Demi Moore and Nicole Kidman attend the 98th Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March 15, 2026 in Hollywood
Misty Copeland attends the 98th Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March 15, 2026 in Hollywood
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