Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo are the talk of the Oscars red carpet for their Wicked-inspired dresses, gowns that, while not defy gravity, defy the physics of whether they’ll fit in a theater seat during the ceremony.
Both Wicked stars arrived in giant gowns that reference their characters in the film, capping off a long promotional tour of “method dressing” in ensembles inspired by Glinda and Elphaba. Their dresses certainly take up space—and are doing as such on the internet, which has lit up with discussion about the eye-popping gowns.
Grande wore a pink corseted Schiaparelli ball gown, fresh off the Paris Couture Fashion Week runway in January. The fitted top flared into ripples with a sparkling, tulle-like skirt cascading down from it.
The Glinda-fied moment seemed to be met with salivating raves from armchair fashion critics on social media.
Hyperbolic, fawning reactions included “absolutely obsessed,” “princess,” and multiple versions of the phrase, “ATE.”
The ballerina vibes also seemed to be a hit:
Of course, the bold statement is divisive. The look polarized the Daily Beast’s Slack, for one. And it’s hard to ignore the household appliance that the dress closely resembles:
And even lovers of the dress were not fans of Grande’s bun hairdo.
The squeals continued for Erivo, who channeled Elphaba’s triumphant transformation in a deep green velvet custom Louis Vuitton dress that resembled the massive cape that appears at the end of “Defying Gravity.” According to social media, the gown is a tribute to Hattie MacDaniel, the first Black Oscar-winner.
Like Grande’s choice, it’s not a demure gown, with its shoulder draping and massive skirt the epitome of “holding space” (on the red carpet).
The online reaction was a chorus of praise like “QUEEEEEEENNNN,” “SCREAMING!!!!!! This is EVERYTHING!!!!!!,” and, of course, more versions of how she “ate.”
If nothing else, Grande and Erivo teamed up to lead a red carpet trend. Whether or not that trend is an attractive one, well that’s for those of us sitting on our couches in sweatpants who know nothing about fashion to tweet about and decide.
Since the stars are tipped to open the Oscars telecast with a Wicked musical performance—and the fact that they were remarkably early arrivals on the red carpet for stars of their stature—it’s a safe bet they’re planning to slip into something easier to move in, and then sit during a ceremony in, before the show starts.
