You would be forgiven for thinking that Oscars fashion has become a little bit safe over recent years. Apart from the odd ‘look at me’ moment, it’s all been about old-style glamour, conformity and who can look best in a classic long column dress with a fishtail. They looked beautiful of course but it wasn’t exactly original.

Last weekend, perhaps to take our minds off the difficult times over the pond, actresses went all out to show off their originality and out-do each other with Oscars fashion details that stood out in a crowd. And yes, that includes sleeves, lots of them.

Emma Stone, in undoubtedly one of the most anticipated outfits this year, went for a shimmering golden gown that made her look almost like one of the awards La La Land was nominated for. Her stunning Givenchy Haute couture gown looked picture perfect, with its Twenties-style flapper girl fringing. We won’t mention awkward moments or Faye Dunaway.

Oscars Fashion Under-exposure

Playing it safe and a penchant for competing to expose as much skin as possible (while attempting to stay decent) has influenced Oscars fashion away from sleeves for a good many years, but this year, younger actresses have been adopting statement sleeves so that they are no longer seen as the domain of older or ‘character’ actresses.

Dakota Johnson, star of the Fifty Shades films, proved the point perfectly by showing a lot less skin than she does in the films! She looked fabulous in a high-necked, full-coverage golden Gucci frock, which was a far cry from her previous red, single strapped Saint Laurent dress.

Many of Hollywood’s leading ladies came over all modest and opted for stylish statement sleeves on the red carpet. Isabelle Huppert dazzled on the red carpet in a long sleeve, embellished off-white gown designed by Armani Prive and Chrissy Teigen combined a modest sleeve with sheer fabrics and embellishments that added a little something and made sure that even with very little flesh on view, we were still looking at her. Naturally the thigh high split also helped.

Modesty combined with a political statement led Ava DuVernay to choose a lovely dress by Ashi Studio, and she followed her appearance on the red carpet with a tweet that left nobody in any doubt as to how deliberately she styled herself on the night, “I chose to wear a gown by a designer from a majority Muslim country.”

What was your favourite loom from the red carpet this year?