Crop Tops Dominated the Oscars Red Carpet

Zendaya wore yellow too, but her bold Valentino Haute Couture gown, with a ruched bandeau top, loose waves, and $6 million worth of Bulgari jewels, evoked a mogul vacationing on a private island. Zendaya never, ever misses, and tonight’s Oscars red carpet is no exception. She also looks comfortable, which is impressive. The only drawback is that, possibly, her neck is tired from carrying around an entire display case of jewels. It’s the only problem we would ever wish upon her. 

Vanessa Kirby, nominated for best actress for her role in Pieces of a Woman, wore a pale pink custom Gucci column gown with a dramatic train and a structured bustier top that featured a peek of abdomen. It’s a polite, stately crop top, one you could wear to Easter with the queen (well, possibly with a gigantic shawl). Kirby, whom you know from her role as Princess Margaret in season two of The Crown, wears it well. 

At the 2012 Oscars, Angelina Jolie stated, without saying anything at all, that the theme of the evening was “legs.” In 2019, Gemma Chan’s dress—it had pockets!—led a year that was all about arms. And this Oscar is undeniably devoted to midriffs. It is with great love for the ’80s, too-early nostalgia for the 2010s, and still-simmering anger at high school dress codes, that we embrace midriff-themed Oscar night. It’s a nice compromise between the heavy, giant gowns of past red carpets and the couture set suits celebrities have been wearing to seem “relatable.” For the first time in years, these women actually look like they’re in Southern California on a spring day. 

Cut-outs, high slits, diagonal straps, bandeaus, strapless gowns, and billowing skirts seem to promise a hopeful spring and a happier, safer summer. Glamour fashion writers were on the ground (well, in sweats in our own living rooms) scanning the Oscars attendees. So far, not one single belly button was spotted, but hey—it’s still early. 

Jenny Singer is a staff writer for Glamour. You can follow her on Twitter.