Best fashion looks at the 2025 Governors Awards: colour, couture and character

The 16th Governors Awards took place on 16 November 2025 at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood, honouring Debbie Allen, Dolly Parton, Wynn Thomas and Tom Cruise, who received an Honorary Oscar.

On the red carpet, the mood was unapologetically bold. Essence described the night as a masterclass in fearless colour and “couture storytelling”, spotlighting a guest list where rich jewel tones, sculptural silhouettes and sharp tailoring did as much talking as the statues inside.

For fashion-watchers, the Governors Awards have quietly become the soft launch of Oscars season – a place where stylists road-test ideas and stars signal the image they’ll carry into the months ahead.

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande: the “Wicked” colour story

If there was a single image that summed up the night’s storytelling, it was Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, continuing their Wicked colour conversation.

• Erivo chose a Sarah Burton–designed, over-the-shoulder green gown, capped with a floral detail – a sophisticated nod to Elphaba that Essence picked out as one of the standout looks of the evening

• People’s red-carpet report describes her as wearing an “ornate green look” at the Governors Awards in Hollywood.

  
  

Beside her, Grande leaned fully into her Glinda persona in soft, Glinda-pink glamour, with People noting how she “pops in Glinda pink” on the carpet.

Together, the pair turned what could have been just another awards-season appearance into a continuation of their Wicked narrative: two witches, two colours, carried seamlessly from film set to fashion moment.

Queen Latifah, Andra Day and a lesson in red-carpet drama

For Queen Latifah, the Governors Awards were about classic power dressing. Essence reports that she wore a floor-length red Lanvin gown, the kind of clean, confident silhouette that suits her status as both actor and host.

Singer and actor Andra Day took a more architectural route. Essence highlights her in a striking Marmar Halim design that balanced structure and softness; W Magazine also lists her among its best-dressed, noting the same label and pairing it with Cartier jewellery.

The effect in both cases is the same: gowns that feel like extensions of personality rather than costumes. Latifah’s minimal red and Day’s sculpted look show how Black women at this year’s Governors Awards used fashion to underline authority, not just aesthetics.

Sydney Sweeney and Kate Hudson: new-era Hollywood glamour

On the “young Hollywood meets classic glamour” front, Sydney Sweeney delivered one of the most talked-about looks of the night.

InStyle describes her stepping onto the carpet in a plunging white mermaid gown, completely encrusted in crystals, cut from fishnet-style fabric with an iridescent overlay. The dress featured a dramatic off-the-shoulder accent shaped from tulle ribbon, which fanned out behind her in a cape-like train.

The publication notes how the gown combined Sweeney’s signatures – a sweetheart neckline, corset-style bodice and mermaid flare – while channelling Old Hollywood in her softly set platinum bob and diamond drop earrings.

Elsewhere, Kate Hudson continued the theme of updated movie-star glamour. PEOPLE’s gallery shows her reuniting with Hugh Jackman on the red carpet as they promote their film Song Sung Blue, while W Magazine confirms she wore Valentino for the occasion.

The pairing – Sweeney’s high-shine statement and Hudson’s Italian-house sophistication – underlines how the Governors Awards blend generations of Hollywood fashion language on one carpet.

Chase Infiniti, Teyana Taylor and the power of sculpted silhouettes

Rising star Chase Infiniti made multiple best-dressed lists, including W Magazine’s, which notes that she wore Louis Vuitton at the Governors Awards.

Singer-designer Teyana Taylor went for what Essence calls a “strapless Miss Sohee snake-pattern dress”, a sculptural piece that clung like armour and moved like art as she walked. PEOPLE adds that she arrived in a “skintight gown”, emphasising the dress’s body-con impact on the carpet.

Together, their looks show how younger guests are treating the Governors Awards less as a conservative industry dinner and more as an opportunity to experiment with avant-garde shapes and textures.

Tailoring done right: Nia DaCosta, Dwayne Johnson and Michael B. Jordan

Not every standout look was a gown. Essence singles out Nia DaCosta for making “a strong case for the white suit: tailored, powerful, clean,” proving that a sharp suit can compete with the most dramatic couture.

On the menswear side, the same piece praises:

• Michael B. Jordan, “classic and untouchable” in a black tuxedo (also identified by W Magazine as Louis Vuitton).

• Dwayne Johnson, who stood out in an all-blue suit, a twist on black tie that added personality without overwhelming the room.

• Damson Idris, in a rich brown suit – described by Essence as a nod to Pantone’s colour of the year and by W Magazine as Ralph Lauren.

The message: tailoring at the 2025 Governors Awards wasn’t an afterthought. Colour, cut and fabric were used as intentionally as any ballgown.

Why this red carpet matters for the rest of awards season

The Governors Awards sit early in the calendar, but fashion editors from Vogue, W Magazine and Essence all treated this year’s event as a preview of the 2026 Oscars fashion race.

A few clear trends emerge from the night:

• High-saturation colour – emerald, neon, scarlet and Glinda-pink – is back in a big way after seasons of muted minimalism.

• Sculptural details – from Sydney Sweeney’s cape-like tulle ribbon to Andra Day’s architectural bodice – are replacing straightforward mermaid gowns.

• Tailored suits, especially in white or rich tones, are being treated as leading looks, not just safe options.

For Niche Magazine readers, the takeaway is simple: if the 2025 Governors Awards are anything to go by, the coming awards season will be defined by bold colour, thoughtful storytelling and a willingness to play with structure – on every gender. And as the race to the Oscars picks up pace, this Hollywood dinner has quietly confirmed itself as fashion’s first big test of the year.