At the 2021 Oscars, Everyone Channeled Cher With Bare Midriffs

When it comes to Oscars fashion, you might not necessarily assume a bit of midriff baring will be on the menu. Unless, of course, you’re Cher. She’s famously worn gowns that bared her famous abs at four times in Academy Awards history (including when she won the Best Actress award). Apparently, multiple attendees at the 2021 Oscars were channeling her vibes. Nominees Andra Day, Carey Mulligan, and Vanessa Kirby along with presenter Zendaya all decided on a little bit of midriff.

The Academy Awards ceremony this year is about two months later in the year than it usually is, meaning the weather probably allowed for a bit more versatility. Even in always balmy Los Angeles.

Zendaya with long, middle-part hair probably gave the most oblique Cher reference in an electric yellow gown from Valentino Haute Couture and jewels by Bulgari. In case you missed it, an opportune gust of wind on the red carpet added some extra drama to an already major fashion moment.

Meanwhile, Day, nominated for her work in The United States vs. Billie Holiday, always has a knack for channeling the glam of past periods. For tonight, she chose a gold Vera Wang gown that had a decidedly ‘70s vibes to it even if it weren’t for the cut-out element.

Mulligan, nominated for Promising Young Woman, also chose Valentino Haute Couture and gold, in the untraditional form of a two-piece gown.

Kirby, nominated for Pieces of a Woman, wore a pale pink Gucci gown that stayed on trend with just a sliver of cutout at the midriff.

And if you’re looking for the Cher Oscar look that may serve as the rosetta stone for understanding this year’s Oscars red carpet, go back to her very first appearance at the ceremony back in 1973.