By Gauri Nair and Gabby Teachey

Spring has officially arrived, and with it comes all the exciting new opportunities for celebrities to showcase their stunning outfits. The Grammys, one of the most prestigious nights in the music industry, aired on April 3. A week earlier the Oscars took place on March 27- a  night for actors to get recognized for their talent. At both events celebrities showed up to show off their dazzling looks. 

The Oscars red carpet featured many celebrities whose looks stole the spotlight. Actress Zendaya Coleman was a fan favorite, showing up in a cropped, silk white long-sleeved shirt and a flowy, floor-length sequined silver skirt. Actress Lily James also dazzled with a light pink floor-length dress, decorated with lace, a plunging neckline, and a thigh-high slit. 

A week later, the best-dressed list at the Grammys featured Singer Dua Lipa in a black Versace dress with plenty of buckles and gold chains. Singer Lil Nas X stunned as he always does with a white quilted, pearl-encrusted suit with a butterfly in the middle. 

However, the outfits weren’t all hits. At the Grammys, singer Tayla Parx showed up in a green, Super Mario-inspired dinosaur suit with bright yellow boots.

 Junior Ellin Jeon stated, “The green outfit really shocked me because it just doesn’t seem like something that someone would wear to a red carpet. It just seemed tacky.”

 Critics were also not a fan of singer Billie Eilish’s look at the Oscars, who was wearing a ruffled black Gucci gown. 

Cosmopolitan, a popular fashion and entertainment magazine, stated that it “looks like a bad mood in dress form.” 

Although the Grammys and Oscars are both high-profile events featuring only the elite of the elite, there’s a clear difference between the styles of the two events. At the Grammys, the color pink seemed to dominate, with celebrities such as Justin Beiber, Saweetie, Chrissy Teigan, Billy Porter, Travis Barker, and Tinashe, showing up in different shades of pink. At the Oscars, the town was painted red with celebrities such as Demi Singleton, Saniyya Sidney, Zoë Kravitz, Lily James, and Mila Kunis. These colors might be meant to pay an homage to spring, acting as a bright way to welcome the season.

Throughout the past two years of awards shows being postponed and cancelled, this was a refreshing return to pre-Covid times. However, some students didn’t think the awards shows didn’t have quite the same effect they used to.

Mt. Hebron sophomore Dana Landry stated, “I don’t think the hype is the same, probably because of Covid. That break we took kind of messed up the whole momentum.”

 Jeon disagreed, “I think the hype is still pretty big because our generation especially is more involved with this stuff than the generation before us were. Also it’s a big relief after having not a lot of new sources of entertainment during the pandemic.”

No matter who does or doesn’t watch awards shows, there’s no questioning that they will always be a huge part of popular culture.