Oscars red carpet: black, metallics, mermaids

Hollywood's top stars hit the Oscars red carpet at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday, with a few usual trends on offer: black is always chic and metallics are super glam. Here is a look at what the A-listers wore to the Academy Awards:

German actress Sandra Hueller, a best actress nominee for 'Anatomy of a Fall' and the star of 'The Zone of Interest', was ready for her Oscars close-up: she wore a stunning black Schiaparelli gown with a wide sculptural neckline.

Presenter Rita Moreno, among the Hollywood elite with an EGOT -- Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony -- arrived in a black gown with ruffles at the neck and down the front. She told ABC her black wig was a tribute to the late Chita Rivera.

Colman Domingo -- a best actor nominee for 'Rustin' and one of the definite style stars of this awards season -- looked sharp in a double-breasted Louis Vuitton tuxedo with slightly flared trousers, ornate silver buttons and lots of jewelry, including a stunning brooch in his bowtie.

And 'High School Musical' actress Vanessa Hudgens made a big statement with her black long-sleeved body-con gown: it showcased her baby bump as she announced her pregnancy with baseball player husband Cole Tucker.

One of the best ways to ensure attention on the Oscars red carpet is to dress a bit like the golden statuette -- metallics are a timeless sure bet.

Anya Taylor-Joy, who presented an award, wowed in a silvery strapless Dior gown with plenty of sequins and sparkle.

America Ferrera, a nominee for best supporting actress for her turn in 'Barbie', combined two hot red carpet trends with her form-fitting sleeveless Versace dress -- it's metallic and pink.

Barbiecore has been all the rage throughout awards season, especially among the stars of Greta Gerwig's surreal feminist fantasy about the iconic Mattel doll.

Like Bella Baxter, the character she plays in 'Poor Things', Emma Stone -- who won the best actress Oscar -- went her own way stylewise, in a pale aqua, strapless Louis Vuitton ensemble featuring a wide peplum and a long skirt.

Hailee Steinfeld also got the mermaid memo, wearing a gauzy aqua Elie Saab gown with a gilded bodice and scarf attached to her wrists like floating sleeves.

Presenters Cynthia Erivo, a two-time Oscar nominee, and pop star Ariana Grande -- who will soon star in a two-part film adaptation of the popular Broadway musical 'Wicked' -- brought their Oz energy to the Academy Awards stage.

Grande channeled her inner Glinda in a strapless pink cloud of a gown with voluminous sleeves from Giambattista Valli Haute Couture.

Erivo meanwhile struck a very Elphaba chord in a dark green leather Louis Vuitton gown with a plunging neckline and ruffles down the back. Her pointy green nails completed the look.

The Oscars is often a moment for political activism, and this year, the deadly conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas was not far from the minds of the A-listers on the red carpet.

Several nominees including Oscar-winning singer-songwriter Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas O'Connell wore red Artists4Ceasefire pins, in support of "an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza and Israel."

The pin features an orange hand with a black heart. 'Anatomy of a Fall' stars Swann Arlaud and Milo Machado-Graner wore pins bearing the Palestinian flag.