Was Kristen Stewart's mini-short suit the most shocking look of the Oscars?
, showing skin isn’t necessarily that shocking anymore. Zendaya has made ab-flashing red-carpet looks a signature over the past few years, so when she wore a Valentino ensemble with a cropped blouse and long skirt to tonight’s Oscars it looked almost understated.
But when best actress nominee Kristen Stewart appeared at the event in a Chanel suit featuring short shorts, it turned up the thermometer of the Dolby Theater by several degrees. Indeed, this appeared to be the first pair of hot pants in the history of the Oscars red carpet. The custom look, a black satin jacket and shorts worn with an unbuttoned white chiffon blouse and a million-dollar Chanel Fine Jewelry lariat necklace, was a collaboration between Ms. Stewart, her stylist of 17 years Tara Swennen and Chanel creative director Virginie Viard. Ms. Stewart, an ambassador for Chanel, has been faithfully wearing looks from the brand—many of them couture—while promoting her nominated role as Princess Diana in “Spencer.
So she, Ms. Stewart and Ms. Viard set about creating the look this January. It pulled from the Claudia Schiffer in St. Tropez spirit of the spring 2022 runway show, at which Ms. Stewart slipped into her seat fashionably late midway through. That collection—which is in stores now—featured several pairs of shorts, including 1990s-style bike shorts and sequined hot pants. Ms. Swennen was also inspired by the irreverent tuxedo looks Princess Diana wore in the 1980s.
The outfit just arrived in Los Angeles from Paris this Wednesday. “They had me on my toes until the last minute,” admitted Ms. Swennen, saying she normally has red-carpet looks planned for her clients three to four weeks in advance. But when it arrived, she said: “in true Chanel form it was perfect. We didn’t change a stitch on it.”“We loved that it was something innovative,” Ms. Swennen said. “Of course Kristen is someone who loves pushing the boundaries and trying new things.