Pearl Jewelry Takes Center Stage at the 98th Academy Awards Red Carpet

Pearls dominated the conversation on the red carpet at the 98th Academy Awards, held March 15 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. From structural gown embellishments to layered chokers, the gem that once read as formal shorthand announced itself this season as the defining accessory of the night.

No look made that case more forcefully than Teyana Taylor's custom Chanel gown, which integrated black and white pearls and crystals directly into a sheer bodice that left her midriff visible. The construction was architectural: pearls and crystals worked into the fabric itself rather than added as afterthought jewelry. The gown's tail cascaded with feather detailing along the silhouette. Taylor finished the look with an 18-carat diamond necklace set by Tiffany & Co., stacking fine jewelry atop an already jewel-dense canvas.

Ryan Destiny arrived in a custom Ami Paris full look, styled by Law Roach, who also attended the ceremony. The pairing continued a season-long pattern of Roach building complete editorial narratives around emerging talent, commissioning full custom looks rather than pulling from existing collections.

The men's carpet offered its own jewelry footnote. Damson Idris wore a custom navy double-satin Prada coat finished with a plush shearling collar, paired with gray pinstriped trousers. The standout detail was a bespoke diamond brooch sourced not from an established house but from Didris, Idris's own luxury jewelry label. The choice transformed a polished tailored moment into a quiet declaration: the actor is building serious credentials in the jewelry space, not merely wearing it.

Michael B. Jordan arrived in a custom all-black Louis Vuitton suit with a Mandarin-style stand collar and bold onyx buttons, styled by Jason Bolden. A silver chain and patent leather shoes completed a look that used hardware and stone tonally, keeping the palette monochromatic while letting material contrast carry the visual weight.

Forbes flagged the broader pattern in a roundup published March 16, noting pearl-forward looks and jewelry layering as defining characteristics of the red carpet. The observation holds: what distinguished this Oscars from recent years was the degree to which jewelry was built into garments rather than placed beside them. Taylor's Chanel gown is the clearest example, but the evening read collectively as one in which stones, metals, and pearls were structural choices, not accessories in the traditional sense.