When it comes to walking the red carpet, Viola Davis knows how to make an entrance. Her force of presence alone would be enough to ensure that all eyes stay on her, but her fierce fashions make that a guarantee. The How To Get Away With Murder star has certainly come a long way since her first red carpet, which featured a coat that more resembles one of the rugs in your grandmother’s attic.
With red carpet fashion, Viola Davis knows that getting the basics right can make all the difference. The most important building block when it comes to creating a red carpet outfit is the dress. Hair, shoes, and accessories also play a major role, but the dress is what we all see first. Luckily, Davis shines in literally every color of the rainbow. Don’t believe us? Trust, we have the receipts.
Viola Davis Righteous In Red
There’s nothing not to love about Davis’ show-stopping red Armani gown, which she wore to the 89th Annual Academy Awards, where she picked up an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Fences. From the halter neck to the elegant sleeves, from the tiny train to the way the red shade perfectly complements Davis’ warm skin tone, this look was an absolute win.
She completed the look with some gold accessories: the bracelet and ring on her right arm, as well as a pair of earrings. It’s her triumphant grin as she hoists her Oscar in the air that really makes this look shine for us.
Outstanding In Orange
The next look is an orange, Queen Anne neckline gown from designer Zac Posen featuring a mini train that adds some old Hollywood glamour to an already gorgeous dress. We love the way the straps widen a little on Davis’ shoulders, which draws the eye to one of her best features.
Our only sticking point would be the area where the bodice meets the skirt. Perhaps it’s just this photo, but there’s a bit of unflattering bunching going on, which is made a bit more obvious since the bodice and the skirt appear to be slightly different colors.
Yummy In Yellow
One way to draw eyes and cameras to you on the red carpet is to dazzle the crowd, which Davis took quite literally with this Michael Kors dress. As we said, Davis’ shoulders and arms are the stuff of legend, so the actress likely won’t be caught dead covering them up.
Instead, she opted for this one-shoulder, floor-length, yellow gown that is covered in what appears to be hundreds, if not thousands, of tiny crystals. She wisely chose to forgo a necklace and instead accessorized with a silver, possibly diamond, bracelet and a matching silver-white clutch.
Gorgeous In Green
Green can be a difficult shade for some to pull off, but Viola Davis apparently doesn’t see what’s so tough about it. This Escada strapless wrap dress is absolutely timeless, and we love the way Davis styled her hair in finger waves á la Josephine Baker to complete that “siren of the silver screen,” 1930s glamour look. Again, it’s the little details that have made Davis such a wonder to watch on the red carpet.
Brilliant In Blue
Obviously, Davis has an affinity for Michael Kors, which is probably why she rocked this icy blue Michael Kors Collection dress. This gown might look familiar since Davis wore a different variation of the gown in yellow.
Instead of a one-shoulder look, this time around Davis went with the crew neckline which still left her gorgeously sculpted arms bare. These dresses, oddly enough, were worn just weeks apart. When Davis likes a look, apparently she sticks with it.
Perfect In Purple
One of the looks that Davis tends to stick to are asymmetrical necklines, and no neckline has ever been more asymmetrical than this beautiful Armani Prive gown. Davis wore a pair of emerald and silver earrings, which we would have never thought would work, but we don’t mind being proven wrong. The two strong colors, instead of clashing, work together perfectly and Davis literally glows.
Breathtaking And Winsome In Black And White
It’s not just jewel-toned colors that Viola Davis shines in. This photo was taken at the 2019 Primetime Emmy Awards and features Davis and her husband Julius Tennon both dressed in black and white, but obviously, all eyes are on Davis. Why wouldn’t they be when she’s wearing the heck out of that Alberta Ferretti dress?
Once again, Davis is able to display her shoulders and arms to a devastating effect thanks to yet another asymmetrical neckline. To complete the look, which could have absolutely stood on its own, Davis wore Forevermark jewelry which is visible around her neck and peeking out from behind her hair on her ears.
Boring, Bleak Brown
We’ve already seen that Davis shines in every color and shade of the rainbow, so brown should be a no-brainer for the multi-award-winning actress. Instead, we can barely even see Davis thanks to her bulky coat, wide-legged brown pants, and frankly boring brown loafers. Instead of being the stand-out that we know her to be, this look made Davis into more of a wallflower than anything else, and not a particularly pretty wallflower at that.
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