Ariana Grande made a wickedly good arrival for her first-ever appearance at the Oscars.
Stepping onto the red carpet tonight outside of Los Angeles’s Dolby Theatre, the “We Can’t Be Friends” singer embodied Wicked’s Glinda in a cotton-candy pink column gown, a custom Giambattista Valli Haute Couture design featuring intricate ruching from the top to the bottom. At the waist were pillowy cloudlike attachments, which extended into a dramatic train that trailed behind her. As if that weren’t enough, the look was topped off with a huge pink gemstone-encrusted necklace and matching drop earrings from Tiffany & Co.
Her Wicked costar Cynthia Erivo—who stars in the film adaptation of the Broadway hit as Elphaba—similarly channeled her character, in a mossy-green leather gown lined in dramatic ruffles, custom-made by Louis Vuitton.
In her first appearance at the Academy Awards, Grande will take the stage tonight as one of the presenters. Erivo has also been tapped to present, so it’s likely we’ll get to see our real-life Elphaba and Glinda bestow an award together. The duo joins fellow A-list presenters like Zendaya, Jennifer Lawrence, Anya Taylor-Joy, America Ferrera, Lupita Nyong’o, Michelle Yeoh, and Bad Bunny.
This isn't the first time Grande and Erivo have attended a high-profile event to promote the forthcoming musical adaptation, directed by Jon M. Chu. In February, they attended the Super Bowl together, where they also channeled their characters in coordinating pink and green sequined jerseys from Louis Vuitton, on which “Elphaba” and “Glinda” were spelled out across the backs. The first trailer for Wicked also premiered during the NFL championship game.
In December, Erivo talked about the sisterly bond she formed with Grande on the set of Wicked.
“The connection that we’ve made is really special. She’s got a family member for life now,” the actor told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show. Of their musical compatibility, she added: “I don’t know that we realized that our voices would fit so well together. Our voices are very, very different. But when we sing together, it just works.”
