Janelle Monae's Gown At The 2020 Oscars Took Over 600 Hours To Make

The red carpet at the 92nd Annual Academy Awards was bound be an exciting and unpredictable place — complete with all the inevitable hits and misses that you look forward to seeing every year. That said, with an arguably unbeatable repertoire of looks, it was pretty much a guarantee that when it came to Janelle Monae's 2020 Oscar dress, the trendsetter was going to knock it out of the park. And to say that she didn't disappoint would be a total understatement.

In a sea of baby pink, bombshell red, and classic black numbers, the ever boundary-pushing actress and musician — who was in attendance for her work in this year's Harriet — immediately caught eyes as she stepped out in a Swarovski crystal-studded (168,000 of them, to be exact), hooded silver gown. And if the slightly futuristic, Little Red Riding Hood-inspired dress looks like it was a labor of love, that's because it was. According to fashion editor Booth Moore, Monae's custom Ralph Lauren apparently took 600 hours to make. Styled by Alexandra Mandelkorn, the fashion muse paired her unique gown with a Forevermark statement necklace and rings. For her beauty look, the performer kept it classic, opting for a classic red lip and cat eye, but added a bit of edge with the mani trend of the night, black tips.

This certainly wasn't the first time Monae was a standout on the red carpet. At the 2019 Met Gala, she perfectly embodied the camp theme with a Surrealist-inspired design by Christian Siriano. Another way she always seems to make a statement is with an androgynous twist. There was her 2014 cape and pants ensemble by Tadashi Shoji at the 2014 Mel Gala, her sequin tuxedo dress by Thom Browne at Marie Claire's Image Awards in 2017, and her red pantsuit at the 2018 Oscar's after party — yet another Siriano design. And while her unique takes on traditional menswear will always remain iconic, when the multihyphenate stepped out in a Ellie Saab ballgown at the 89th Academy Awards, she proved she could pull off just about anything. Looks like this year is just another to add to the collection of hits.