By Staci Layne Wilson
@StaciWilson

The rain-soaked red carpet at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony may have been saturated… but not with color. Monochrome was all the rage – it was as if Dice, Dalmatians, and Oreo cookies were the inspiration for every fashionista and stylist from here to Hollywood Boulevard. Fifty Shades of Grey notwithstanding, B&W has been a red-hot trend for a few months now, and dominated Oscar fashion 2015.

Female nominees went with this stark look in spades: Marion Cotillard, who is was nominated for Two Days, One Night, was clad head-to-toe in an engulfing gown by Dior Haute Couture with a bizarre black bustle at the back. Reese Witherspoon, nominated for Wild, grabbed for gold in a figure-flattering Tom Ford. Patricia Arquette, who won for her role in Boyhood, wore a non-color block Rosetta Getty with a one-shoulder light bodice and fitted long dark skirt.

Not to be outdone, the fellas opted for either the outrageous (I’m looking at you, David Owelowo and Jared Leto) or the old-school classic Hollywood look. I thought Benedict Cumberbatch, Jeff Goldblum, Adrian Brody, and J.K. Simmons (smartly sporting a chapeau to repel the rain) all looked smashing. I wish I could tell you who they were wearing, but not a’ one of them were asked that question on the wet walk of fame.

Perhaps that proves the point of the latest social media movement, #AskHerMore, which calls for reporters to delve deeper when it comes to their red carpet asks. BuzzFeed trended with a video asking men at the BAFTA awards similar questions to those often asked of women. They had Eddie Redmayne to do a twirl, and queried Michael Keaton about Spanx.

An essential element of the #AskHerMore campaign had people asking why men get more in-depth questions on the carpet, without an emphasis on dresses and accessories. Samantha Skey of SheKnows.com said she thinks there is a practical reason for this: “Men’s fashion is just far less interesting, and they don’t carry clutches.”