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Kristen Stewart rocked the Oscars red carpet in shorts and Timothee Chalamet went shirtless on Sunday as stars made a full-fledged return for Hollywood's big night out after the seismic changes wrought by Covid-19.

After last year's smaller-than-usual affair held at a train station last year due to the pandemic, Sunday's unbridled Oscars glamour at Los Angeles' Dolby Theatre brought lots of pastel colours punctuated by bright splashes of gold.

Jessica Chastain, winner of the best actress statuette for her portrayal of American evangelist Tammy Faye Bakker, dazzled the carpet crowd in a two-toned Gucci dress, while actress Lupita Nyong'o's sparkling golden dress also turned heads.

As the ceremony approached, more of the night's biggest stars strolled down the red carpet in their haute couture garbs. Stewart, also a nominee for best actress, wore the black shorts as part of her Chanel outfit alongside fiancee Dylan Meyer.

She said that playing the late Princess Diana in Spencer brought on some unexpected emotions. "It just made me feel six feet tall and, like, happy," she told cable channel E!. "She's cool, she's fun and she touches you."

Dune star Chalamet also opted to show some skin, wearing only a short-cropped, glitzy blazer paired with dark pants and boots with no shirt. Jason Momoa, who also starred in best picture nominee Dune, donned a blue-and-yellow pocket square in his Tuxedo in support of war-torn Ukraine.

The Power of the Dog star Kirsten Dunst, accompanied by partner and co-star Jesse Plemons, chose a ruffled red gown for the night that could see her take home the Oscar for best actress in a supporting role.

Earlier in the day, Hollywood veteran Jamie Lee Curtis stepped onto the carpet in a neck-high, glittery Stella McCartney gown.

Curtis announced that during the ceremony she will present a special tribute to late TV and movie icon Betty White, who passed away on December 31, a couple of weeks shy of her 100th birthday.

"I am wearing Stella McCartney, who's an animal rights activist, as Betty White was," Curtis told ABC. "It felt like a perfect way to walk the walk and talk the talk."

Saniyya Sidney, the young actress who portrayed tennis superstar Venus Williams in the Oscar-nominated biopic King Richard, stunned in an Armani Prive gown embroidered with floral motifs.

"We talked about boyfriends, old boyfriends," she told cable channel E! about her interactions with tennis great Williams. "We talked about school and how growing up in Compton was like."

The Oscars saw many contenders taking home the award Sunday night. Here is the list of winners:

Best picture: CODA

Best actor: Will Smith, King Richard

Best actress: Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye

Documentary feature: Summer of Soul (Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

Original song: 'No Time to Die' from No Time to Die. Music and lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell

Best director: Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog

Best supporting actor: Troy Kotsur, CODA

Best international film: Drive My Car (Japan)

Costume design: Cruella

Original screenplay: Belfast

Adapted screenplay: CODA

Best supporting actress: Ariana DeBose

Cinematography: Dune

Visual Effects: Dune

Best animated feature: Encanto

Sound: Dune

Documentary (short subject): The Queen of Basketball

Best animated short film: The Windshield Wiper

Live action short: The Long Goodbye

Music (original score): Dune

Film editing: Dune

Production design: Dune

Makeup and hairstyling: The Eyes of Tammy Faye