Gown Spotting at the Oscars—All for the Movies!

By Dong shan

Looking back at the Oscars over the past century, one thing that shares the same glamour with the awards themselves should be the looks of the celebrities as they grace the red carpets, claim their awards and attend the after-parties. These looks, often shaping the fashion trends of the year, are de facto a vanity fair where the big names compete.

In case you may not know, the initial Oscars ceremonies had no red carpets until 1961. Several years later, in 1964, the Oscars began TV broadcasts, allowing for a larger audience, and thus kicking off an era of red-carpet looks competitions.

It seems that ‘political correctness’ is not a new trend that garners attention in recent years, as the looks on Oscars red carpets and podiums had long been at it. Fashion statements there are done carefully to avoid any controversies, and sometimes at some expense of dazzling everyone, the most commonly seen choices are floor-length gowns, often in classic colors such as black, white or gold. Likewise, hairstyles are mostly updos or voluminous waves.

The after parties held by Vanity Fair, however, are quite the opposite. To fit the carnival vibe of freedom and ecstasy, the looks here are much richer in styles—see-through dresses, halter dresses, something with sequins or silver threads that glitter… No wonder celebrities have to prepare a few outfits for the Oscars.

You’re probably curious about how “free” it can be. Well, just take a look at pictures of the stars who have just got through months of carb-free life before the ceremony, only to be caught gnawing on burgers in the kitchens, on the streets, some even with their dresses elegantly unzipped.

It’s understandable. The Academy Award ceremonies are so long that they can be really exhausting. See how the director Li An relates to that by gnawing on a hamburger with a statuette in hand.

Let’s focus back onto the outfits. Not long ago, one could not expect a A-list actor on the red carpets to don more than a black suit, with some tiny innovative details at best. But recent years we are seeing some more impressive male looks.

For instance, Timothee Chalamet once hit the Oscars red carpet with a black tuxedo jacket from LV Womenswear. Shirtless under laces and sequins, the fashion “obsessee” once again challenged the norms embracing femme style.

We can’t miss Billy Porter, whose look on 2019 Oscars made headlines. In a black velvet tuxedo dress, he walked down the red carpet (on his husband’s arm), showing everyone their love.

The now 53-year-old iconic actor has created a lot more fashion moments. Below is one of them when he dressed up in a dazzling yellow silk gown with a glamorous train.

Long being the confluence of stardom, branding and dreams of filmmaking, the Oscars can’t be a more fitting stage for the one-upmanship hidden beneath flowers and applauses.

Maybe that’s why we see so many invaluable jewelries. Lady Gaga once made a splash with a 128-carat diamond necklace—the very one Audery Hepburn wore in the publicity stills for Tiffany’s Breakfast (1961). Only three people have had the chance to wear said precious The Tifanny Diamond valued at $30 million dollars.

Too priceless to afford, most of them are borrowed from brands and have to be handled with great care. Yet sometimes, too much care may lead to amusing moments. See Nicole Kidman’s famous ‘seal clap’—Or it can result in a flurry—like when director James Cameron had to crouch down hastily, joining in to pick up rubies scattered from Minnie Driver’s necklace.

For brands, the red carpets are virtually catwalks. How the Hollywood stars dress set the fashion trends of the year or even following years, allowing brands to reap significant benefits and interests. Natalie Portman once stunned the audience with a chiffon gown, so much so that high-end labels all embraced chiffon as the fabric du jour for their spring collections.

Not all stars wield the same influence in setting trends, so brands are quite strict when deciding which tiers of items to lend based on a celebrity’s vibe, popularity, their body of work and others.

Haute contour—Contour—Ready to wear, this is the well-known rank of garments in fashion industry. If for some reason a celebrity gets an outfit from a tier they do not qualify for, some brand may well require them to return it and delete any exposed pictures.

And of course, there are brands darlings who don’t take the ‘rule’ seriously. Anne Hathaway once caused a dress mishap on the Oscars red carpet. The day before, Valentino announced that Hathaway would wear their dress for the event, but the next day she turned up in a pink silk Prada gown. It’s never easy to borrow clothes at such short time, yet apparently, it’s no trouble for this particular brand favorite.

No surprise that Hathaway changed her mind at last moment, for not a single female star would have spared any efforts in picking up an ensemble for the Oscars—a virtue fashion and clout competition. Thankfully, I am impressed by quite a few stunning looks that appear on the Academy Awards over the past half-century:

Marilyn Monroe in a black Charles LeMaire tulle, exuding elegant charm as a presenter at the 23rd Oscars in 1951;

Audery Hepburn in a white floral Givenchy dress when claiming Best Actress award in the 1954 Oscars for her role in Roman Holiday, the beginning of her decades-long connection with the brand;

Grace Kelly in an icy blue French silk satin gown designed by Edith Head when claiming Best Actress in the 1955 Oscars for her performance in The County Girl.

This is one of my favorites. Apparently, it’s also highly valued by its designer. In 1968, the dress made another appearance at the Oscars to celebrate its 40th anniversary. As a well-known style consultant at that time, Edith Head was invited to dress each attendee. The gown that shone on Grace Kelly was selected and went on to set the bar of Oscars dress code.

In 1969, when Barbra Streisand was awarded Best Actress for Funny Girl, she was wearing a dress designed by the stylist Arnold Scaasi, who was known for designing dresses for six American first ladies, a number of celebrities and film stars.

Finding Streisand a very shy person lacking in confidence, Scaasi made her a black shimmering see-through pantsuit consisting of a blouse and bell-bottomed trousers. “I had no idea that when the lights hit that outfit, it would become transparent!” No matter what, she grabbed eyeballs with her inadvertently daring style at that night, making history at the Oscars.

Now let’s draw attention to some more recent ones.

Nicole Kidman deserves another mention. With her fair skin and supermodel-like figure, her outfits at award ceremonies never disappoint. In 1997, at the 69th Academy Award ceremony, she donned a Chinoiserie chartreuse Dior dress designed by John Galliano, adorned with delicate embroidery on the chest and flickering tassels at back, shining from head to toe.

In 2022, she was nominated for Best Actress a fourth time for her role in Being the Ricardos. On the red carpet, she wore a custom Armani Privé “Nicole Kidman blue” silk faille gown.

With its slim cut and accented by a peplum skirt, the dress looks like a flower blooming on her.

The red halter dress with a red bow on one shoulder she donned at the 79th Oscars red carpet. It’s rare to see a female star look so gorgeous in all red.

Angelina Jolie also created a classic moment with her iconic black Versace velvet gown in 2012. With such a strong ‘killer’ vibe in that sharp tailored dress, Jolie looked like she could pull out a gun at any moment. The look is also famous for its thigh-high split, which went on to be imitated by many other female stars.

Back in 2004 during the 76th Academy Awards, Angelina Jolie wore a custom white Marc Bouwer dress, which was hailed by media outlets as one of the best looks in the Oscars history.

In 1991, popular singers Madonna and Michael Jackson, rumored as ‘best dating partners’ and both in white outfits, caused viral sensation as soon as they appeared at the Oscars.

In 1995, Uma Thurman was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Quentin’s Pulp Fiction. She made headlines that night for her lilac Prada gown, a fresh and graceful look that was a surprisingly sharp contrast to the character she portrayed.

It’s worth mentioning that thanks to Uma Thurman, Prada managed to change its reputation from being known solely as a bag brand to one that excels in outfits as well.

In 1999, Gwyneth Paltrow donned a pink Ralph Lauren dress at the Oscars when claiming her award for her role in Shakespeare in Love, triggering a ‘pink trend’ in the fashion world. It might not be a particularly flashy color, yet it’s exactly the look Gwyneth Paltrow was aiming for, “I just wanted to look very sweet. “

Talking about pink, It just brings to mind another actress that was also gorgeous like a princess in pink gown at the Oscars—Julia Butters who starred in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Jennifer Lawrence, too, has surprised us at the Oscars. Refreshing her previous looks often criticized as ‘granny’s picks’, she stunned at the award ceremony with the Dior Contour ballgown, which transformed her into a blooming lily that took our breath away.

That night, she took home the Oscar for Best Actress for Silver Linings Playbook (2012). When giving her acceptance speech, the floral design of her dress perfectly matched the stage backdrop, turning her into an elegant swan.

As for her well-known stumble on the stairs to the stage, it didn’t make an awkward moment but instead showcased the dress design, turning her into nothing less than an angel with clipped wings, and contributing to a new heigh in the Oscars viewership.

In 2017, the Best Actress winner Emma stone for Lalaland wore a Givenchy haunt contour custom dress. Accented with golden sequins and tassels on the train, the retro-style dress made her look both adorable and graceful.

Last year, Machelle Yeon won the Best Actress at the 95th Academy Awards, marking history as the first Asian actress ever to win the glory. At that night, she donned gentle white gown matching Moussaieff high jewelry, whose hairstyle is cleverly accessorized with a diamond necklace.

Most specially, she wore a men’s watch, conveying the power and firmness hidden beneath her restrained and gentle appearance.

After her acceptance speech, Yeoh, the first Asian Best Actress winner, created another historical moment hugging the first winner of the prize, Halle Berry (a mixed blood beauty from British and African American parents), as well as last year’s winner Jessica Chastain. It epitomizes the mutual appreciation among filmmakers in their shared deep love for cinema.

There is never a lack of luxury ensembles, astounding beauties, and all kinds of razzle dazzles at the Oscars. Yet what truly touches me are always the moments of glory that reward filmmakers’ efforts. In other words, it’s always about the movies, which the Oscars truly celebrate. Let’s look forward to the approaching 96th Oscars and its centenary anniversary not far away from us.