Best Oscars Dresses Ever, According to ‘FASHION’ Editors

Together with Céline Dion’s backwards swimsuit and Cher in Bob Mackie, after all.

This text was initially revealed on April 21, 2021 and has been up to date. 

The 2024 Oscar nominations had been launched in January and there have been, reliably, some pretty moments of recognition (like Lily Gladstone snagging a Greatest Actress nomination for her flip as Mollie Burkhart in Killers of the Flower Moon, making her the first Native American woman to be nominated for Greatest Actress award within the present’s historical past) and disappointments (like Greta Gerwig and Celine Music being omitted of the Greatest Director class for Barbie and Previous Lives).

However we’d be remiss if we didn’t admit that the mere point out of the Academy Awards bought us excited in regards to the pink carpet. Is likely to be the haute couture reveals in Paris final month, could be the fumes of vogue pleasure from the Golden Globes, however the March 10 Oscars can’t come quickly sufficient. In preparation, we’re sharing the FASHION crew’s picks for the most effective Oscars clothes ever, from most up-to-date to all the way in which again to 1975.

Learn on for why these unforgettable Oscars seems to be will go down in historical past.

Zendaya in Valentino (2022)

For anybody who has ever questioned the ability of vogue, let me introduce you to Zendaya. Earlier than she met her stylist Law Roach, she was a younger teen on the Disney Channel. Now? She’s gained two Emmys and is probably the most in-demand actress/model ambassador/common It lady on the planet. Roach constructed her model from the bottom up utilizing unbiased designers and sheer expertise, and this Valentino look from the 2022 Oscars seems like the head of their working relationship. It’s stylish, easy, and, most vital of all, shocking. —Annika Lautens, vogue information and options director

Billy Porter in Christian Siriano (2019)

We’ve seen many ladies sport tuxedos and suiting on the pink carpet, however Billy Porter’s flip in a customized “tuxedo gown” by New York-based designer Christian Siriano stole the present in 2019. No stranger to going utterly — and authentically — OTT together with his occasion ensembles, Porter’s charming look (a velvet tuxedo jacket and frilled, french-cuffed shirt blended with a lush full-length velvet robe) was a serious transfer ahead for the notion of genderless dressing throughout one of many world’s most-viewed moments. A breath of fabulous contemporary air, certainly! —Odessa Paloma Parker, contributor 

Gemma Chan in Valentino Couture (2019)

Merely put, this Valentino Couture robe that Gemma Chan wore to the 2019 Oscars is a press release. There’s no hiding when you’ve gotten a starched, ruffled collar rising from billowing layers of punchy pink taffeta. However Chan wears it nearly nonchalantly, because of the hidden pockets which she later revealed had been holding cookies and rice crackers, a bit one thing to get her by means of the three-hour ceremony. —Sarah Mariotti, contributor

Halle Berry in Elie Saab (2002)

I’ll be the primary to confess that I’m responsible of utilizing the phrase iconic far too loosely, however Halle Berry’s Elie Saab quantity on the 2002 Academy Awards (the yr she gained Greatest Actress for her position in Monster’s Ball and have become the primary Black girl to win the award!) is certainly worthy of the title. Between the jaw-dropping (for 2002, at the very least) sheer panelling, the silk skirt in that unforgettable wealthy burgundy shade, the attractive embroidery work and Berry’s pixie lower that’s equally iconic (sorry but additionally undeniably true!), it’ll endlessly be a pink carpet look that lives in my head rent-free. —Souzan Michael Galway, performing magnificence director

Céline Dion in Dior (1999)

Céline Dion goes down within the vogue corridor of fame for her backwards and backless tuxedo and matching hat by John Galliano for Dior. Greater than 20 years in the past, the look acquired backlash and was thought-about inappropriate on a pink carpet dominated by glitter and robes. Wanting again, Dion’s game-changing ensemble was means forward of its time — traditions and guidelines are meant  to be damaged! I hope we have now extra of those moments going ahead in Hollywood. —George Antonopoulos, senior artistic and vogue director,  FASHION & occasions

Gwyneth Paltrow in Ralph Lauren (1999)

I’m a closeted Gwyneth Paltrow fan. What can I say? The lady is hilarious (whether or not it’s intentional or not), she units traits (“Apple Martin” was a cultural reset on this planet of superstar child names), and he or she’s terribly stylish (the courtroom looks dwell in my head rent-free). I usually suppose again to this gown she wore to the 71st Academy Awards in 1999. That evening, the then-27-year-old famously accepted her first-ever Oscar for her position in Shakespeare in Love. One thing in regards to the robe’s pink hue, refined sweetheart neckline and voluminous skirt exudes the right picture of a cultured ingenue. Plus the slicked-back hair and glowy glam give minimalist class. Chef’s kiss! —Natalie Michie, social media/market editor

Cher in Bob Mackie (1986)

And the award for Trend Revenge goes to…Cher! The Bob Mackie creation won’t be so stunning immediately, however in 1986 it ruffled extra feathers than within the headdress that topped the wild and witchy look. Miffed at not being nominated for her position in Masks, the singer requested Mackie for a design that may convey her annoyance for not being taken critically as an actress. Two years later she beat Meryl Streep, successful Greatest Actress for Moonstruck. —Bernadette Morra, editor-in-chief

Lauren Hutton in Halston (1975)

Possibly it’s the truth that I’m eager for a ridiculously glam evening in town, however I might cry a river gazing at this disco dream on gap-toothed babe Lauren Hutton. The magic of this Halston look is that whereas it’s emblematic of the disco period, it might look simply as enjoyable at a flowery fête immediately (swapping the chubby fur for a fake choice, naturally) because it did in 1975. These layers of pastel rainbow chiffon! The plunging neckline and thin belt! I’ll have January blues-induced Saturday evening fever, however somebody get me on a dance flooring, stat. —Jennifer Berry, digital director