With awards season in full swing, it’s nearly time for our favourite night of the year, The Academy Awards, otherwise known as the “Oscars”. This year the awards will fall on Sunday 26th February 2017 and to celebrate we are going to revisit some of the most celebrated and iconic dresses the ceremony has ever seen. Aren’t we nice?
1. Nicole Kidman, John Galliano for Christian Dior, 1997
A defining moment in Oscars fashion, the 1997 red carpet is still credited as the time that Nicole Kidman defined herself as so much more than just Tom Cruise’s wife. This came with a lot of help from a young John Galliano, to whom she entrusted the task of designing a dress that was “timelessly elegant and yet still directional”.
Image source: pinimg.com
2. Kate Winslet, Alexander McQueen for Givenchy, 1998
Alexander McQueen (God rest his soul) was always one for celebrating a woman’s figure and making her look the best version of herself. This has never been truer than Kate Winslet’s ethereal beauty on the Oscars red carpet in 1998 and even though she didn’t win an Oscar that night, her dress received Titanic reviews.
Image source: velvet.by
3. Gwyneth Paltrow, Ralph Lauren, 1999
Probably the most classically elegant and quintessentially American dress ever to grace an Oscars red carpet, Gwyneth Paltrow outshone all others in her pink Ralph Lauren gown in 1999, where she picked up the award for ‘Best Actress’ in Shakespeare in Love.
Image source: eonline.com
4. Julia Roberts, Valentino, 2001
Channelling old Hollywood glamour in her classic Valentino gown, it seems 2001 really was Julia Roberts’ year where she was not only heralded as the best dressed, but also picked up her first Academy Award for her performance in Erin Brokovich.
Image source: starworksartists.com
5. Halle Berry, Ellie Saab, 2002
Halle Berry’s Ellie Saab gown will go down in Oscars history for many reasons, not least because it was the first time an Oscar winner had worn a dress by a Lebanese designer. There was also the fact that the sheer lining of the upper-half made it one of the most risqué outfits the Academy Awards had ever seen. Nonetheless we’re happy to say they still let her in the building, where she picked up her ‘Best Actress’ Oscar for Monster’s Ball.
Image source: eonline.com
6. Charlize Theron, Gucci, 2004
It definitely seems no coincidence that Hollywood actresses tend to show us their best looks on the Oscars red carpet when they happen to be winning an award that night and this was definitely the case for Charlize Theron when she picked up her ‘Best Actress’ award for Monster in 2004 in a stunning Gucci couture creation.
Image source: iefimerida.gr
7. Hillary Swank, Guy Laroche, 2005
Still voted one of the best Oscar dresses of all time in countless polls, Hillary Swank’s Guy Laroche gown displayed all the classic attributes of ‘Old Hollywood’ style, whilst its completely open back was fashion-forward in a way that no one could have expected. People of the world loved her even more for being photographed in it later on in the night eating a burger next to her Oscar, which she won for Million Dollar Baby.
Image source: celebuzz.com
8. Jennifer Aniston, Valentino, 2009
The night of the 2009 Oscars was hugely impactful for Jennifer Aniston fans everywhere, when she not only looked so impeccably beautiful in her shimmering Valentino gown, but also proudly stood up on stage in front of her ex-husband Brad Pitt and his new partner Angelina Jolie to present an award alongside Jack Black. If ever there was going to be a resonating sigh of pride across the world, it would have been at this moment.
Image source: pinimg.com
9. Cate Blanchett, Givenchy, 2011
A personal favourite of mine, both in terms of the actress and the designer, in 2011 Cate Blanchett displayed this architectural haute couture masterpiece, which many agree was way ahead of its time. It honestly still takes my breath away.
Image source: popsugar-assets.com
10. Jennifer Lawrence, Christian Dior, 2013
Jennifer Lawrence couldn’t have picked a better designer to make her look like a fairy tale princess on the 2013 Oscars red carpet than Christian Dior. There are some that might say it was slightly too big, seeing as she ended up tripping on her way up to collect her Oscar for ‘Best Actress’ in Silver Linings Playbook, but for my part I think it was just perfect and that trip made her all the more endearing to the crowd.
Image source: natalieast.com
