The annual Oscars awards ceremony took place in expected high style last night.
The 94th Academy Awards comes after a long line of ceremonies brimming with iconic looks, starting on May 16, 1929. Then, the first Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences prizes were given at a dinner of 250, hosted in the Blossom Room of the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, California. Charlie Chaplin took home a special honorary award.
As the spectacle of the ceremony grew and grew, there have been countless fashion moments which captivated audiences at the time, and continue to be vital reference points in the history of Hollywood’s style.
Think of Audrey Hepburn’s boatneck Givenchy dress in 1954, Cher sporting a Bob Mackie feather headdress and triangle hem skirt in 1986 and Gwyneth Paltrow looking princess-perfect in a Ralph Lauren gown to collect her Best Actress award in 1999. They are Oscars looks that live on across the mood boards of many top designers today.
In 1997, it was Nicole Kidman who stole the show in her Dior Couture lime green satin gown. The figure hugging John Galliano design came embellished with floral embroidery and a mink fur trim, as the actress clung on to then husband Tom Cruise.
Others have been memorable for their statement making. Björk, in 2001, became the poster girl of the unexpected dress when she donned a swan frock in frothy white tulle by Marjan Pejoski. More recently, in 2019, Billy Porter made the largest impression in a huge skirted, black velvet gown with tuxedo top designed by Christian Siriano. It was so impactful that it is currently on display at the Victoria & Albert Museum.
In 2019, Gemma Chan also turned heads wearing a highlighter pink Valentino gown which cascaded in flounces from the shoulders, while Lady Gaga was commanding in a black Alexander McQueen dress which jutted at the hips and was worn with leather opera gloves and the most expensive jewellery worn to the Oscars: a Tiffany diamond reportedly worth $30 million, last worn by Audrey Hepburn.
Last year, it was Pierpaolo Piccioli’s designs at Valentino that made the best red carpet memories. Zendaya nailed sexy in a custom chartreuse cut-out front gown, with a billowing chiffon train and matching neon platforms.
Meanwhile, Carey Mulligan was unmissable in a vast, gold sequin shimmering skirt and bandeau top which had closed Valentino’s Spring 2021 Haute Couture show.
