The 50 Most Memorable Dresses in Oscars History
Forget the awards, the speeches and even the movies themselves. In my humble opinion, what (and who) the stars wear on the red carpet is the most important part of any Oscars ceremony.
From princess-inspired dresses and sleek mermaid gowns to see-through ensembles, the Oscars red carpet is practically its own runway, allowing Hollywood's biggest names to showcase their unique sense of style. For instance, there was Bjork's feathery swan dress in 2001 and Jennifer Lopez's unforgettable mosaic gown at the 2019 ceremony. More recently, at the 96th Annual Academy Awards, Ferrera stole the show in a metallic fuchsia dress, paying homage to her hit film, Barbie.
So, in honor of this year's show, I’ve rounded up 50 of the most memorable looks of all time, including Grace Kelly, Lupita Nyong’o and more.
1. Audrey Hepburn in Givenchy (1954)
She’s beauty and she’s grace and she’s the reason we want to belt everything.
2. Grace Kelly in Edith Head (1955)
A year before Kelly became an actual princess, she certainly looked the part at the Oscars.
3. Barbra Streisand in Arnold Scaasi (1969)
Is that a see-through pantsuit with a Peter Pan collar we see? Yes. Yes, it is.
4. Lauren Hutton in Halston (1975)
Between the V-neck, the stripes, the fur and the tan, this look is pure ’70s and we’re obsessed.
5. Farrah Fawcett in Stephen Burrows (1978)
Our forever golden girl.
6. Cher in Bob Mackie (1988)
When you’ve got the Oscars at six but gotta get to your show on the Las Vegas strip by nine.
7. Cindy Crawford in Herve Leger (1993)
The supermodel opted for a body-hugging gown for her first Academy Awards.
8. Elizabeth Hurley in Versace (1995)
The quintessential Versace girl in our opinion.
9. Sharon Stone in Gap and Vera Wang (1998)
Stone wore high-low before high-low was even a thing.
10. Gwenyth Paltrow in Ralph Lauren (1999)
Serving debutante ballerina realness.
11. Bjork in Marjan Pejoski (2001)
Dare we say this is the most talked-about dress the world has ever known?
12. Reneé Zellweger in Jean Dessès (2001)
She paired the canary yellow gown with a signature red lip.
13. Julia Roberts in Valentino (2001)
For what it’s worth, Roberts is saving this gorgeous gown for her daughter, Hazel. (Lucky.)
14. Halle Berry in Elie Saab (2002)
This dress would work on roughly .00001 percent of the population. Halle Berry is in that .00001.
15. Halle Berry in Elie Saab (2003)
Gold FTW.
16. Kate Hudson in Atelier Versace (2003)
One of the best-dressed presenters we ever did see.
17. Charlize Theron in Dior (2004)
Not only did she win big on the red carpet, but Theron also won for her role in Monster this same year.
18. Hilary Swank in Guy Laroche (2005)
*Googles easy back-toning exercises*
19. Reese Witherspoon in Christian Dior (2006)
Vintage wins again.
20. Michelle Williams in Vera Wang (2006)
This saffron gown has become one of the most memorable red carpet moments of all time.
21. Kate Winslet in Valentino (2007)
Also nominated for Best Actress, Winslet stood out in a color not seen often on the red carpet—a pretty mint green.
22. Marion Cotillard in Jean Paul Gaultier (2008)
Only she could pull off a dress that looks as though it’s entirely made of fish scales.
23. Anne Hathaway in Armani Privé (2009)
Although she didn’t win the Oscar for her role in Rachel Getting Married, Hathaway looked statuesque for the big event.
24. Penelope Cruz in Pierre Balmain (2009)
We’re getting serious princess vibes.
25. Angelina Jolie in Atelier Versace (2012)
The leg that launched a million memes.
26. Meryl Streep in Lanvin (2012)
The designer has been one of Streep’s red carpet go-tos for years.
27. Octavia Spencer in Tadashi Shoji (2012)
An embellished, cinched gown with a flattering silhouette.
28. Jennifer Aniston in Valentino (2013)
Of course, we had to include this crimson number.
29. Jessica Chastain in Armani Privé (2013)
Can anyone say Old Hollywood?
30. Amy Adams in Oscar de la Renta (2014)
The actress even helped design this blue-gray gown with a full tulle train.
31. Lupita Nyong'o in Prada (2014)
Speaking of princesses...
32. Zendaya in Vivienne Westwood (2015)
Hard to believe this was the Euphoria star’s Oscar debut.
33. Cate Blanchett in Armani Privé (2016)
Between the color, the detail and the overall drama, this one’s a win for us.
34. Jennifer Lawrence in Dior (2016)
The perfect combo of lace and tulle.
35. Viola Davis in Bottega Veneta (2017)
Red is definitely her color.
36. Nicole Kidman in Armani Privé (2018)
The bigger the bow, the better.
37. Sandra Bullock in Louis Vuitton (2018)
Does anyone else think she looks like an actual Oscar statue?
38. Lady Gaga in Alexander McQueen (2019)
Channeling her inner Audrey Hepburn.
39. Regina King in Oscar de la Renta (2019)
So simple, yet so flattering.
40. Jennifer Lopez in Tom Ford (2019)
We’ve never seen anything quite like this metallic embroidered mirror mosaic long-sleeved gown. (Talk about a mouthful.)
41. Kacey Musgraves in Giambattista Valli (2019)
The country star packed on the layers.
42. Michelle Yeoh in Elie Saab (2019)
The embroidered gown was worn with a Chopard bracelet and a red gold RM 07-01 watch.
43. Janelle Monáe in Ralph Lauren (2020)
Everything from the draped hood to the hand-embroidered crystals make us want to swoon.
44. Zendaya in Valentino (2021)
Her 2021 look was so good, she made the list twice.
45. Ariana DeBose in Valentino (2022)
Sure, it’s not a dress, but it’s still one of our favorite Oscar looks of all time.
46. Mindy Kaling in Vera Wang (2023)
She wore a black version of the dress while presenting.
47. Angela Bassett in Moschino (2023)
Purple is totally her color.
48. Sandra Oh in Giambattista Valli (2023)
Oh's dress was a tribute to her Disney-Pixar movie, Turning Red, which was nominated for an Oscar at the time.
49. America Ferrera in Atelier Versace (2024)
Fun fact, the dress took over 400 hours to create.
50. Gabrielle Union-Wade in Carolina Herrera (2024)
She accessorized the dazzling number with diamond rings and an aquamarine necklace.
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