This Was the Most Iconic Oscars Dress From the Year You Were Born
It’s official: Oscar season is officially in full gear! We, for one, can’t wait to see which film wins Best Picture and which performers bring home golden statues.
But accolades aside, we’re basically just watching the ceremony to see one thing– the gowns. Yep, it’s pretty much the equivalent of watching the Super Bowl for the commercials, a treat for all of the visual folks of the world. No shame in that!
Because we know you can’t wait to scope out the beautiful–and sometimes not-so-beautiful– garments from the upcoming night, we compiled a retrospective of the most memorable Oscars fashion of all-time. And, just to make it fun, we picked the most talked-about dress from the year you were born. Pretty nifty, huh? Here they are, the good, the bad, and the iconic…
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1950
Olivia de Havilland shows off her heavenly white gown while accepting her Best Actress Oscar.
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1951
Marilyn Monroe wasn’t Oscar-nominated in 1951, but she did present the award for Best Sound Recording. She also looked positively ethereal in a black, tulle-embellished gown.
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1952
Best Actress winner Vivien Leigh wowed in a daring, (for the time) bare-shouldered dream of a gown!
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1953
We just can’t get enough of Shirley Booth’s flowy, snow princess-inspired gown.
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1954
Audrey Hepburn looked like the goddess she was during her 1954 Oscar win for Roman Holiday. Fun fact: this was one of her first collaborations with fashion house Givenchy.
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1955
Grace Kelly channeled the real-life princess she would later become in this seafoam dream designed by Edith Head.
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1956
Best Actress recipient Jo Van Fleet wore an intricate and glamorous corset for her 1956 Academy Award win.
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1957
Joanne Woodward’s emerald green gown sure is lovely, but what makes the garment so special is that she made it herself for under $100. A DIYer’s dream!
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1958
Best Supporting Actress winner Miyoshi Umeki honored her Japanese heritage by wearing a breathtaking kimono to the ceremony.
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1959
Tony Curtis couldn’t take his eyes off Janet Leigh during the 1959 Oscars— and for good reason, that lacey black dress is fire!
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1960
Actress Mitzi Gaynor (right) looked positively adorable in her flirty Academy Awards dress.
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1961
Teen screen queen Annette Funicello opted for a classic knee-length gown when she accepted an award on the behalf of a co-star in 1961.
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1962
Sophia Loren didn’t just win the Best Actress Academy Award that night, she also managed to outdress all of her peers with this feathery ensemble.
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1963
16-year-old Patty Duke looked stunning and refreshingly age-appropriate the night of her 1963 Oscar win.
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1964
Presenter Ann Bancroft looked sexy with Sidney Poitier in a form-fitting white gown, complete with ultra-long gloves and a bejeweled clutch.
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1965
Julie Andrews flaunted a stunning canary yellow gown with a white mink stole for her 1965 Best Actress win.
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1966
Julie Christie looked like the award ceremony’s mascot in her shiny gold gown.
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1967
Ann-Margaret looked ravishing in this yellow number while presenting the Best Cinematography award alongside film legend Omar Sharif.
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1968
Presenter Barbra Streisand posed with one of the night’s winners, Sammy Davis Jr., in a black and gold sequined gown. We’re digging the ‘doo, Babs!
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1969
We totally acknowledge the fact that two years of Streisand in a row may seem a little superfluous— but just CHECK OUT her pantsuit!
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1970
Elizabeth Taylor wore some pretty iconic Oscars dresses in her day, but our absolute favorite was this tight little number from the 1970 ceremony. Violet dress? Check! Violet eyes? Check!
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1971
Goldie Hawn flaunted her iconic flower girl persona while presenting the award for Best Actor.
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1972
Jane Fonda went less glam and more austere with this elegant Yves Saint Laurent pantsuit.
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1973
Sacheen Littlefeather was an activist who was sent on Marlon Brando’s behalf to accept— or rather reject— his award and use the Oscars’ stage as a platform to protest the treatment of Native Americans. Her speech, as well as her gorgeous traditional garb, certainly was the talk of the evening.
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1974
Cher has been an Oscars fashion mainstay for decades, but her wardrobe choices have never gotten more risqué than this ultra-revealing floral number from the 47th Academy Awards.
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1975
Lauren Hutton looked like a pastel rainbow goddess in Halston.
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1976
The incomparable Anjelica Houston looked positively regal in this white, tailored gown alongside her beau at the time, Jack Nicholson.
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1977
Tamara Dodson was breathtaking in her plunging white gown. Those pearls really completed the look!
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1978
Farah Fawcett flaunted her golden girl image in this sparkly gown.
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1979
A young Merly Streep showed off her signature smile in this black, lacey gown.
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1980
We can’t get enough of Sally Field’s tapered floral shawl!
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1981
Diana Ross donned polka dots with her date for the evening, Michael Jackson.
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1982
Jessica Lange (left) looked striking in this futuristic gown.
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1983
Here’s Meryl (again!) with her second Oscar in an ethereal Christian Leigh Gown. Fun Fact: the actress has been nominated a record 21 times!
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1984
Irene Cara wore for this ‘old Hollywood’ black satin look when she accepted her Academy Award for Best Song.
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1985
We know, he’s technically not wearing a gown, but we couldn’t NOT include this picture of Prince’s getup from the night of his 1985 Oscar win. Lace and sequins? Yes, please!
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1986
You are looking at what is perhaps the most iconic Oscars look of all time. There’s only ONE Cher, folks!
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1987
Marlee Matlin looked pretty in lavender lace.
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1988
Darryl Hannah wowed in a knee-length sequin gown, complete with gold sunglasses.
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1989
Demi Moore positively killed it with her ‘sexy businesswoman meets Hollywood starlet’ look.
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1990
Kim Bassinger’s deconstructed gown may be regarded as one of the worst Oscar looks ever, but that doesn’t mean it’s not iconic!
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1991
Cindy Crawford stole the show from her date, Richard Gere, in a red Versace gown.
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1992
Only Whoopi Goldberg could pull off this daring, metallic dress look!
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1993
Marissa Tomei looked super cute in this white and black, art deco-inspired dress.
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1994
Whitney Houston delivered red-hot confidence in this classic, white pantsuit.
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1995
Costume designer Lizzy Gardiner wore a gown made out of 254 American Express gold cards to the 1995 ceremony. Talk about a memorable look!
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1996
Kate Winslet looked pretty in pink (and red!) in her 1996 Oscars debut.
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1997
Nicole Kidman’s John Galliano-designed Oscars dress was worth a reported $2 million!
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1998
Drew Barrymore flaunted her personal style in this sheer-black, strappy gown.
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1999
Gwyneth Paltrow looked like the member of Hollywood royalty that she is in this powder-pink, princess cut ball gown.
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2000
South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone dressed in full Jennifer Lopez and Gwyneth Paltrow drag to the 2000 Oscars. Brave AND funny!
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2001
We saved the best for last, folks! Here is singer Björk in her infamous swan dress. She is officially the first—and last— person to “lay an egg” on the red carpet.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on this list! Which is your favorite gown? Did you like the one that was worn the year you were born? What is the worst Oscars dress of all time?
Source: Oscars
