The Oscar outfits that shaped the way we dress

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Dijanna's favourite Oscars looks.

ALTUZZARA Wrangel Dress in Black

ULLA JOHNSON Emi Dress in Black

MATTEAU Shirred Triangle Dress in Black

Colour came in the form of model Lauren Hutton wearing Halston, who graced the red carpet in a flowing Grecian-style gown of chiffon jersey. By now America’s pre-eminent fashion designer, Halston took a shape that oozed classic glamour and in his inimitable way showered it in a rainbow of pastel hues and a metallic sliver at the waist proving the right dress needs no further embellishment.

ULLA JOHNSON Carine Dress in Tuberose

ISABEL MARANT Amily Sandals in Metalic Pink

ISABEL MARANT Bobi Small in Lame Rose

Possibly the most jaw-dropping outfit to ever grace the Oscar stage belongs to Cher. An innovative risk taker since her first Oscars appearance in 1968, this outfit co-designed with Bob Mackie had a distinct purpose. Despite winning the Best Actress award at the 1985 Cannes Film Festival, the Academy had not nominated Cher for an Oscar. Cher refused to be ignored, and when invited to present the award for Best Supporting Actor the following year, she instructed designer Bob Mackie to make something wild. Mackie tapped into Cher's signature flair, and as Cher urged him to go wilder, Mackie himself at one point suggested that it was too much, but Cher responded that it wasn't. Taking the stage, Cher eclipsed every other star at the ceremony and forced the Academy to take her seriously. Two years later, Cher would claim the Best Actress Oscar for Moonstruck (1987) 

ALTUZZARA Ramla Dress in Black

ISABEL MARANT Gilalbi Dress in Black

DRIES VAN NOTEN Embellished QU133 Heel

Enchanted by the quality and creativity of John Galliano’s debut Dior collection, Nicole Kidman selected ‘Absinthe’, a gown inspired by Peking Opera costumes. The gown’s unusual chartreuse colour, trimmed in mink and tassels and lavished with hand embroidery polarised the media. Stylist (and later designer) L’Wren Scott picked up the colours in the intricate embroidery and matched them with pale blue satin Manolo Blahnik slingback kitten heels and pearl-encrusted gold jewellery. Despite Joan Rivers bellowing the gown was ‘the ugliest dress I’ve ever seen’ it has since been called ‘a landmark moment for both designer and wearer’. These harsh remarks from Rivers are linked to a turning point in red-carpet fashion when risks became calculated and anything remotely original in the way of self-styling was replaced by professional advice and safe sartorial choices to please a mainstream audience. But with it came another fashion shift as Kidman stamped a new breed of haute couture on Hollywood and kept herself and husband Tom Cruise in the red-carpet limelight.

LA DOUBLEJ La Scala Top with Feathers in Margarita

LA DOUBLEJ Hendrix Pants in Margarita

DRIES VAN NOTEN Necklace in Gold

It was an emotionally charged Oscars as America was reeling from the devastation of 9/11, and the anticipation that the winds of change would sweep into the Awards was palpable. Could this be the benchmark year to acknowledge African Americans and demonstrate some parity towards praiseworthy members of the Black acting community? For Halle Berry, being the first Black woman to take out the Best Actress win would signify much more than recognition by her industry; it would mean breaking through a historic race barrier. For this moment, Berry wore a one-of-a-kind burgundy gown by then-little-known designer Elie Saab. The embroidered sheer top allowed her burnished skin to shine through in a year, poignant for recognising black talent with a floral and vine motif combined with the illusion of nudity recalling the Garden of Eden and the first woman in the creationist narrative. The dress sent subliminal messages and catapulted Saab into global fashion consciousness.

ISABEL MARANT Anelia Sandals In Black

THE VAMPIRE'S WIFE The Nightflight Dress

MARNI Toggle Small Bag in Black

A new generation stamps its style on The Oscars with fashion favourite Timothee Chalamet in a suit plucked from Louis Vuitton's womenswear collection, normalising gender-fluid dressing and proving after decades of the girls borrowing from the boys there's no reason the boys can't borrow from the girls too.

NILI LOTAN Katherine Sequin Jacket in Black

NILI LOTAN Yseult Sequins Pant in Black

MARNI Black Fitted Wool Blazer with Embroidery

 Words by Elizabeth Clarke