Moreno on Moreno
Hollywood icon Rita Moreno wears vintage Pitoy Moreno to the Oscars
IF there were an Oscar’s fashion award for “Best Vintage,” it would easily go to Hollywood icon Rita Moreno who wore the same winning gown she wore in 1962 to accept her Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for portraying Anita in “West Side Story.” And get this—it’s a Pitoy Moreno!
To be sure, while the Puerto Rican actress obviously came from a very personal reason for refashioning the gold and black Pitoy, her gesture is one that besides raising Filipino pride, also tugs at the heartstrings what with the legendary designer passing away just this January at age 88. The Filipino Moreno was regarded as a pillar of Philippine fashion and the named Fashion Czar of Asia, who paved the way for younger designers to break through to the international scene.
Still blessed with the slimmest Moreno wore her Pitoy a little differently almost six decades later with a tube bodice in place of the original haltered sleeveless design, adding more drama with a thick Egyptian inspired necklace and a quirky black headband.
She was quoted by the Vanity Fair website telling Ryan Seacrest during the E! broadcast that one “would think it would tarnish! I had no idea I was going to win [in 1962]. I was sure it was going to be Judy Garland for Judgment At Nurem Philippines just in case, which is where this gown was made.”
A true acting jewel, Moreno is one of only 12 Hollywood heavyweights with the coveted EGOT, meaning she has won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony in her decades-long career.
She is currently starring on the Netflix reboot of sitcom “One Day at a Time.”