10 Oscars looks to remember

1948

Loretta Young in AdriAn The costume designer behind The Wizard of Oz swapped ruby slippers for green ruffles when he dressed Loretta Young in satin as she won best-actress award for The Farmer’s Daughter.

1954

Audrey Hepburn in Givenchy Following a recommendation from Balenciaga, Hepburn visited Hubert de Givenchy to acquire a dress for her role in the film Sabrina. The white floral dress she wore to pick up her Oscar for Roman Holiday was the first time Hepburn was seen in one of Givenchy’s creations and led to a working partnership and profound friendship that lasted until the actress’s death.

1955

Grace Kelly in edith heAd When Grace Kelly won the best-actress Oscar for The Country Girl, she wore a silk gown by studio costume designer Edith Head. The fabric alone cost $4,000, at the time making it the most expensive dress in Oscars history.

1961

Elizabeth Taylor in diOr Taylor wore her pale-yellow and floral Dior gown with a tracheotomy scar, having suffered from a bout of near-fatal pneumonia while filming Cleopatra. The gown by Marc Bohan for the French house was one of 12 that Taylor’s husband, Eddie Fisher, had bought for her.

1969

Barbra Streisand in ScAASi In the year that Streisand tied with Katharine Hepburn for best actress (for Funny Girl and The Lion in Winter) a bell-bottomed, sequinned pantsuit with a Peter Pan collar by Arnold Scaasi was daring enough. But it had another, unforgettable quality. As Streisand said recently, ‘I had no idea that when the lights hit that outfit, it would become transparent!’ The suit is on display at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

1997

Nicole Kidman in John Galliano for Dior Kidman wore this dress just after John Galliano had shown his first couture collection for Dior. The designer was an unknown quantity in Hollywood at this point, and Kidman’s choice was a stamp of approval.

2006

Michelle Williams in Vera Wan G Designer Vera Wang worked closely with Michelle Williams to create this saffron-yellow chiffon and tulle gown. The strong colour and scarlet lipstick perfectly complemented Williams’ pale skin, and made her stand out in the best possible way.

2012

Gwyneth Paltrow in Tom forD ‘Is it a bird, is it a plane?’ No one said this when Paltrow wore this white, one-shouldered dress and cape – and for that, stylist Elizabeth Saltzman was eternally grateful.

2014

Lupita Nyong’o inPr aD a The pale-blue shade of this Prada gown was a nod to the actress’s native Kenya. The plunging neckline was influenced by dresses worn by one of Nyong’o’s idols, Elizabeth Taylor.

2014

Cate Blanchett in arm a ni When Blanchett won best actress for her role in Blue Jasmine, she wore an elaborately beaded gold Armani Privé dress, which together with her Chopard jewels (opals, white diamonds and brown diamonds) was valued at $18.1 million.