Four Oscar Fashion Choices That People Couldn’t Stop Talking About

The Oscars are Hollywood’s biggest night, celebrating excellence in every element of the cinematic medium as they showcase the greatest works of the past year. However, for most viewers the show is as much about the glitz and the glamor as it is about the art form, and one thing that truly gets people talking year after year are the fashion choices of the female stars who walk the red carpet.

The Oscar ceremony is a showcase for the latest creations of all of the top designers, displaying their work on some of the world’s most beautiful women at the most prestigious event in the entertainment industry. Some of the outfits became part of the cultural conversation for weeks to follow, and a number of them have gone down in history for their bold and beautiful designs while others will be remembered as fashion failures. Read on for four iconic Oscar fashion choices that got everybody talking.

2002 - Halle Berry

In 2002, Halle Berry secured her space in the history books when her performance in “Monster’s Ball” got her the Academy Award for Best Actress, becoming the first African-American woman to do so. Her achievement is one to be celebrated, but in all honesty, a few decades later hardly anyone remembers that film but everyone still remembers the spectacular gown that she wore to the ceremony.

Halle Berry was dressed by Elie Saab that year, and she had an elegant dark red skirt that was unevenly angled to reveal her slender waist line through the sheer top that she wore. Everything about it is just stunning, from the seductive color to the beautiful embroidery to the way it all perfectly accentuates Halle’s natural beauty. This, too, is one for the history books.

1992 - Geena Davis

Just because everybody is talking about your dress doesn’t mean it is a good thing, and Geena Davis’ dress in 1992 is an example of one that got people talking in a not so positive manner. Davis was up for the Academy Award for Best Actress for “Thelma & Louise” that year, but she ended up stealing the show with a look that many felt was flat out strange. 

Bill Hargateat and Ruth Meyers designed Davis’ dress, but the creative risks they took did not pay off. The excessively poofy skirt gives it a bulkiness that doesn’t gel with the tight fit up top, and it feels too disparate and uncoordinated. Davis definitely took the criticism to heart, because in future red carpet appearances she was dressed in a far more conventional manner. 

2001 - Bjork

It is always exciting when someone decides to go bold in their red carpet look, but there is a point when a look becomes too bold and seems like they would fit in better at a Halloween party than at an awards show. That was the case for Bjork in 2001. The iconic Icelandic singer was nominated for Best Original Song for the film “Dancer in the Dark” which she starred in, and it was her first time coming to the event.

She chose to wear a dress, designed by Marjan Pejoski, that was shaped like a swan. Not a dress inspired by a swan’s elegance, mind you, but a dress that was basically a stuffed animal swan draped around her neck. Bjork took things to the next level when she acted as though she were laying an egg on the red carpet. It may have been an ugly dress, but for Bjork it was all a piece of performance art, and unlike others who got mocked for their ugly dresses, Bjork probably knew what she was getting into. 

1969 - Barbra Streisand

Barbra Streisand is one of the most iconic singers and actresses of the past half century, and while many know her as an elder stateswoman of divas, it is easy to forget that she was once a young star with a bright future ahead of her. She broke through as a singer in the 60s, and then as a movie star with the 1968 film “Funny Girl.” 

She was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress for that film, and while winning the big award on her film debut was a huge talking point, her outfit at the event was an even bigger talking point. She had to decide between two outfits, and she chose the less conservative of the two, coming to the ceremony in a sequined pants suit that, little did she know in advance, was largely see through when she was in bright lights.