A Decade of Oscar Fashion: Top 10 Looks
Tuesday, February 18, 2020 at 4:00PM ;)
Despite dwindling ratings and ever-growing criticisms, the Academy Awards ceremony is still one of Hollywood's grandest nights. For Oscar enthusiasts, it's like Christmas. For fashion lovers, it's a glamour fest like few others. As we look back at a decade of past ceremonies, we can't help but be dazzled again by the stylish wonders we saw parading through the red carpet each golden night. Since we love list-making, it seems fit to consider such a topic through the lenses of a top 10, elaborating on what were the most memorable and beautiful outfits of Oscar's last decade.
Before we get to the very best, we must celebrate some honorable mentions. From Billy Porter's take on a classic tuxedo to Quvenzhané Wallis' puppy purse, the last ten years were made more glamourous by these Hollywood beauties…
It's with great sadness that we don't include all of those looks above on our top 10. When it comes time to dream up our ideal Oscar ballots, it isn't easy to whittle down the list of great achievements to a limited selection and that's also the case with a top ten fashion list.
Also, to stop certain people from dominating the list, only one look per person was allowed. Without further ado, 10 Oscar red carpet queens...
10. MERYL STREEP in Lanvin
The Oscar red carpet isn't a place one should go looking for haute couture or bold sartorial choices. On the contrary, it represents one of the last paragons of old school Hollywood glamour, where a sense of traditionally beautiful looks with a sense of classy exclusivity are what's expected from the stars. That, and something that looks smashing when holding an Oscar. Meryl Streep's gold Lanvin checks all those boxes, epitomizing the universally acknowledged truth that, when winning an Oscar, one should dress like the statuette. Whatever you might think of Streep's third victory, you must concede she looked amazing, like a picture-perfect vision of a winner.
09. SANDY POWELL in Sandy Powell
Mixing fashion, costume design and savvy charity funding, Sandy Powell spent the best part of our most recent Awards Season donning a white suit of her own design. What made this outfit extra memorable were the autographs -- The Irishman's costume designer had Hollywood's brightest names sign all over her body. This tailored monument of celebrity memorabilia is set to be auctioned to raise money for the preservation of Derek Jarman's cottage. A great look and an even better cause.
08. OCTAVIA SPENCER in Tadashi Shoji
The 2010s saw no greater collaboration between star and designer than that of Octavia Spencer and Tadashi Shoji. The Japanese fashion designer may not have costumed Spencer on her big-screen adventures, but he has consistently made her one of the best-dressed actresses to walk the red carpet in the past few years. She never looked better than in 2012, when she won her Oscar wearing this sparkling dream of a gown.
07. GEMMA CHAN in Valentino
In a year when many stars walked the Oscar red carpet in 50 shades of pink, Chan still managed to stand out in this extravagant confection. Many a starlet would have been overwhelmed by the strange proportions of this Valentino piece, but Chan's poise and presence prevent the dress from wearing her. She made what could have been a goofy fashion failure into one spectacular picture of rosy elegance.
06. OLIVIA COLMAN in Prada
Here we have a potentially controversial choice, though this unusual Prada design fits Olivia Colman like a glove. We mean that in the literal sense but also the figurative, since the olive-green number with all its quirky idiosyncrasies seems like the perfect fashion visualization of Colman's offbeat persona. No one has ever won an Oscar in something even vaguely similar to this and its gauzy organza train looked great as the actress ascended the stairs to get her unexpected trophy. It's utterly memorable and totally her. What more could you want from the Best Actress winner on Oscar night?
05. TARAJI P. HENSON in Alberta Ferretti
This is the platonic ideal of what a movie star looks like. The design is classic without being boring, the textile choice is luxurious perfection, the jewelry is the sort of extravagant pick necessary to complement the décolletage and the makeup and hair are worthy of Old Hollywood's most dazzling screen sirens. Taraji has never looked better.
04. RUTH E. CARTER in Ruth E. Carter(?)
Bedecked in a sparkly navy gown complete with an ostentatious brocade train, Ruth E. Carter looked positively regal on the night she won. The costume designer managed to outshine all the famous stars around her, crowning herself the fashion queen of Hollywood with this perfect look that was later complemented by the best accessory of them all - a well-deserved Oscar.
03. CATE BLANCHETT in Givenchy
While capital F fashion isn't the norm for Oscar night, sometimes a daring celebrity brings genuine haute couture to the party. Such was the case in 2013 when Cate Blanchett graced the red carpet with this intricate Givenchy gown in a gorgeous shade of lavender with bright yellow pearls adorning the neck and back. This isn't old-school, this is as completely modern stardom in all its fashion-forward glory.
02. JANELLE MONÁE in Elie Saab
In the dictionary, next to opulence, we should find a picture of Janelle Monáe in this queenly look. From the wide paniers to the hair jewelry, going through mountains of intricate embroidery, this is a showstopper of the highest level. This is what you want to wear when appearing on live television during the most shocking Oscar moment of our lifetimes.
01.LUPITA NYONG'O in Prada
For her Oscar crowning, Lupita Nyong'o dressed like a princess in this Nairobi blue masterpiece. The skirt is perfect to twirl around in waves of pleated fabric and the jewelry brings a nice touch of elegance and whimsy. This example of sheer perfection is impossible to beat. Congratulations, Lupita!
Reader Comments (27)
Can't agree with many of your choices, Claudio, but you NAILED the top spot. No one has wowed the award show circuit like Lupita did that year. She looked stunning in almost every look and this Prada gown was particularly special.
I would include Paltrow's white cape dress. Everyone started doing capes after that.
Meryl Streep so deserved that third Oscar. Dressed like a champ!
I would include Jennifer Lawrence in her Oscar winning gown. It was perfect and suit the part.
Definitely over boring Colman.
Uhh...Colman...sure...
I don't agree with several but it's a cool list and I like the summary behind each choice.
Want to say I would definitely choose Blanchett's 14 winning gown or especially her 16 one (own top 10 for me) over the one you included here.
You like navy blue clearly :D
Octavia and Lupita are some of my favorites but my #1 choice is Alicia Vikander in that yellow dress.
You missed all the impecable Armanis!
Coincidentally, I watched Oscar speeches this morning and made a mental note (well, reminder) of how wonderful Colman and Nyong'o looked.
If I were an actress, I think Colman's green Prada would be exactly what I'd aim for. Elegant and refined. Striking yet not too overstated.
Great choices!
That bow was literally choking her but yeah good call.
I appreciate all these choices! I will never forget the poise Lupita presented and she took a breath and walked up those stairs to accept her win. What a moment! I would personally swap Blanchett's with her Oscar moment for Blue Jasmine, but when is she not dressed to the nines?!?!
And yes, JLaw's Oscar win/trip dress what Dior's top ten moment. Glad you included my fav Amy A moment in the honorable mentions. Also appreciate Olivia's win dress. I think the moment of her win overwhelmed everything else surrounding her that night.
Great list!
These are not good choices at all.
Some of your "honorable mentions" are better than the chosen top 10.
You missed so many iconic looks!
Not best of the decade by any stretch!
What an awful list !
Totally agree with you on Olivia, I loved it.
Love Cate too.
I also loved Kaye Winslets winning dress.
I think there should be two lists, best and most memorable. For example anne hathaway’s prada dress from the year she won, not really best but 100% iconic.
These choices were ... a choice lol
Please don't ever write about fashion again.
Grace Coddington -- First of all, that's a great username for a post about fashion. Second, I hope your comment is because you don't agree with my taste rather than the piece being poorly written. If you truly think it was poorly written, I apologize.
Grace Coddington, Andy, DI, Less is More -- I'm sorry you didn't like my choices and I'd love to know which looks would belong in this sort of list if you had made it. It would be great to know your favorite Oscar fashion moments.
morganb -- I guess I do, though I hadn't noticed the prevalence of the color before you pointed it out, Thank you.
Fadhil, mikenewq -- I'm sorry but I dislike that Dior on Jennifer Lawrence. To me, it looked way too bridal for the Oscar red carpet and the necklace worn backward just made it worse. That said, it's a question of personal taste and I'm glad you shared one of your favorites. Thank you both.
Disappointed you just filled this with PC choices. And Stoleman, in more ways than one, has no business being there.
Cate's Givenchy would definitely be in my top 10, and I'm also high on Lupita's, Olivia's, and Octavia's dresses (Octavia often looks great at the Oscars).
I'd throw the following into the mix - the Armani Prive Cate wore in 2014, Julianne Moore's Chanel and Emma Stone's Elie Saab from 2015, Saoirse's green Calvin Klein from 2016, Kirsten Dunst's Dior in 2017, and maybe my pick for Oscar dress of the decade (even though I kind of hmmm-ed it at the time) - the Dior dress Charlize Theron wore in 2019.
And while it's not a dress - Armie Hammer in velvet in 2018. That.
Othiefia Stoleman looked like Maleficent - but only if Maleficent were chubby.
Unlike so many here, I do not have an issue with her Oscar win, but I do not think Olivia Colman belongs on this list. She looked frumpy, and the black netting on her arms and green satin combined made the dress seem cheap.
I am glad to see Blanchett in Givenchy - that was marvelous. And Gwyneth's cape dress and Jessica's gold and black were both very memorable. Kudos for including them in your top 20.
I would personally delete this article if I knew how to do it.
LUPITA NYONG’O in Prada, 86th Oscars
CATE BLANCHETT in Armani Prive, 86th Oscars
EMMA STONE in Givenchy, 89th Oscars
JENNIFER LAWRENCE in Dior, 85th Oscars
ANGELINA JOLIE in Versace, 84th Oscars
OCTAVIA SPENCER in Tadashi Shoji, 84th Oscars
JENNIFER LAWRENCE in Calvin Klein, 83rd Oscars
ZENDAYA in Vivienne Westwood, 87th Oscars
JESSICA CHASTAIN in Armani Prive, 85th Oscars
ROONEY MARA in Givenchy, 84th Oscars
GWYNETH PALTROW in Tom Ford, 84th Oscars
TIMOTHEE CHALAMET in Berluti, 90th Oscars
CATE BLANCHETT in Givenchy, 83rd Oscars
ROSAMUND PIKE in Givenchy, 87th Oscars
ALICIA VIKANDER in Louis Vuitton, 88th Oscars
REESE WITHERSPOON in Tom Ford, 87th Oscars
ISABELLE HUPPERT in Armani, 89th Oscars
ROONEY MARA in Givenchy, 88th Oscars
would be on my list
I haven't been to this a site in a while and returning back, wow, didn't know the comment sections got this bitchy. Anyways, I always enjoy the red carpet dress articles this site provides, but will have to disagree with that Blanchett pick.
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