NEW YORK — From the dazzling to the daring, classics and couture, there is the unofficial awards before the awards, best dressed and worst.
Joe Zee, fashion expert: Everybody’s a fashion critic. So, it’s no longer just the Joan Rivers, but it is everyone at home with an Instagram.
Joelle Garguilo: It’s the world’s biggest runway.
Zee: Absolutely. One hundred percent.
The gowns and tuxedos, the accessories and the glam, whether you love a look or hate it, it will be captured in photos seen around the world, images that will live on for years to come.
Garguilo: When you think about the most iconic Oscar looks in history, which ones come to mind?
Zee: I think in recent years, you can say Gwyneth Paltrow when she won for “Shakespeare in Love” in that pink Ralph Lauren dress.
Liza Suloti, Shadow co-founder: Nicole Kidman had so many beautiful looks. Zendaya came onto the carpet two years ago, and she had a crop top, a button-down crop top from Valentino, with a skirt.
Zee: I go back to Cher wearing Bob Mackie in the ’80s. That was completely naked. And Barbra Streisand in the ’60s wearing Bob Mackie, that was completely naked.
Garguilo: I’m talking to you, and immediately I’m thinking about Lupita Nyong’o in that gorgeous…
Suloti: The Prada. It was beyond. These are images stuck in your mind that you never forget. That’s how powerful it is.
Garguilo: When you talk about designers, if they have a star they’ve dressed and the photos and everything is perfection, can that help catapult an up and comer’s career?
Zee: When Jennifer Lawrence won the Oscar for “Silver Linings Playbook” in 2013 and she wore that Dior dress and she tripped on the stairs walking up to get it, that became the most searched Oscar dress in history. So, while we say everyone knows what Dior is, it still really helped. But if you are an unknown designer, if you’re a new designer on the brink, that dress, someone iconic wearing it, will propel you to a different level. Halle Berry, when she won for “Monster’s Ball” in 2002, wearing Elie Saab…
Garguilo: I could close my eyes and see the dress right now.
Zee: Elie Saab and her stylist picked it for her right off the runway. Elie Saab was known in the fashion industry, but after the ceremony, people started searching for him. It changed his career on a much bigger global level.
Garguilo: For the good, there’s also that list nobody wants to end up on.
Zee: There are some looks that are universal. And it propels that designer and that celebrity into a different sphere. But at the end of the day, if it’s not good, people still talk about it. To this day, Björk and the swan dress – that was over 20 years ago, and people still talk about it.
Garguilo: Who are you looking forward to seeing, what they’re wearing?
Suloti: It’s such a mix. What is Kate Hudson going to do? This is a big night for her. But then I also want to see what Michael B. Jordan does. We’re seeing a lot of women’s brands dress men, Chanel is doing that with a ton of talent. So, men’s fashion has taken on a totally different life of its own.
Zee: Oh my gosh. Every single year, you have that new batch of newcomers I’m excited about. I think this year, Teyana Taylor, I love because you could never guess what she’s going to wear, and she never goes wrong. It’s always daring, experimental, but it always works. Emma Stone is also a Vuitton ambassador, she’s amazing too. I will always say she looks great.
Garguilo: So, going into it, when you think about the nominees, you kind of know who is going to be wearing what?
Zee: I think that, yeah. Right now, we’re in a world where these designer contracts are locked and sealed early. Jennifer Lawrence signed a deal with Dior at the very early part of her career, and look where that took them. Vuitton was smart to say, “Let me sign Chase Sui Wonders now,” because who knows where she’ll be in 10 years, she could be the next Emma Stone. These designers guarantee coverage and placement on top celebrities. It’s a game of chess. They are here to win.
March 15 is Oscar Sunday! Watch the 2026 Oscars live on ABC and Hulu.
Live red carpet coverage starts at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT with “On The Red Carpet at the Oscars.”
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The 98th Academy Awards, hosted by Conan O’Brien, begins at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. and will be followed by “The Bachelorette: Before the First Rose.”
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