The 2026 Oscars red carpet is about the be a fashion extravaganza, and we can’t wait to see what nominees like Teyana Taylor, Jessie Buckley, and Timothée Chalamet will wear.
This year, these stars will be hoping to pick up awards and land a spot on best-dressed lists, but only time will tell if they’ll manage to be on par with some of the greatest Oscars fashion moments of all time. Yes, it can be hard to rival Halle Berry’s divine Elie Saab gown that she wore while winning the Best Actress award at the 2002 Oscars, but we’re hoping someone gives it a shot!
“I just remember feeling really great in this dress,” Berry told Vogue in 2022 of her iconic fashion moment. “The top was very open and free and just had these little flowers that sort of covered all the right bits that it needed to cover but the bottom was very regal and very grand.”
“I remember this was Elie Saab, but he wasn’t the Elie Saab we know now,” she continued. “He was a young designer who was just starting and at the time it wasn’t the biggest name I could’ve worn but there was something about this dress that made me feel uniquely myself.”
To take a look at Berry’s iconic dress and other looks that are cemented into Academy Award history, scroll below!
The Best-Dressed Oscar Moments Over the Years:
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Mikey Madison (2025)
Image Credit: JC Olivera/WWD At last year’s Oscars, Mikey Madison won the Best Actress award for her role in Anora in a piece of fashion history. The Dior gown was a custom recreation of a dress from a 1956 collection.
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Gwyneth Paltrow (1999)
Image Credit: Everett Collection Gwyneth Paltrow’s iconic baby pink dress by Ralph Lauren will always go down in Oscars fashion history. She won that night for her role in Shakespeare in Love.
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Ariana Grande (2025)
Image Credit: Gregg DeGuire/Penske Media Ariana Grande’s Schiaparelli couture look was on the most dramatic and jaw-dropping looks to hit the carpet in 2025.
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Julia Roberts (2001)
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Another Best Actress winner dress as Julia Roberts in 2001 in this black and white Valentino dress. She won that night for her role in Erin Brockovich.
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Cher (1988)
Image Credit: Everett Collection / Everett Collection In one of our favorite Best Actress winners’ looks to date, Cher’s daring sheer Bob Mackie look in 1988 was truly sensational. She won her first Oscar that year for Moonstruck.
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Carey Mulligan (2024)
Image Credit: Priscilla Grant/Everett Collection Carey Mulligan was the Oscars’ best dressed in 2024 in this stunning trumped-style Balenciaga gown inspired by a 1951 vintage gown. The dress was perfectly accessorized with black matching gloves and emerald earrings.
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Geena Davis (1990)
Image Credit: Barry King/WireImage While Denzel Washington is the one with the Oscar in this picture, we can’t help but stare at Geena Davis and this stunning red gown she wore to the 1990 Oscars. What a standout!
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Angela Bassett (2023)
Image Credit: Elizabeth Goodenough/Everett Collection Angela Bassett took our breath away in 2023 in this bright purple Moschina dress that perfectly hugged her curves. She styled the look with this statement Bulgari necklace.
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Grace Kelly (1954)
![1954: Best Actress GRACE KELLY [The Country Girl] accepts Oscar from the previous year's Best Actor WILLIAM HOLDEN, 1955](https://www.sheknows.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/SSDOSPI_EC026.jpg?w=204)
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Late Old Hollywood star Grace Kelly was known for her beauty and elegance. So, of course, it’s no surprise to see her on this list. She looked gorgeous in 1954 in this sea green dress at the Oscars designed by Edith Head. That night, she won a Best Actress statuette for The Country Girl.
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Kate Hudson (2014)
Image Credit: Gregorio Binuya/Everett Collection Kate Hudson wore one of the most timeless gowns in this list in 2014 in this white Atelier Versace gown with a deep plunge, an open back and a cape detail on the sleeves.
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Nicole Kidman (2018)
Image Credit: Elizabeth Goodenough/Everett Collection Nicole Kidman absolutely commanded the carpet in 2018 in this cobalt blue Armani Privé gown. One of our favorite looks of hers to date!
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Michelle Williams (2006)
Image Credit: Donato Sardella/WWD/Penske Media via Getty Images Michelle Williams brought some color to 2006 Oscars in this canary yellow Vera Wang dress. The red lips were the perfect styling choice!
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Farrah Fawcett (1978)
Image Credit: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images While many of us didn’t grow up with Farrah Fawcett’s beauty gracing our screens, one good look at her in this golden gown at the 1978 Oscars shows just how much of a bombshell she was.
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Gwyneth Paltrow (2012)
Image Credit: Dee Cercone/Everett Collection Gwyneth Paltrow looked like the epitome of elegance in the 2012 Oscars in this white Tom Ford gown with an attached cape.
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Lupita Nyong’o (2014)
Image Credit: Gregorio Binuya/Everett Collection When Lupita Nyong’o won the Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Oscar in 2014 for 12 Years a Slave, she looked like a princess on stage in this baby Prada gown. A true Cinderella moment!
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Nicole Kidman (2007)
Image Credit: Adam Larkey/ © ABC/ Courtesy: Everett Collection Nicole Kidman showed the power of a red dress at the 2007 Oscars in this red Balenciaga halter gown with an oversized bow on the collar.
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Halle Berry (2002)
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection It doesn’t get more iconic than this. Halle Berry absolutely wowed in 2002 when she wore this Elie Saab dress with a copper skirt and a sheer floral top. Berry won her first Best Actress Oscar that year for Monter’s Ball.
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Charlize Theron (2004)
Image Credit: ©ABC/Courtesy Everett Collection Another Oscar-winning look was Charlize Theron’s glittering Gucci gown in 2004. After baring it all for her role in Monster, seeing Theron look this incredible on the carpet was beyond impressive. She won her first Best Actress Oscar this year.
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Angelina Jolie (2004)
Image Credit: Donato Sardella/WWD/Penske Media via Getty Images Angelina Jolie commanded the 2004 Oscars red carpet in this ivory plunging dress by Marc Bouwer.
Actress Sydney Sweeney paid homage to the look at the 2024 Oscars Vanity Fair After-Party.
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Cher (1998)
Image Credit: Donato Sardella/Penske Media via Getty Images Cher is and will always be a fashion icon. In 1998, she left fans speechless in this beaded Bob Mackie gown.
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Elizabeth Taylor (1970)
Image Credit: Screen Archives/Getty Images Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor showed off her hourglass silhouette at the 1970 Oscars in this sculpted lavender gown. The dress was designed by Edith Hed.
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Cate Blanchett (2016)
Image Credit: Elizabeth Goodenough/Everett Collection Cate Blanchett looked so beautiful at the 2016 Oscars in this aqua Armani Privé gown with floral appliqués. The dress perfectly completed her blonde locks.
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Hilary Swank (2005)
Image Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin/Courtesy Everett Collection. Hilary Swank pushed the envelope at the 2005 Oscars red carpet in this navy Guy Laroche dress with a daring open back. She won this year for her role in Million Dollar Baby.
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Grace Kelly (1956)
Image Credit: Everett Collection / Everett Collection Grace Kelly wowed once again in 1956 in this floral ballgown with a silk fabric across her chest.
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Lauren Hutton (1975)
Image Credit: Michael Montfort/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images What we love about Lauren Hutton’s gown at the 1975 Oscars is how colorful it is. The pink, orange, white, and green come together beautifully in this timeless Halston dress.
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Jamie Lee Curtis (1983)
Image Credit: Ron Galella Collection via Getty Jamie Lee Curtis still wows on the carpet to this day, but this shimmering white dress she wore to the 1983 Oscars might still be one of our favorites.
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Kate Winslet (1996)
Image Credit: Steve Granitz/WireImage Kate Winslet looked so sweet and bubbly at the 1996 Oscars in this Vivienne Westwood gown. If you ask us, we could see Ariana Grande rocking this look for the Wicked press tour any day now.
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Zendaya (2022)
Image Credit: Elizabeth Goodenough/Everett Collection Zendaya went outside the box at the 2022 Oscars in this Valentino Couture cropped button down with a sequined silver skirt. The perfect mix of edgy but still fitting to the occasion!
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Jennifer Lawrence (2011)
Image Credit: Donato Sardella/WWD/Penske Media via Getty Images Before Jennifer Lawrence made her mark in Hollywood with movies like The Hunger Games and Silver Linings Playbook, Lawrence topped best dressed lists in 2011 in this Calvin Klein Collection simple yet classic red dress.
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Anne Hathaway (2009)
Image Credit: Fairchild Archive/Penske Media via Getty Images Anne Hathaway has rocked quite a few gorgeous Oscars looks over the years but this sequined Armani Privé gown in 2009 might be our favorite.
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Angelina Jolie (2012)
Image Credit: Dee Cercone/Everett Collection Who could ever forget Angelina Jolie’s leg moment? At the 2012 Oscars, the actress showed off her legs in a major way in this black Versace gown with a thigh-high slit.
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Mila Kunis (2011)
Image Credit: Jef Hernandez/Everett Collection Mila Kunis’s 2011 lavender Elie Saab dress, which contained lace and sheer all around, is one of fans’ favorite Oscars dresses to date.