17 Oscar Looks That Caused a Stir
The 96th annual Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday, March 10 is the most-anticipated event from this year’s awards season. And if the Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards, and other events from the past few months are any indication, the 2024 Oscars are bound to be a night filled with memorable fashion looks. In anticipation of the big night, Vogue is taking a look at some of the most controversial choices in Oscars red carpet history—specifically, the looks we can’t help but discuss year after year.
Past award ceremonies have spurred some of the most debated moments in fashion. Was Bjork’s swan dress genius or plain mad? Did Angelina Jolie’s #RightLeg social media moment overshadow her Atelier Versace gown? Was Jennifer Lawrence’s Dior gown worth the stumble it caused? Many of the style choices have rich backstories, such as the reason why Billy Porter wore a gown and not a tux in 2019, which add context and depth to the red carpet moments.
The truth is fashion is subjective. What is best dressed to one person may be worst dressed to another. But one thing is clear: These looks had people talking.
Below, 16 Oscar fashion moments that caused a big stir, in chronological order.
Photo: Getty Images1/17Barbra Streisand, 1969
When Barbra Streisand took home the best-actress award for her performance in Funny Girl, the singer-slash-actress wore a sequined pantsuit by Arnold Scaasi, fitted with flared legs and tuxedo cuffs. The ensemble, which happened to be almost entirely see-through, caused quite a stir, and the then 26-year-old later said she hadn’t considered the outfit’s unique vulnerability on the Oscars stage. “I had no idea that when the lights hit that outfit, it would become transparent,” she said in a later interview. “I thought to myself, I’m going to win two Oscars in my lifetime, and I’ll be more conservative next time.”
Photo: Getty Images2/17Cher, 1986
Cher, the queen of theatrics, undoubtedly stole the red carpet that year. She wore a design by her longtime collaborator Bob Mackie: a midriff-baring black sequined gown, complete with a dramatic feathered headpiece. It was a full-on Las Vegas showgirl look that had people talking for years. She reportedly wore the outfit as a defiant move against the Academy, which failed to nominate her for her turn in Mask. Though Cher may regret the choice, it remains iconic nonetheless. “I knew some people in the Academy didn’t think that I was a serious actress,” she said to British Vogue. “I always felt a bit sad that I presented Don Ameche with his best-supporting-actor award in that outfit. It seemed to make him a little nervous.”
Photo: Getty Images3/17Kim Basinger, 1990
Half gown, half tuxedo, Kim Basinger’s Frankenstein-like ensemble (styled with one single white glove) had critics divided. Not many people are aware, though, that the white satin design was not a creation from a high-luxury label: The actress actually designed it herself.
Photo: Getty Images4/17Whoopi Goldberg, 1993
Whoopi Goldberg certainly turned heads when she wore this purple and green brocade jumpsuit (with matching shoes!) to the 1993 Oscars—the ensemble even complete with a dramatic cape, too. The outfit got mixed reviews, but you can’t knock her for attempting to venture outside a sea of too-safe gowns!
