What Did Other Best Actress Winners Wear?

Sunday night, wearing a sparkly Armani Privé gown that matched her skin-tone perfectly, Cate Blanchett snagged her first-ever Best Actress Oscar. Everything about the moment can be summed up in a simple "get it, girl." Blanchett — whose performance in Blue Jasmine had me crossing my fingers for her Oscar win (let's just say there were copious tears during the credits) — told Ryan Seacrest that her dress was incredibly "heavy," and with beads and paillettes glittering on her from neck to toe, we're not surprised.

While Blanchett is popping up in Best Dressed lists all over the Web (and a few Worst Dressed; HuffPo Canada is skeptical of the color), we're more interested in looking backwards. What other Best Actress winners went with nude? High necklines? Sparkles? Thankfully, Mediarun Digital has released just the infographic we need: illustrations of dresses worn by every Best Actress winner since the Oscars began (in 1929, baby). How unique were Blanchett's paillettes, really?

Last actress to wear Armani:

Jodie Foster wore a chic, white, Giorgio Armani menswear-inspired suit to accept her Best Actress award for Silence of the Lambs in 1992. Two years before that, Jessica Tandy became the oldest Best Actress Oscar-winner ever for Driving Mrs. Daisy, also in Giorgio Armani.

Last actress to wear a nude hue:

There have been a slew of white-, gold-, or silver-hued Best Actress dresses over the past decade, but the last Best Actress winner to wear a dress that matched her skin was the fabulous Dame Helen Mirren, in Christian Lacroix, who won in 2007 for The Queen.

Equally sparkly:

Sparkly Oscar gowns have only come into vogue recently; early Oscar winners dressed much more simply. But if we're looking for a Best Actress winner who could give Blanchett a run for her glitter, there's Reese Witherspoon in all-over Dior sparkles in 2006 and Marian Cotillard in Jean Paul Gaultier's sparkly scales in 2008. Oh, and we can't forget Cher in 1988 in nothing but skin, sequins, and feathers.

Most similar shape:

We're going to have to go with Audrey Hepburn's 1954 Givenchy gown, which she wore for her Roman Holiday win, as the one with a silhouette closest to Cate Blanchett's. There's the high, straight neckline, there's the defined waist, there's the all-over embellishment, there's the slightly flared skirt. And not insignificantly: there's the star power.

Most similar, overall:

A mere four years ago, Sandra Bullock won for The Blind Side, in a silver-gold Marchesa gown that could have been the not-so-little sister of Blanchett's. It also had a high-ish neckline, cap sleeves (okay, one cap sleeve), plenty of sparkle, and an embellished top. The overall effect is clingy, where Blanchett's gown is flowing, but honestly, the two gowns would probably be friends.