Fashion
9 Oscars Red Carpet Looks that Launched Major Trends
Though Awards Season can seem like a baffling blend of formal attire, glittering gowns and fashion missteps, we always rely on the Oscars for a good dose of beautiful couture. When an actress is paired with the perfect, showstopping gown with a single element that can be translated into street style, a trend is born.
The recent cutout trend found its first audience on the 2012 red carpet, and the still-relevant tuxedo trend originated on the stage at the 2011 awards. As we eagerly anticipate what glamorous couture creations will inspire us at this year's Oscars, here are some of the gowns that kickstarted major trends in the past.
Angelina Jolie in Versace
Call it the slit that launched a thousand imitations. Angelina Jolie’s infamous black Versace gown with a sky-high slit precipitated the peekaboo trend of 2012.
Jennifer Lawrence in Christian Dior
Though her gown caused some fashionable controversy amongst couture critics, the delicate pink shade of Jennifer Lawrence’s Dior number was nothing less than visionary for the 2013 Oscars. From petal pink coats to pastel slip dresses, the shade was reintroduced as the new neutral for 2013.
Gisele in Christian Dior
Remember the year of the empire waist? It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Gisele spearheaded the trend by wearing a goddess-inspired, white embroidered Christian Dior gown to the Oscars in 2005.
Penelope Cruz in Versace
It takes a confident woman to pull off a feathered ball gown, and in doing so to set off a worldwide fashion trend. Penelope Cruz’s plumed 2007 Oscars gown made the feather trend take flight.
Jennifer Lawrence in Calvin Klein
Before she became Katniss, Rosalyn Rosenfeld, or even America’s Outspoken Sweetheart, Jennifer Lawrence still knew how to rock a dress on the red carpet. Her slinky Calvin Klein dress reinstated minimalism as the chicest thing for 2011.
Halle Berry in Elie Saab
Unless you were living in a media blackout for the duration of 2002, you’ll recall Halle Berry’s risqué Elie Saab gown at the Oscars (not to mention her groundbreaking Best Actress win). Her daring gown launched a floral embroidery trend, though it was interpreted in far less dramatic fashions.
Scarlett Johansson in Dolce and Gabbana
The colored lace trend has gone through so many incarnations over the past several years that it seems impossible to pinpoint exactly when style began. But back in 2011, Scarlet Johansson’s purple lace gown began a craze over new interpretations of the classic material.
Anne Hathaway in Lanvin
2011’s tuxedo trend didn’t just appear out of thin air. Anne Hathaway’s sleek Lanvin tux for one of her many costume changes as co-host of the 2011 Oscars inspired women everyone to borrow from the boys, and mix menswear elements into their formalwear.
Michelle Williams in Louis Vuitton
Michelle Williams sure knows how to wear couture on the red carpet, and her vibrant 2012 Louis Vuitton Oscars gown helped make peplum into one of the biggest trends of the year.
