At the 2001 Oscars, while Gladiator won best picture and Russell Crowe took best actor, the red carpet produced a fashion legend: Björk's 'swan dress'. Designed by Macedonian designer Marjan Pejoski, the tutu skirt with a swan draped around the musician's neck and egg accessories was widely panned. TV fashion critic Steven Cojocaru called it 'one of the dumbest things I've ever seen'. A quarter of a century later, the dress has its own Wikipedia page and has inspired tributes from RuPaul's Drag Race to Rosalía.
Barbra Streisand's 1969 Arnold Scaasi chiffon pyjama-style pantsuit was largely see-through under the lights, causing a sensation. After Scaasi died in 2015, Streisand wrote that he had 'made many fabulous outfits for me over the years and unfortunately, only one of them stole the headlines'. Cher's 1986 Bob Mackie outfit – a bra top, acres of midriff and feathered headdress – was prompted by revenge after she was not nominated for Mask. 'As you can see, I did receive my Academy booklet on how to dress like a serious actress,' she quipped.
Sharon Stone's 1996 Gap polo neck, costing $22, is seen as a great example of high-low dressing. It came about because her dress was ruined when a delivery driver drove over it. Helped by Basic Instinct costume designer Ellen Mirojnick, Stone used her 'favourite clothes'. Céline Dion's 1999 John Galliano tuxedo, worn back-to-front, put her on worst-dressed lists but is now cited as a classic. Speaking to People in 2017, Dion called it ahead of its time.
Michelle Williams' 2006 Vera Wang dress is a favourite of fashion, possibly influencing other actors like Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet to wear yellow on the red carpet. Angelina Jolie's 2012 Versace dress, or rather her right leg, coincided with the start of meme culture. Parody accounts multiplied on social media, but Jolie told HuffPost she 'didn't pay any attention'. Billy Porter's 2019 Christian Siriano gown was key in the growth of gender-non-conforming red carpet looks. Writing for Vogue, Porter said he wanted to be 'a walking piece of political art every time I show up'.
