Collage by Vogue, Getty Images
At long last, awards season will draw to a close on Sunday with the 2026 Oscars.
While we haven’t been wanting for fashion moments (case in point: Teyana Taylor in a bejeweled Schiaparelli whale tail on the 2026 Golden Globes red carpet), we’re expecting a no-holds-barred Oscars carpet. The grand finale of the season—and the most venerated acting honor—calls for high glamour. So what can we expect come Oscars night from our leading ladies? Dresses of yore may hold the key.
The Oscars have grown into a far more formal occasion since its inception. In 1928, Janet Gaynor accepted the very first Academy Award for best actress in a long-sleeve and skirt with a silk scarf draped over her shoulders. But in more recent Academy Awards history, red carpet dressing has become an increasingly competitive arena with luxury houses staking early claims on the leading ladies in the hopes that their dresses become canonized in cinema history. After all, some of the most iconic gowns of all time hail from Oscars night, be it Gwyneth Paltrow’s bubblegum pink Ralph Lauren dress, Cher’s Bob Mackie showgirl number, or Halle Berry’s floral Elie Saab.
But it wasn’t always such a businesslike affair. In the early years, some winners turned to costume designers to fashion their ceremony looks; Edith Head made Grace Kelly’s mint satin gown, while Olivia de Havilland and Bette Davis both wore Orry-Kelly. (Buying one’s own look from a department store isn’t such a distant phenomenon either. In 1989, Jodie Foster collected her Oscar in an ice-blue, off-the-rack dress.) One past winner even made her own look: in a gold lamé jumpsuit, 1966 winner Julie Christie resembled the statue herself.
Here, ahead of the 2026 Oscars, take a look back at (almost) every best actress winner’s dress, from Jennifer Lawrence’s grand Dior ballgown to Audrey Hepburn’s lace, bateau-neck Givenchy dress.
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Arturo Holmes1/842025
Mikey Madison in Dior
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Scott Kirkland/Getty Images2/842024
Emma Stone in Louis Vuitton
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Arturo Holmes/Getty Images3/842023
Michelle Yeoh in Dior
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Kevin Mazur4/842022
Jessica Chastain in Gucci
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AMPAS/Getty Images5/842021
Frances McDormand in Valentino
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Rachel Luna/Getty Images6/842020
Renee Zellweger in Armani Privé
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Steve Granitz7/842019
Olivia Colman in Prada
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Craig Sjodin/Getty Images8/842018
Frances McDormand in Valentino
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Kevin Mazur/Getty Images9/842017
Emma Stone in Givenchy
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Ethan Miller/Getty Images10/842016
Brie Larson in Gucci
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Kevin Mazur11/842015
Julianne Moore in Chanel
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Jeff Kravitz12/842014
Cate Blanchett in Armani Privé
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Kevin Mazur13/842013
Jennifer Lawrence in Dior
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Jason Merritt/Getty Images14/842012
Meryl Streep in Lanvin
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Jeffrey Mayer15/842011
Natalie Portman in Rodarte
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Kevin Mazur16/842010
Sandra Bullock in Marchesa
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Steve Granitz17/842009
Kate Winslet in Yves Saint Laurent
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Jeff Vespa18/842008
Marion Cotillard in Jean Paul Gaultier
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Frazer Harrison/Getty Images19/842007
Helen Mirren in Christian Lacroix
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Steve Granitz20/842006
Reese Witherspoon in vintage Dior
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KMazur21/842005
Hillary Swank in Guy LaRoche
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Steve Granitz22/842004
Charlize Theron in Gucci
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Jim Smeal/Getty Images23/842003
Nicole Kidman in Jean Paul Gaultier
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Steve Granitz24/842002
Halle Berry in Elie Saab
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Mirek Towski25/842001
Julia Roberts in Valentino
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Jim Smeal/Getty Images26/842000
Hillary Swank in Randolph Duke
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Kevin.Mazur27/841999
Gwyneth Paltrow in Ralph Lauren
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Ron Galella/Getty Images28/841998
Helen Hunt in Gucci
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Ron Galella/Getty Images29/841997
Frances McDormand in Richard Tyler
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KMazur30/841996
Susan Sarandon in Dolce & Gabbana
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Ron Galella/Getty Images31/841995
Jessica Lange in Calvin Klein
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Frank Trapper/Getty Images32/841994
Holly Hunter in Vera Wang
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Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images33/841993
Emma Thompson in Caroline Charles
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Ron Galella, Ltd./Getty Images34/841992
Jodie Foster in Armani
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KMazur35/841991
Kathy Bates in Donna Karan
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Ron Galella/Getty Images36/841990
Jessica Tandy in Armani
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Ron Galella, Ltd./Getty Images37/841989
Jodie Foster in an off-the-rack dress.
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Jim Smeal/Getty Images38/841988
Cher in Bob Mackie
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Ron Galella/Getty Images39/841987
Marlee Matlin in Theoni V. Aldredge
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Bettmann40/841986
Geraldine Page in Gail Cooper-Hecht
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Kevin Winter/Getty Images41/841985
Sally Field in Holly Harp
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William Nation/Getty Images42/841984
Shirley MacLaine in Fabrice
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Barry King43/841983
Meryl Streep in Christian Leigh
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Ron Galella/Getty Images44/841981
Sissy Spacek in an off-the-rack jumpsuit
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ABC Photo Archives/Getty Images45/841980
Sally Field in Bob Mackie
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ABC Photo Archives/Getty Images46/841979
Jane Fonda in James Reva
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ABC Photo Archives/Getty Images47/841978
Diane Keaton in Ruth Morley
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Tony Korody/Getty Images48/841977
Faye Dunaway in Geoffrey Beene
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Ron Galella/Getty Images49/841976
Louise Fletcher in Alfred Fiandaca
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Bettmann50/841973
Liza Minelli in Halston
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Bettmann51/841972
Jane Fonda in Yves Saint Laurent
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Bettmann52/841969
Barbra Streisand in Arnold Scaasi
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Bettmann53/841966
Julie Christie in a homemade jumpsuit
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Bettmann54/841965
Julie Andrews
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Hulton Archive/Getty Images55/841962
Sophia Loren
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Darlene Hammond/Getty Images56/841961
Elizabeth Taylor in Christian Dior
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Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images57/841960
Simone Signoret in Jean Dessès
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Bettmann58/841959
Susan Hayward
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Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images59/841958
Joanne Woodward in a homemade dress
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Sunset Boulevard/Getty Images60/841955
Grace Kelly in Edith Head
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NBC/Getty Images61/841954
Audrey Hepburn in Givenchy
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Bettmann62/841953
Shirley Booth
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Screen Archives/Getty Images63/841951
Judy Holliday
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Screen Archives/Getty Images64/841950
Olivia de Havilland in Orry-Kelly
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Hulton Archive/Getty Images65/841949
Jane Wyman
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NBC/Getty Images66/841948
Loretta Young in Adrian Greenberg
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Keystone-France/Getty Images67/841947
Olivia de Havilland in Ann Lowe
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Pictorial Parade/Getty Images68/841946
Joan Crawford
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Phil Burchman/Getty Images69/841945
Ingrid Bergman
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Bettmann70/841944
Jennifer Jones (second from left)
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Bettmann71/841943
Greer Garson (second from left)
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Bettmann72/841942
Joan Fontaine (left)
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Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images73/841941
Ginger Rogers in Irene
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Bettmann74/841940
Vivien Leigh in Irene
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Bettmann75/841939
Bette Davis in Orry-Kelly
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Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images76/841938
Luise Rainer
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Archive Photos/Getty Images77/841937
Luise Rainer
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NBC/Getty Images78/841936
Bette Davis
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Bettmann79/841935
Claudette Colbert (right)
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Getty Images80/841932
Helen Hayes
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Bettmann81/841931
Marie Dressler
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Bettmann82/841930
Norma Shearer
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FPG/Getty Images83/841929
Mary Pickford
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Bettmann84/841928
Janet Gaynor
This article was originally published on Vogue.com.
