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.