In the lead up to the 2026 Oscars, Elle Fanning has been thinking a lot about her younger self. “I think she would feel overwhelmed and overjoyed,” Fanning tells Vogue ahead of the Academy Awards. “She had hoped for this, but only in her wildest dreams.”
Fanning, who earned her first Oscar nomination for best supporting actress in Sentimental Value, is honoring her roots—specifically her childhood home—with her Oscars look. “Growing up, my childhood home had a wisteria trellis that bloomed in the spring. I remember thinking it was the most beautiful thing when the petals would fall and create a lilac cloud on the ground,” she says. (The poignancy also ties directly into her film; the family home is a key motif in Sentimental Value.)
The actor and her longtime stylist, Samantha McMillen, knew exactly who to turn to for this special moment: “Sarah Burton is a dear friend and has made many important dresses for me over the years, so Samantha and I knew she was the one to design for this monumental Sunday,” Fanning explains. Last year, she became the first person to wear Burton’s Givenchy—it was also Fanning’s first time ever attending the Academy Awards. Now, she returns as a nominee, with Burton helping her meet the moment once again.
Fanning had some basic stipulations for her Oscars dress. “I immediately looked through books of famous Oscar dresses from the past and my favorites all had one thing in common: they felt true to who was wearing them and have never gone out of style,” she says. “I knew I wanted to steer clear of trends and keep the look timeless and feminine.”