Oscars Dresses: The 58 Best of All Time

The Oscars are one of the most-watched red carpet events in the world (along with the Met Gala, of course) and the 96th annual Academy Awards on March 10 will surely deliver plenty of memorable fashion moments. Hollywood’s brightest stars are expected to hit a physical red carpet in their most dramatic looks, since stylists often keep their best gowns and suits for last. In honor of the grand upcoming event, Vogue is looking back at some of the very best Oscar dresses of all time.

Selected by our editors (past and present), this definitive list of our top Oscar fashion moments revisits many iconic looks. A crowd favorite was Rihanna in her baby bump-bearing Alaïa number last year, complete with leather accents, as well as Lupita Nyong’o’s sky-blue Prada gown from 2014, when the actress was nominated for 12 Years a Slave. Another standout was Nicole Kidman’s unexpected Balenciaga halter dress with a dramatic bow detail, which she wore in 2007. And who could forget Charlize Theron’s glittering Gucci gown from 2004, when she accepted Best Actress for Monster looking the part of a true Hollywood star?

Many picks are some of the Oscars’s more unexpected style moments, too: Céline Dion’s backwards Christian Dior tuxedo, Björk’s Marjan Pejoski swan dress, and Cameron Diaz’s slightly boho dress by Emanuel Ungaro Couture, among others. As for throwback hits, Barbra Streisand’s sheer jumpsuit by Arnold Scaasi, worn in 1969, is proof that having fun on the carpet always wins, as does Salma Hayek’s Armani look in 1997, complete with a tiara.

See these and more of Vogue’s votes for the best Oscars dresses below.