From being the foremost award recognition in the field of celluloid, the Oscars have become the most paramount celebration of cinema.

As cinephiles gear up to celebrate the wins of their favourite artists and works at the 97^th Oscars, we look back at how the much-awaited night devoted to the honouring of the best of cinematic arts has also become a tryst with fashion. Even before the results are announced, the ‘who is wearing who’ conversation starts and soon the web is filled with ‘Oscar looks’ and ‘the best and the worst dressed’ debates.

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Oscars in retrospect: Birth of the paramount celebration of cinema

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences which was founded in 1927 was first tasked to create a ‘positive’ image of Hollywood amidst disputes and scandals. It wasn’t until 1929 that the Academy decided to appreciate eminent performances. Moreover, the Oscars did not always follow the envelope reveal pattern we know today; as much as it may sound surprising, winners were announced beforehand. It was from 1941, the winners were being announced on stage and it wasn’t until 1953 that the Oscars became a televised spectacle.

 It was with this move, that the Oscars became the event of the year in cinematic arts and started to attract a larger audience.

Lights, camera, fashion

As the Oscars rapidly became the premiere celebration of film, the red carpet also became a fashion ramp. Fashion became a powerful statement and poses became the new covers. Iconic fashion moments created headlines and soon we found ourselves waiting for celebrity looks.

If not for the wins and nominations, we found celebrities making news for their head-turning attires. A classic example of this is Cher’s iconic black sequin outfit designed by Bob Mackie for the 1986 Oscars. While Cher had hoped for a nomination for her performance in ‘Mask’, the Academy let her down. In an interview with ‘Vogue’, she revealed that she felt that the Academy didn’t take her seriously and hated the way she dressed. So, instead of not attending the event, she decided to snub the Academy and make heads turn with her then-controversial look which has over the years become one of the most iconic looks in the history of the Oscars.

As much as fashion creates a statement, it also operates as an event in itself. Designers, stylists, and celebrities wait for the night of Hollywood to showcase their best craftsmanship, style and looks. For instance, Lupita Nyong’o’s illustrious powder blue dress by Prada for the 2014 Oscars when she bagged her first Academy Award for ’12 Years a Slave’ made headlines. Notably, the dress even has its own Wikipedia page. Even after a decade, her look for the night is still talked about, so much so that her 2024 look was inspired by the dress she wore the night she took the Oscar home.

Her stylist Micaela Erlanger also took to Instagram to share a throwback picture with the caption “10 years ago. This woman, this dress, and this moment completely changed the course of my career.”

The way forward: Fostering empowerment and representation

Over the years, much-awaited celebrity nights have become a means for indie and upcoming designers to present their skills to the world. However, as much as we would like that to be the case, that’s not what we are seeing at the Oscars. With celebrities signing brand contracts for ambassadorship, clauses requiring them to wear the label at big nights find space leaving limited room for new designers. Brands have rapidly started to take over important carpets and the commercialisation is palpable.

While as much as we as viewers enjoy imagining our acceptance speeches and critique fashion moments, we would also like to see newer talents making headlines for their craft with the needle.