As the Oscars enters its 91st year, the stakes are higher than ever. Who will clean up? Who will go home a sore loser? And more importantly, who will be making headlines on the red carpet?
Over the years, we’ve seen so many outrageous Oscars red carpet looks that have been so controversial they’ve left a legacy and eventually become legendary. Here are some of the best:
1986: Cher
Cher stole the show when she turned up to the 1986 Oscars wearing this bold ensemble, created by the ‘Sultan of Sequins’ Bob Mackie, and told reporters, “As you can see, I did receive my Academy booklet on how to dress like a serious actress.”
1995: Lizzy Gardiner
Lizzy Gardiner’s 1995 Oscars dress, made of 254 expired (but legit) American Express credit cards, was originally created for the film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert but was forbidden by the bank. It was voted as the “worst Oscars dress of all time” by multiple publications at the time, but in 1999 was auctioned off for $12,650 with proceeds going to AmfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research.
1999: Celine Dion
What’s better than Celine Dion in a tux? Celine Dion in a backwards tux. Speaking to People, Dion said, “when I wore that look…everyone was wearing dresses, not pants. I was the only one with pants in a backward suit from Galliano and if I would do this today it would work. It was avant-garde at the time.” Celine Dion was, and is, a trailblazing queen.
2000: Matt Stone & Trey Parker
In 2000, South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker dropped acid and rocked up at the Oscars wearing Jennifer Lopez’s infamous Versace Grammy’s dress and Gwyneth Paltrow’s Ralph Lauren number she wore to the Oscars a year earlier. Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, the duo said they wanted to find a way to “go, but not go” which involved the use of drugs.
2001: Björk
There’s absolutely no way we can talk about outrageous Oscars red carpet looks without mentioning Björk’s iconic swan dress. The Icelandic artist’s dress is regarded one of the most important Oscars looks of all-time and was reimagined by Valentino at its Spring 2014 fashion show.
2015: Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga made countless headlines by sporting her infamous red ‘dishwasher’ gloves on the 2015 Oscars red carpet. Were they controversial? Yes. Were they iconic? You bet.