February 22, 2019

Gallery: See All the Best Actress Oscar Winners From the Past 36 Years

By the Cut

Photo: Barry King/WireImage

Oscar dressing hasn’t always been the fashion equivalent of the NFL draft, complete with teams of celebrity stylists, designers, and sponsors (with pro sports-style budgets) partaking in actress’ red-carpet preparations. Once upon a time thespians dressed for the Academy Awards like they might for any other special event — say, a formal ball, a bar mitzvah, or Spiderman-themed wedding (Cher). Clicking through the refreshingly normal-looking women (i.e., not Cher) who populate the first half of these slides, one can practically hear the shift in 1995, when Uma Thurman’s pale periwinkle Prada transformed the red carpet into a runway for designer-loaned looks. Beaded muumuus gave way to ballgowns, peaking with Gwyneth’s bubble-gum pink Ralph Lauren in 1999. Since then, dresses have seemed safe by comparison, showing less of the actresses’ personalities and far fewer of the singularly stylish missteps of the ’80s and early ’90s — which makes sense considering they’re dressing by committee.

One thing that hasn’t changed on the Best Actress roster is the absence of women of color. Since the Oscars began in 1929, only 11 black, four Latina, and one Asian woman have been nominated, with Halle Berry finally bringing an Oscar home in 2002. No woman of color has won since then. This year, Roma’s Yalitza Aparicio is the one woman of color nominated for Best Actress. On Sunday we’re hoping to see other signs of change like the ones we witnessed last year, when the Black Panther cast won the red carpet, Frances McDormand touted inclusion riders in her acceptance speech, and several women wore natural hair.

Click through to see the Oscars’ red-carpet style evolution, including mother-of-the-bride dresses, top-to-toe emerald green, and what appear to be palazzo pants, on the Best Actress winners of the past 36 years.