A costume designer’s job is to use clothes to tell a story. Though aesthetics play a pivotal role in choosing outfits for a film, their choices also have to support the project’s time period, location, and overall theme and mood. It’s no wonder, then, that many costume designers approach their own personal style with a more thoughtful lens, too. Thinking creatively about fashion comes with the territory.
This has certainly been the case at the Oscars throughout the years. On the red carpet, many costumers have shown up in looks that either nod to the film they are nominated for, or make a bold statement in general (remember Lizzy Gardiner’s golden Amex dress?). These artists are innate red carpet rebels, in that they have consistently eschewed traditional glamour in favor of frocks that have a bigger narrative or backstory. And in honor of the upcoming Academy Awards, which occur on April 25, Vogue is looking back at some of these rule-breaking moments.
Below, 8 costume designers who were breakout red carpet stars at the Oscars.
Photo: Getty Images1/8Eiko Ishioka, 1993
Nominated for best costume design for Bram Stoker’s Dracula in 1993, the late Japanese costume designer’s own outfit paid homage to the film (she won that night, too). Her black and red silk robe-dress mimicked the feel of Dracula’s infamous red cape, but still read as elegant and appropriate for the Oscars evening dress code.
Photo: Getty Images2/8Lizzy Gardiner, 1995
Lizzy Gardiner, an Australian costume designer, won the Oscar for best costume design for The Adventures of Priscilla. She showed up to the red carpet in a dress that was made out of 254 American Express Gold cards, all joined together by wire. Gardiner explained that the dress was actually made for the movie, but it got vetoed, so she wore it to the carpet, because “I’m broke, and I didn’t have anything to wear.” Gardiner also later reflected on the look: “On the night it really upset a lot of people. A lot of women, I think they felt upstaged or pissed off that I wasn’t taking things as seriously as I should.” Fashion fans loved its creativity, though, and Vaquera paid homage to it back in 2017.
Photo: Alamy3/8Rita Ryack, 2001
Nominated for best costume design for How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Rita Ryack brought a little bit of holiday spirit (and Whoville) to the Oscars in 2001. She wore a red robe coat trimmed with white shaggy fur—something Mrs. Claus or Martha May Whovier would wear, rather than a Hollywood veteran. She gets an A+ for dedication.
Photo: Getty Images4/8Patricia Field, 2007
Nominated for her iconic costume work in The Devil Wears Prada, Patricia Field—who also outfitted Sex and The City—had every high-fashion designer at her fingertips. Yet, she chose a look that spoke to her inimitable style. Her red gown was from fellow costume designer David Dalrymple, who Field carried in her store. She accessorized with a vintage Bulgari necklace complete with diamonds, rubies, and sapphires and a pair of Payless shoes, mastering the art of high-low dressing on the red carpet.
Photos: Getty Images5/8Jenny Beaven, 2016
Winning the costume design award for Mad Max: Fury Road, Jenny Beaven brought biker-chic attire to the Oscars in 2016. Beaven dressed herself in a jacket “like the Mad Max motorbike cop,” as well as a scarf reminiscent of “an oily rag”, biker boots and jeans. She even painted one of her nails a shiny chrome, “in honor of the metal of the film.” The moment went viral, especially when she was photographed next to Cate Blanchett in a more traditional gown. “I was wearing a costume. A homage to Mad Max,” Beaven later said. “I look ridiculous in frocks. I can’t wear heels—my back goes out and my feet get terribly sore. I am a storyteller—I’m not interested in fashion.”
Steve Granitz6/8Ruth E. Carter, 2019
Ruth E. Carter made history with her costume work in 2019’s Black Panther, when she became the first Black woman to win the Oscar for costume design. Carter designed the film’s many Afrofuturist looks, and while her own red carpet look leaned more into traditional Hollywood glamour, it still nodded to the distinctive aesthetic of her movie. Her brocade sleeves and train channeled the film’s royal characters, while her choker-style necklace was reminiscent of the armor worn by many of Wakanda’s warriors.
Photos: Getty Images7/8Arianne Phillips, 2020
Nominated for her work on Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, costume designer Arianne Phillips knew she would need a special dress for the red carpet. She ended up working with Jeremy Scott to repurpose a Juan Carlos Obando gown that she wore to the 2012 Oscars, where she was nominated for her costumes in W.E.. Scott disassembled the fuchsia and black silk gown and created a gown with a pouf-sleeved bodice and tulle skirt, crafted from the fabric of the original dress. “It’s really exciting to see that this dress is going to have a second life after sitting in my closet for eight years,” Phillips told Vogue. “And the story behind it is not just about the fashion industry needing to do better for the sake of the planet, but also my own story. Just like a bride wearing something old, the fact I am wearing a piece of the dress I won in makes it my own personal talisman.”
Photo: Getty Images8/8Sandy Powell, 2020
Veteran British costume designer Sandy Powell developed her Oscars look throughout awards season in 2020, but not by working closely with a label. Instead, Powell hit up the various ceremonies in the same cream suit, having different A-list stars sign the suit along the way. After the Oscars, she auctioned off the signed suit for an Art Fund charity, which hoped to help preserve and maintain the home of late friend and mentor Derek Jarman, an English filmmaker and artist. It ended up fetching roughly $22,230 USD at auction, and featured signatures from Robert De Niro, Renée Zellweger, and more.
