The Best Red Carpet Moments of the ’90s: Elizabeth Hurley, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Madonna Inline

  • kim basinger
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    Photo: Ron Galella / WireImage
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    Kim Basinger in her own design

    At the Academy Awards, 1990

    Best known for her role in Batman, the actress decided to forgo convention and try her hand at designing her own ensemble.

  • madonna
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    Photo: David Mcgough / DMI / The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
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    Madonna in Bob Mackie and Harry Winston

    At the Academy Awards, 1991

    Attending the ceremony with pop superstar Michael Jackson, the only figure Madonna could channel was one greater than the two of them combined: Marilyn Monroe. And as the late actress sang, "Diamonds are a girl’s best friend."

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    Photo: Ron Galella, Ltd. / WireImage
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    Jodie Foster in Giorgio Armani

    At the Academy Awards, 1992

    Winning her second Oscar for her role in The Silence of the Lambs, the young actress began a splendid sartorial relationship with the Italian designer.

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    Photo: KMazur / WireImage
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    Mariah Carey

    35th Annual Grammy Awards, 1993

    Before she became Mimi, Carey focused on classic silhouettes with a hint of sex appeal, like this scarlet slip dress.

  • Elizabeth Hurley
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    Photo: Dave Benett / Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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    Elizabeth Hurley in Versace

    At the London premiere of Four Weddings and a Funeral, 1994

    There were no other dresses that mattered when the model stepped out in Versace’s Safety Pin dress.

  • Uma Thurman
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    Photo: David McGough/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
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    Uma Thurman in Prada

    At the Academy Awards, 1995

    The moment that Thurman became a star is when designer (and then costume designer) Barbara Tfank slipped an icy blue dress from Prada onto the budding actress.

  • Sharon Stone
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    Photo: Ke.Mazur / WireImage
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    Sharon Stone in Gap and Valentino

    At the Academy Awards, 1996

    All conversation was about how Stone eschewed with convention in wearing the Gap on the red carpet. Now, high-low dressing can trace its roots back to the Basic Instinct star.

  • Nicole Kidman
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    Photo: VINCE BUCCI / AFP / Getty Images
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    Nicole Kidman in John Galliano for Christian Dior

    At the Academy Awards, 1997

    A dress from the first collectsion under John Galliano, the chartreuse, Asian-inspired frock is continually referenced in fashion today.

  • Jennifer Lopez
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    Photo: Getty Images
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    Jennifer Lopez in Gucci

    VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards, 1999

    The pop star was the physical embodiment of **Tom Ford’**s designs for the Italian house: bold with attitude and shimmering brighter than anyone else.

  • Gweneth Paltrow
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    Photo: SGranitz / WireImage
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    Gwyneth Paltrow in Ralph Lauren and Harry Winston

    At the Academy Awards, 1999

    It was a dress fit for a princess—and fittingly, the actress had her fairy tale come true when she took home Oscar gold and the Harry Winston necklace she sported.