Fashion
Which Designer is Most Likely to Win You An Oscar?
Winning an Oscar takes immeasurable talent, or at the very least, serious bravado in any of the categories recognized at the annual Academy Awards. But we're guessing showing up to the awards in a spellbinding designer gown certainly doesn't hurt the odds. From Dior to Ralph Lauren, each year the top designers scramble to dress nominees for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, in hopes that their ensemble will end up on the winner. So which designers are the luckiest for hopeful nominees? Looking at the last decade, the answer may surprise you.
Jennifer Lawrence In Dior, 2013
Jennifer Lawrence won Best Actress in 2013 wearing a fitted pastel Dior with a cloud-like skirt.
Anne Hathaway in Prada, 2013
Anne Hathaway’s 2013 Prada gown may have caused some fashion critics to shake their heads in confusion, but it certainly didn’t detract from her Best Supporting Actress win.
Meryl Streep in Lanvin, 2012
Meryl Streep swept up the 2012 Oscar for Best Actress in gilded Lanvin.
Octavia Spencer in Tadashi Shoji, 2012
Octavia Spencer’s beautifully draped, beaded Tadashi Shoji gown shone almost as brightly as her Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 2012.
Natalie Portman in Rodarte, 2011
A pregnant Natalie Portman took home the Best Actress award for her work in Black Swan
in an amethyst-colored Rodarte gown in 2011.
Melissa Leo in Mark Bouwer, 2011
Melissa Leo went for an unusual, custom Mark Bouwer gown when she won Best Supporting Actress in 2011.
Sandra Bullock in Marchesa, 2010
Sandra Bullock’s shimmering Marchesa nearly stole the show when she won for Best Actress for The Blind Side in 2010.
Mo'Nique in Tadashi Shoji, 2010
Tadashi Shoji proved to be a popular designer for the Best Supporting Actress set, also outfitting winner Mo’Nique in 2010.
Kate Winslet in Yves Saint Laurent, 2009
Kate Winslet’s earnest performance in The Reader earned her an Oscar in 2009, when she wore a dove grey draped Yves Saint Laurent gown.
Penelope Cruz in Vintage Balmain, 2009
Penelope Cruz looked like a modern-day Audrey Hepburn in an exquisite lace Balmain creation for her Best Supporting Actress win in 2009.
Marion Cotillard in Jean Paul Gaultier, 2008
Marion Cotillard’s portrayal of Edith Piaf gave her the 2008 Oscar for Best Actress, when she wore a beautifully cut mermaid-style Jean Paul Gaultier gown.
Tilda Swinton in Lanvin, 2008
Tilda Swinton’s controversial gothic velvet Lanvin gown took a back seat to her Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 2008.
Helen Mirren in Christian Lacroix, 2007
Helen Mirren’s gold-accented Christian Lacroix gown was the perfect, regal ensemble for her Best Actress award at the 2007 awards.
Jennifer Hudson in Oscar de la Renta, 2007
Jennifer Hudson wore perhaps the only questionable gown Oscar de la Renta has ever designed when she won for Best Supporting Actress in 2007. However, the glittering gold number she changed into for the Vanity Fair after party was a fashion win.
Reese Witherspoon in Vintage Dior, 2006
Reese Witherspoon went vintage with a delicately embroidered Dior gown when she won for Best actress in 2006.
Rachel Weisz in Narciso Rodriguez, 2006
Rachel Weisz’s 2006 Narciso Rodriguez gown was criticized for being too simple, but it accented the actress’s curves — and baby bump — perfectly.
Hilary Swank in Guy Laroche, 2005
Hilary Swank’s bared her back in an extremely low cut Guy Laroche gown when she won Best Actress in 2005.
Cate Blanchett in Valentino, 2005
Cate Blanchett’s luminous single-shoulder Valentino gown was the perfect dress for a Best Supporting Actress victor in 2005.
Charlize Theron in Gucci, 2004
Charlize Theron looked every bit the Golden Age screen icon in Tom Ford for Gucci when she won for Best Actress in 2004.
Renee Zellweger in Carolina Herrera, 2004
Renee Zellweger’s long-standing relationship with designer Carolina Herrera produced the perfect gown for her 2004 Best Supporting Actress win.
Nicole Kidman in Jean Paul Gaultier, 2003
The Best Actress winner wore a draped, black silk Jean Paul Gaultier gown in 2003.
Catherine Zeta-Jones in Versace, 2003
Catherine Zeta-Jones threw out the idea of matronly maternity dressing when she wore a stunning chocolate 2003 in Versace for her Best Supporting Actress win.
The Results are In...
And the award for designer most likely to win you an Oscar goes to Jean Paul Gaultier, Tadashi Shoji, Lanvin, and Dior! If Best Actress is the goal, however, Dior and Jean Paul Gaultier are the designers to choose. Get your Dior on, girl.
