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The biggest question on The Academy Awards red carpet: “Who are you wearing?”

To be sure, the choice of ensemble is one that will go down in history for many of the actresses who attend the awards show, especially the ones who go home with Oscars gold. In the ultimate flashback,  MediaRun Digital created an infographic that rounds up all of the dresses that have been worn by Best Actress winners since the awards were first held in 1929.

The graphic helps show how the trends for the big night changed over the years, like the simpler creations that actresses wore before wearing a dress off the runway was en vogue. Although many of the designers are listed as “unknown,” in the ’20-’50’s actresses trended towards tapping costume designers for their red carpet dresses, like Irene Gibbons who created the Best Actress dresses in 1940 and 1941.

The chart also reminds of the statistic that’s impossible to ignore when we discuss this awards show: Halle Berry is the first and still the only Black woman to ever receive the Best Actress honor (an award that came award and came 63 years after Hattie McDaniel’s ‘Supporting Actress’ victory for “Gone with the Wind”). In 2021 she accepted the Best Actress”award for “Monster’s Ball” in a floral Elie Saab gown:

This year, Amy Adams (American Hustle) Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine) Sandra Bullock (Gravity) Judi Dench (Philomena) and  Meryl Streep (August: Osage County) will go head to head for the Best Actress award, but we have our eyes on what rising fashion “It Girl” Lupita Nyong’o will wear as she’s up for Best Supporting Actress honors for “12 Year’s A Slave.”

Check out designer gowns we’d love to see Lupita in the gallery, below!

READ MORE: 

Oscars 2014: See The Black Presenters That Will Take The Stage 

I’d Like To Thank The Academy: ‘Fruitvale Station’ Snubbed For Oscar Nomination

7 Absurdly Gorgeous Gowns Lupita Nyong’o Could Wear To The Oscars
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