Pastels at the Oscars

Since the Oscars are on Sunday, I thought it would be fun to post a submission to this project from IFB and highlight some looks from previous ceremonies. Here are two iconic gowns from the 90s as well as two gowns I loved from 2011. 

Uma Thurman, 1995 -- Some people refer to this as the gown that started it all. Uma Thurman was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Pulp Fiction. She arrived in a lilac Prada gown that turned the Oscars red carpet into a style carpet. Looking at it today, it perfectly exemplifies my memories of the 1990s formal wear; sadly, this Prada with matching satin purse and white strappy sandals looks like what every girl wore to prom. 

Uma says, "What? This old thing?"

Gwyneth Paltrow, 1998 -- This was the year Gwyneth Paltrow won Best Actress for her work in Shakespeare in Love. Again, my memories of the film are hazy, but who could forget the bubblegum pink Ralph Lauren confection she wore? It seems unfair to judge this gown from 2013, but I would change her hairstyle and refit the bust. Also, I can't help but notice the matching wrap that is nearly identical to Uma's (and every dress from the Jessica McClintock collection).

Do you remember these two gowns from the 1990s? If not, here they are on Wikipedia! Pink Ralph Lauren dress of Gwyneth Paltrow & Lavender Prada dress of Uma Thurman

I do think it's unfair to judge Uma's and Gwyneth's gowns considering they were the fashions of the time. Many, many actresses were there for the awards portion of the show and would have dressed "poorly" using today's red carpet standards. However, I do love a great pink/purple gown, and here are two beautiful ones from the 2011 ceremony -- no Wikipedia pages, so I title them Lavender Givenchy dress of Cate Blanchett and Lavender Elie Saab dress of Mila Kunis. Neither of them were nominated for an award, but Mila was in Black Swan, which was nominated for Best Picture. 

Cate Blanchett in Givenchy

Mila Kunis in Elie Saab

Looking at these images, not only has digital photography improved over the years, but there is also so much more work put into these gowns. I understand that couture can look simple, but these two are wearing ... couture couture. As for this upcoming ceremony, I read that Jennifer Lawrence is favored to win Best Actress for Silver Linings Playbook. I hope she wears something breathtaking!