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Iconic gowns set stylish tone for Oscars

(AP)
Updated: 2007-01-31 11:45

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Barbra Streisand. Cher. Elizabeth Taylor. Sharon Stone. Each made style history at the Academy Awards. Who can forget Streisand's seemingly see-through sequined pantsuit at the 1969 Oscar show, or the certainly see-through sparkling creation Cher wore in 1988? How about Taylor's 1970 periwinkle chiffon gown that matched her eyes, or the Gap T-shirt Stone built an outfit around in 1996?

A model wears a Bob Mackie gown, worn by Cher, at "A Celebration of Oscar Fashions" held at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, California, January 30, 2007. [Reuters]

View pictures fashions at "A celebration of Oscar"

These red-carpet contributions - and those of two dozen other stylish female stars - were recognized Tuesday at the film academy headquarters with "A Celebration of Oscar Fashion," a retrospective of iconic Oscar wear. The private runway show, curated by Andre Leon Talley of Vogue magazine, was designed to inspire this year's nominees and presenters to express their personal style and "create their own memorable moment" at the Oscars, said telecast producer Laura Ziskin.

The Academy Awards are about movies, but "Oscar night is also arguably the biggest and most scrutinized fashion event of any year," said Ziskin, who transformed the academy's annual fashion forecast into a trip through style history.

Talley, a veteran fashionista who helped dress Nicole Kidman for the 1997 Academy Awards and consulted with current supporting-actress favorite Jennifer Hudson for this year's show, called the Oscar red carpet "a gridlock of haute couture."

It's been that way since the awards' inception in 1929, he said.

The oldest dress on display Tuesday dated back to 1942. Jamie Lee Curtis wore the ivory beaded confection, which originally belonged to Marlene Dietrich, to the Oscars in 1984.

Legendary Hollywood costumer Edith Head created three of the show's featured gowns: a silver beaded sheath worn by Janet Leigh in 1960, Taylor's 1970 stunner, and the embroidered, cream-colored strapless dress she wore herself to the 1959 Academy Awards, where she celebrated her 15th costume-design nomination.