Red carpet retrospective: 55 of the greatest Oscar gowns of all time


Emma Day
  • English
  • Arabic

Should Covid-19 not have wrapped its grip around the world, we would be gearing up for a glitzy end to the year's awards season.

The Golden Globes would have already feted Hollywood's finest, the Baftas would have seen the A-list descend on London on Valentine's Day, and we'd be looking towards the creme de la creme of cinematic ceremonies, the Academy Awards, on February 28.

However, as we are all more than aware, this has been no ordinary year.

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the awards season calendar has been shuffled, refined and rescheduled over several months, with the Golden Globes taking place on Sunday, February 28, followed by the Baftas on Sunday, April 11, culminating in the Oscars on Sunday, April 25.

So, we still have some weeks to go until we can lose ourselves, even just for a few minutes, in golden trophies, tearful acceptance speeches and the dreamiest of gowns.

However, to bring a little sartorial escapism to the week, we've dug back through the fashion archives to pay tribute to some of the most memorable and magical dresses to grace the Oscars red carpet.

From Michelle Williams's canary Vera Wang to Mila Kunis's lilac Elie Saab, Julia Roberts's monochrome Valentino and Gwyneth Paltrow's caped Tom Ford, you'll find plenty of froth, feathers and a full spectrum of hues.

Scroll through the gallery above to see our pick of the 55 best red carpet gowns from Academy Awards past.

Neil Thomson – THE BIO

Family: I am happily married to my wife Liz and we have two children together.

Favourite music: Rock music. I started at a young age due to my father’s influence. He played in an Indian rock band The Flintstones who were once asked by Apple Records to fly over to England to perform there.

Favourite book: I constantly find myself reading The Bible.

Favourite film: The Greatest Showman.

Favourite holiday destination: I love visiting Melbourne as I have family there and it’s a wonderful place. New York at Christmas is also magical.

Favourite food: I went to boarding school so I like any cuisine really.

In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
  • Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000 
  • Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000 
  • Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000 
  • Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000 
  • HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000 
  • Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000 
  • Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000 
  • Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000 
  • Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000 
  • Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000 
  • Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000 
  • Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
  • Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
  • Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000