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.
Normcore explained
Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.
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