Beginnings:

The first Oscar ceremony, held on

May 16, 1929, in the Blossom Room
of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel,
was a small event with little fanfare.
Best actress winner Janet Gaynor
showed up to receive her trophy in a
simple off-the-rack suit and minimal
makeup.
Gaynor won for her performances in
Seventh Heaven (1927), Street
Angel (1928), and Sunrise (1927).
Pre-Code Glamour

By the time of the third ceremony,

held at the Coconut Grove on Nov. 5,
1930, the Oscars were a glamorous
event. Best Actress winner Norma
Shearer wore a slim-fitting bias cut
gown with mink accents that was
accessorized with diamond
bracelets.
Shearer won for The Divorcee
(1930).
Depression-Era
Fashion, Part 1:

For her win for Jezebel (1938), Bette

Davis channeled her inner Southern
belle with a Colette-designed gown
that featured a full skirt and egret
feathers draped around her
shoulders and neck.
Davis is joined by best actor winner
Spencer Tracy, who took home the
trophy for Boys Town (1938).
Depression-Era
Fashion, Part 2:

Vivien Leighs floral print sundress is

one of the more unusual gowns in
Oscar history. She accentuated the
casual gown with bold jewelry
choices.

Leigh received the award for Gone

With the Wind (1939).
Surprise Winners,
Part 1:

1935 winner Claudette Colbert was

on her way to New York City when
she was called to the Biltmore Bowl
to receive her Oscar for It Happened
One Night (1934) from Shirley
Temple.
Colbert still looked great in her
traveling suit, corsage, and tilted
cap.
Surprise Winners,
Part 2:

Luise Rainer was at home in her

bedroom slippers when she found
out she won the best actress Oscar
for The Great Ziegfeld (1936).
Rainer quickly threw on a simple
crepe gown and headed out to the
Biltmore Bowl to accept her trophy.
Wartime Austerity

World War II brought a halt to Oscar

glamour with patriotic stars opting
to accept their statuettes in simple
clothes. Ingrid Bergman accepted
her Oscar for Gaslight (1944) in a
simple dress with star embroidery
that she had also worn at the
previous years ceremony.
Joans Way

Joan Crawford didnt attend the

1946 Academy Awards because she
was suffering from pneumonia, but
the actress recovered just in time to
accept her best actress trophy for
Mildred Pierce (1945). The star
invited reporters into her bedroom
to capture her golden moment in a
glamorous negligee and perfectly
applied makeup.
Postwar Glamour,
Part 1:

Old Hollywood sophistication made

a smashing return with best actress
winner Olivia de Havillands pale
blue organza gown with hand-
painted flowers.
The actress received her award for
To Each His Own (1946) from Ray
Milland.
Postwar Glamour,
Part 2:

Loretta Young accepted her Oscar

for The Farmers Daughter (1947) in
this emerald-green taffeta gown.
She took off the elaborate bolero
jacket to accept the award, but the
bouquet of pink hydrangeas
amazingly stayed intact throughout
the entire ceremony.
Postwar Glamour,
Part 3:

Jane Wyman opted for a simple look

to accept her Oscar for Johnny
Belinda (1949). Her elegant sheath
dress featured a draped fit that
emphasized her slim figure. The
entire ensemble was offset by a
simple choker of pearls.
Fifties Fashion,
Part 1:
The 1950s brought TV to most
American households, which meant
that the annual Oscar ceremony
became Hollywoods chief showcase
for glamourous movie stars.
Actresses now showed up in elegant
designer gowns, like the Givenchy
creation Audrey Hepburn wore to
accept her award for Roman Holiday
(1953). The tea-length lace dress
features a bateau neckline and floral
pattern. Hepburn offsets the look
beautifully with simple earrings and
a chic pixie haircut.
Fifties Glamour,
Part 2:

Grace Kelly wore a blue champagne-

silk gown designed by Edith Head to
accept her Oscar for The Country
Girl (1954). The fabric, which cost
$4,000, was specially woven in
Paris.
Fifties Glamour,
Part 3:
1958 winner Joanne Woodward
bucked the designer trend by
wearing a dress she made herself
with $100 fabric to accept her
trophy for The Three Faces of Eve
(1957).
Woodwards DIY look caused Joan
Crawford to acidly remark that
Joanne Woodward is setting the
cause of glamour back 20 years,
but Woodward had the Oscar and
the best accessory of all: Her
husband, Paul Newman.
Kennedy-Era
Fashion, Part 1:

The early 1960s were a landmark

era in American fashion thanks to
the glamour of First Lady Jacqueline
Kennedy.
Elizabeth Taylor embodied sixties
sophistication with her custom-
made Dior gown that she wore to
accept her award for Butterfield 8
(1960). Taylor complemented the
look with a bouffant hairdo and large
diamond earrings.
Kennedy-Era
Fashion, Part 2:

Crawford made up for her absence

at the 1946 ceremony by accepting
the Oscar for the absent Anne
Bancroft at the 1963 ceremony.
Crawford wore an silver-beaded
gown designed by Edith Head that
was accessorized with large
diamond earrings and a diamond
brooch that was fashioned into a
necklace.
Crawford is pictured with best actor
winner Gregory Peck.
Swinging Sixties,
Part 1

The iconoclastic fashion of the latter

part of the decade made an
appearance at the Oscars when Julie
Christie accepted her award for
Darling (1965) in a gold jumpsuit
with turtleneck top designed by Don
Bessant.
Swinging Sixties,
Part 2:

Barbra Streisand continued the

pantsuit trend with an Arnold Scaasi
designed bell-bottom pajama suit
that was accessorized with a Peter
Pan collar and large black bow. The
see-through material of the suit
gave Oscar viewers an up-close and
personal look at Babs anatomy.