The red carpet is where all eyes are on those celebrity gowns that represent the pinnacle of fashion and glamour. While fashion on the red carpet is constantly changing, there are some dresses over the years have have become iconic. These dresses have become part of the pop culture lexicon and are still talked about and referenced even years after the original event. Here are some of the most iconic red carpet dresses of all time.
1. Marilyn Monroe’s white dress
One of the most iconic dresses in fashion history, Marilyn Monroe wore it in the film “The Seven Year Itch” but it was a promotional stunt on a red carpet where she caused a sensation. The white halterneck dress was designed by William Travilla It’s famous plunging neckline and famously billowing skirt made her a cultural icon.
2. Audrey Hepburn’s black dress
Perhaps the most famous little black dress of all time, Audrey Hepburn’s iconic sleeveless Givenchy dress in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” continues to inspire fashion designers. It’s a piece of fashion history, as Hepburn helped to solidify the LBD as a wardrobe staple for stylish women everywhere.
3. Liz Hurley’s safety pin dress
Liz Hurley turned up to an event with a young Hugh Grant in a barely there black Versace dress held together by giant gold safety pins and caused an uproar. It quickly became a fashion classic, even prompting replicas.
4. Björk’s swan dress
Few dresses are quite as memorable as the one Björk wore to the 2001 Oscars. She showed up dressed as a swan and immediately became one of the most talked-about attendees ever.
5. Halle Berry’s Elie Saab gown
Halle Berry’s gown at the 2002 Oscars should go down in red carpet history. The custom-made gown by Elie Saab had a sheer mesh top and a skirt that was embroidered with floral designs.
6. Lupita Nyong’o’s blue gown
At the 2014 Oscars, Lupita Nyong’o showed up wearing a stunning pastel-blue cape dress designed by Prada. It was feminine, elegant, and elevated the young star’s already impressive presence.
7. Lady Gaga’s meat dress
Maybe not quite an ‘iconic’ look, but Lady Gaga’s 2010 dress made of raw meat certainly caused a firestorm. The dress, created by designer Franc Fernandez, was made from strips of raw beef that had been stitched together.
8. Jennifer Lopez’s green dress
Jennifer Lopez’s legendary green dress, by Versace, might have been the most memorable dress to hit the red carpet to date. The jungle print gown quickly became iconic, with JLo herself saying she chose her gown because she wanted to make a memorable statement in the fashion world.
There are countless other examples of iconic dresses to have graced red carpets, but these are some of the most historic and memorable. Each one represents a moment in fashion history, and will continue to do so for as long as the fashion world exists.
