American actressAngelina Jolie wore a white satin dress with a plunging neckline designed byMarc Bouwer on February 29, 2004, to the76th Academy Awards at theKodak Theatre, where she presented the award forBest Art Direction. The dress garnered praise from fashion magazines and media publications, and has been placed on numerous lists for best Oscars orred carpet fashion.
The dress was created as an homage to thewhite dress of Marilyn Monroe worn inThe Seven Year Itch,[1] and was designed byMarc Bouwer.[2][3] The piece is made ofsilk and features a low-cut neckline with a draped waist, flowing maxi skirt, an open back and fabric draped around the wrists.[4][5] Jolie paired the look with a diamond ring on her right hand[6] and layers of silver necklaces, including a waterfall piece byH. Stern dubbed as the "Athena Necklace" valued at over $1 million,[5][7][6] and a "half-up half-down" hairstyle.[8] She wore a neutral makeup look, emphasizing her eyes with black eyeliner.[6] Jolie wore the dress on February 29, 2004, when presenting the award forBest Art Direction at the76th Academy Awards hosted at theKodak Theatre.[9][10]
Critical reception to the dress focused on the material and color, describing both as difficult to wear stylishly. Most critics agreed that the look was a success for Jolie, and comparisons were drawn to several classic Hollywood stars, includingRita Hayworth,Jean Harlow, and especiallyMarilyn Monroe.[11][12][9][13] The dress's minimalism and classic aesthetic has consistently been referred to as a defining moment for Jolie's style.[14][12][15] It has been described in subsequent years by fashion and celebrity publications as a memorable and stylish selection that was reminiscent ofclassical Hollywood style.[16]
Since its debut, the dress has been placed on several lists of best Oscars orred carpet fashion.Cosmopolitan magazine picked the dress in 2011 as one of the best Oscar dresses of all time, saying, "Angie's one of very few people who can rock this material and this color — both being mercilessly unforgiving. But the dress drapes on her curves and shows off her assets in all the right ways."[17] Fashion journalistAndré Leon Talley put it on his list of the 25 best Oscars dresses, published 2012.[18] In 2019,Harper's Bazaar named it one of the 100 best red-carpet dresses.[19] That same year, the dress was one of 25 famous red carpet dresses used in a photo shoot celebrating the 25th anniversary ofInStyle magazine.[20] In 2023,Christian Allaire ofVogue selected it as one of the 55 best Oscars dresses;Vogue contributor Christina Liao was quoted calling the dress Jolie's "best look of all time".[21]Vogue further described the dress as "proof that the best looks are the ones that make a subtle and timeless statement".[22]Vogue Australia listed the dress in their list for the "100 best Oscar dresses of all time".[23]L'Officiel described the look as one of Jolie's best, praising it for echoing classic Hollywood glamor and its "sultry air".[6]
