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Red Carpet Oscars
A comprehensive, chronological history surveying over ninety years of fashion on the Oscars red carpet. The red carpet is so much more than fabulous gowns on famous people; it reflects the styles and values of each era and has become a platform to make social statements. Red Carpet Oscars presents over ninety years of fashion worn at the film world’s biggest event since its inception in 1929, charting what the stars wore and why. From homemade and preloved dresses to ready-to-wear and haute couture, it tracks the style evolution of Hollywood’s leading stars, the commercialization of the red carpet, the emergence of stylists, and the radical shifts that reshaped formal dressing. This comprehensive chronological survey showcases a thousand looks across almost a century. In addition to carefully curated images of the most iconic and inspiring outfits, each year features a short overview, sharing the stories behind the looks and tapping into fashion trends, along with the social and political influences of the time. Fashion writer Dijanna Mulhearn has compiled the ultimate fashion resource that celebrates both the glamour and the impact of one of the most watched red-carpet runways in the world. 576 color illustrations
480 pages, Hardcover
Published February 21, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 26, 2023
This book is mostly pictures with a narrative for each year the oscars were held. As the title indicates, it's mainly about the fashion of the stars attending the awards. But the tidbits about the designers and the gowns and why they picked what to wear was interesting. If you enjoy the "Red Carpet " aspect of award shows, you'll probably enjoy this one.
March 24, 2023
An absolutely beautiful, entertaining, and nostalgic coffee table book that would make a wonderful gift for any fan of movies and/or fashion!
March 2, 2023
For many, the highlight of the yearly Academy Awards is the pre-show fashion parade of celebrities on the red carpet. Dijanna Mulhearn's RED CARPET OSCARS will delight both film buffs and fashionistas, as it provides brief capsule summaries of what went on at each year's celebration along with photos of Hollywood's biggest and most glamorous stars as they approached the awards ceremony. At nearly 500 pages, this hefty photography book covers a wide array of attendees at the Academy Awards from 1929 to 2022.
There's "tulle wrapped" Marilyn Monroe in 1951 at her only appearance at an Oscar ceremony (wearing a borrowed gown from "All About Eve"); Eva Marie Saint, two days before giving birth, collecting her 1955 Oscar for "On the Waterfront"; and the achingly beautiful final Oscar appearance from Audrey Hepburn, 10 months before her death in 1993. The book is filled with iconic images, including Billy Porter's gender-bending velvet tuxedo gown in 2019; Björk's 2001 swan dress; Barbra Streisand's transparent "party pajamas" in 1969; Lee Grant's 1976 attire, which she referred to as "an old wedding dress"; Celine Dion's reversed suit jacket in 1999; Lupita Nyong'o's blue chiffon dress in 2014; and Prince's black lace shirt and lace gloves under a purple beaded hooded top and matching pants in 1985.
The handy index allows fans to track their preferred stars (Elizabeth Taylor, Jane Fonda and Audrey Hepburn are photographed in five different decades) or find favorite designers like Givenchy, Armani, Dior and, of course, eight-time Oscar-winner Edith Head. The crisp (often full-page) photos highlight not only the glamourous styles but often the eyebrow-raising pairings: Madonna and Michael Jackson; Joe Namath and Raquel Welch; Rock Hudson and Yvonne De Carlo.
There's "tulle wrapped" Marilyn Monroe in 1951 at her only appearance at an Oscar ceremony (wearing a borrowed gown from "All About Eve"); Eva Marie Saint, two days before giving birth, collecting her 1955 Oscar for "On the Waterfront"; and the achingly beautiful final Oscar appearance from Audrey Hepburn, 10 months before her death in 1993. The book is filled with iconic images, including Billy Porter's gender-bending velvet tuxedo gown in 2019; Björk's 2001 swan dress; Barbra Streisand's transparent "party pajamas" in 1969; Lee Grant's 1976 attire, which she referred to as "an old wedding dress"; Celine Dion's reversed suit jacket in 1999; Lupita Nyong'o's blue chiffon dress in 2014; and Prince's black lace shirt and lace gloves under a purple beaded hooded top and matching pants in 1985.
The handy index allows fans to track their preferred stars (Elizabeth Taylor, Jane Fonda and Audrey Hepburn are photographed in five different decades) or find favorite designers like Givenchy, Armani, Dior and, of course, eight-time Oscar-winner Edith Head. The crisp (often full-page) photos highlight not only the glamourous styles but often the eyebrow-raising pairings: Madonna and Michael Jackson; Joe Namath and Raquel Welch; Rock Hudson and Yvonne De Carlo.
February 15, 2024
What I liked about this book is that it did not feature only the clothing of the Oscar winners, but other attendees as well. I wish the color pictures would have started sooner, as I'm sure they were available. A fun browse through movie history and red carpet fashion. Be prepared - the book has heft!
Book description:
The red carpet is so much more than fabulous gowns on famous people; it reflects the styles and values of each era and has become a platform to make social statements. Red Carpet Oscars presents over ninety years of fashion worn at the film world’s biggest event since its inception in 1929, charting what the stars wore and why. From homemade and preloved dresses to ready-to-wear and haute couture, it tracks the style evolution of Hollywood’s leading stars, the commercialization of the red carpet, the emergence of stylists, and the radical shifts that reshaped formal dressing.
This comprehensive chronological survey showcases a thousand looks across almost a century. In addition to carefully curated images of the most iconic and inspiring outfits, each year features a short overview, sharing the stories behind the looks and tapping into fashion trends, along with the social and political influences of the time. Fashion writer Dijanna Mulhearn has compiled the ultimate fashion resource that celebrates both the glamour and the impact of one of the most watched red-carpet runways in the world.
576 color illustrations
Book description:
The red carpet is so much more than fabulous gowns on famous people; it reflects the styles and values of each era and has become a platform to make social statements. Red Carpet Oscars presents over ninety years of fashion worn at the film world’s biggest event since its inception in 1929, charting what the stars wore and why. From homemade and preloved dresses to ready-to-wear and haute couture, it tracks the style evolution of Hollywood’s leading stars, the commercialization of the red carpet, the emergence of stylists, and the radical shifts that reshaped formal dressing.
This comprehensive chronological survey showcases a thousand looks across almost a century. In addition to carefully curated images of the most iconic and inspiring outfits, each year features a short overview, sharing the stories behind the looks and tapping into fashion trends, along with the social and political influences of the time. Fashion writer Dijanna Mulhearn has compiled the ultimate fashion resource that celebrates both the glamour and the impact of one of the most watched red-carpet runways in the world.
576 color illustrations
May 19, 2023
HUGE big heavy book, in size and length (480 pages) but it is a quick read, as it's a year-by-year breakdown of the fashions that ruled the Oscars, and is largely composed of great, never-before-seen (at least by me) photos of the stars in the fashions that changed each year. Lots of details about designers, what fashions become hot and then subsided, the "it" color of each year/decade, and the hits and the disastrous misses. Interesting commentary on the effect that television, then Joan Rivers, then the internet had on how we watch the fashion parade. Fun to see how many stars (Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Audrey Hepburn, Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett and the unpredictable Cher) evolved from year to year. A must read for anyone who knows the phrase, "Who are you wearing?"
February 22, 2026
The high-res glossy pictures are great, plentiful, and clearly the focal point, but one does get the sense that not enough care went into the text which is rife with typos and occasional errors that would take a simple google search to verify. It doesn't ruin this giant coffee table book, but given that it's not exactly inexpensive, it's... a bother.
If you have an Oscars, fashion or red carpet aficionado in your life, they'll enjoy it, particularly the very nice pictures.
If you have an Oscars, fashion or red carpet aficionado in your life, they'll enjoy it, particularly the very nice pictures.
April 13, 2024
Absolutely loved this. But so sorry I read it so fast. Couldn't help it
July 12, 2024
Fabulous collection of fashion through the ages seen through the lens of Hollywood awards night. Beautiful descriptions and nostalgic pictures are a fascinating view of times past 🎬
February 24, 2025
A beautiful and fairly detailed history of Oscar fashion, a recommended read for anyone in love with fashion.
December 30, 2023
Here is another beautiful book from Thames and Hudson. It is lush with over 400 pages of photos of beautiful people and beautiful clothes worn on the Red Carpet of the Academy Awards. The high quality glossy paper makes it a heavy hold… but it adds to the rich feeling of the events.
The book is arranged by year with the date and place of the ceremony with a fact column of the awardees for best picture, actor, actress, supporting actor and actress, and costume design. There are photos in b&w and in color for each year. While most show the best actress winner all show those associated with that year's award winning or nominated films. There is a short one page write up on the clothing and any significant film milestones of the year.
Photos from the 1930s into the 1970s show the people more than the clothes. There are a lot of head shots and winners posing with their statues. As the Red Carpet becomes known for making careers of stars and designers you see that the clothes become more important: there are more full length photos. By the 1990s most of the photos are shot for the fashion as much as the wearer.
Over the years you see other trends besides fashion. Men become more than a prop for the well dressed woman and have sartorial credits of their own. The first 25 years are, with one exception, exclusively white. As you move forward you see continuing growth in minority participation. Over the years either the stars learn how to pose better or may be more relaxed than the 1930’s and 1940s where many look stiff and phony.
The Index allows you to check the style of your favorite stars and designers over the years. You can see how Cher and Bob Mackie became more daring with each appearance. You can see Elizabeth Taylor’s glamour and different escorts over 5 decades. You can easily find how Sacheen Littlefeather was dressed, even if you forgot her name, by searching Brando. A quick look at Index citations seems to show Edith Head as the most cited.
There is a Forward by Kate Blanchette; An Introduction by the author, Dijanna Mulhearn and a supportive letter from Giorgio Armani.
If you are interested in fashion and/or like looking at stars, this is a book for you.
The book is arranged by year with the date and place of the ceremony with a fact column of the awardees for best picture, actor, actress, supporting actor and actress, and costume design. There are photos in b&w and in color for each year. While most show the best actress winner all show those associated with that year's award winning or nominated films. There is a short one page write up on the clothing and any significant film milestones of the year.
Photos from the 1930s into the 1970s show the people more than the clothes. There are a lot of head shots and winners posing with their statues. As the Red Carpet becomes known for making careers of stars and designers you see that the clothes become more important: there are more full length photos. By the 1990s most of the photos are shot for the fashion as much as the wearer.
Over the years you see other trends besides fashion. Men become more than a prop for the well dressed woman and have sartorial credits of their own. The first 25 years are, with one exception, exclusively white. As you move forward you see continuing growth in minority participation. Over the years either the stars learn how to pose better or may be more relaxed than the 1930’s and 1940s where many look stiff and phony.
The Index allows you to check the style of your favorite stars and designers over the years. You can see how Cher and Bob Mackie became more daring with each appearance. You can see Elizabeth Taylor’s glamour and different escorts over 5 decades. You can easily find how Sacheen Littlefeather was dressed, even if you forgot her name, by searching Brando. A quick look at Index citations seems to show Edith Head as the most cited.
There is a Forward by Kate Blanchette; An Introduction by the author, Dijanna Mulhearn and a supportive letter from Giorgio Armani.
If you are interested in fashion and/or like looking at stars, this is a book for you.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews