--- title: Oscars Fashion—Vintage Hollywood Looks at the Academy Awards description: As Hollywood once again gears up for its biggest night, here's a look back at some of the best of Oscars fashion of the 1930s through '60s. canonical: https://time.com/4655721/vintage-hollywood-fashion/ author: Lily Rothman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-02-24T14:00:49.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:50:23.151Z article:section: History og:title: Oscars Fashion—Vintage Hollywood Looks at the Academy Awards og:description: Stand-out mid-century looks from Oscars night og:url: https://time.com/4655721/vintage-hollywood-fashion/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt43655c74c787ba1c/6988b82d196cf4d48b03eaf2/170129-vintage-oscar-fashion-03.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Vintage Oscar Fashion og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Oscars Fashion—Vintage Hollywood Looks at the Academy Awards twitter:description: Stand-out mid-century looks from Oscars night twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt43655c74c787ba1c/6988b82d196cf4d48b03eaf2/170129-vintage-oscar-fashion-03.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # See Glamorous Vintage Fashion From Hollywood's Big Night by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/) and [Liz Ronk](https://time.com/author/liz-ronk/) Feb 24, 2017 2:00 PM UTC  Jack Warner with Fay Bainter and Bette Davis who hold their Oscars at the Academy Awards, 1939. Jack Warner with Fay Bainter and Bette Davis who hold their Oscars at the Academy Awards, 1939.Hulton Archive—Getty Images by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/) and [Liz Ronk](https://time.com/author/liz-ronk/) Feb 24, 2017 2:00 PM UTC The main attraction at the [Academy Awards](http://time.com/4234014/quiz-classic-oscar-celebrity/) is the distribution of [statuettes](http://time.com/3639792/academy-awards-classic-film-stars-with-their-oscars/), when Hollywood declares which of its products and people are most deserving of applause — or, at least, that’s _supposed_ to be [the main attraction](http://time.com/3670565/oscars-classic-photos/). At Sunday night’s ceremony, the red-carpet clothing is sure to give the main event a run for its money. And that’s nothing new. Though the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences [first gave out its awards](http://time.com/3711978/first-oscars/) at a low-key event, it didn’t take long for the honorees and the audience to realize that the Oscars would be a fine occasion to break out the finery. In honor of that history, here’s a look back at some standout midcentury looks from Oscars ceremonies of the 1930s, ’40s, ’50s and ’60s. From Bette Davis’ dramatic 1939 feathers and Elizabeth Taylor’s _Gone With the Wind_\-esque 1949 gown to Janet Leigh’s summoning of _The_ _Jetsons_ in 1960 and Barbra Streisand’s mod 1968 look, these photos capture not only the faces of some of the biggest stars of the 20th century but also the evolution of fashion over this period of time. And, though the styles may change, they’ve all got that something that has helped the movies and fashion stay so closely linked, from the earliest days of Hollywood all the way through this weekend. These people, it’s impossible to deny, ought to be in pictures.  Norma Shearer poses with her Oscar at the Academy Awards banquet in 1930. AP Photo  Bette Davis and Victor McLaglen after winning their Oscars at the Academy Awards banquet, 1935. AP Photo  Jack Warner with Fay Bainter and Bette Davis who hold their Oscars at the Academy Awards, 1939. Hulton Archive—Getty Images  Ginger Rogers receiving an Oscar at Academy Awards presentation, 1941. Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Barry Fitzgerald, Ingrid Bergman and Bing Crosby at the Academy Awards, 1945. Harold P. Matosian—AP Photo  Loretta Young looks at her Oscar at the Academy Awards, 1948. AP Photo  Loretta Young congratulating Jane Wyman at the Academy Awards, 1949. Pictorial Parade—Getty Images  Elizabeth Taylor presents the Oscar for best costumes for black and white films to producer William Gordon of Universal-International at the Academy Awards, 1949. AP Photo  Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall at the Academy Awards, 1952. AP Photo  Eva Gabor, Pat O'Brien and Evelyn Karloff attend the eastern part of the telecast of the Academy Awards presentations in New York City, 1953. AP Photo  Audrey Hepburn, wearing a Givenchy gown, at the Academy Awards, 1954. NBC via Getty Images  Tyrone Power and his wife Linda Christian at the Academy Awards, 1954. Earl Leaf—Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images  Donna Reed poses with her Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in From Here to Eternity at the Academy Awards, 1954. Earl Leaf—Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images  Grace Kelly at the Academy Awards, 1955. Hulton Archive—Getty Images  Eleanor Parker and husband Paul Clemens attend the Academy Awards, 1956. Earl Leaf—Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images  Cleo Moore and Jayne Mansfield at the Academy Awards, 1956. Hulton Archive—Getty Images  Miyoshi Umeki, Red Button, Joanne Woodward and Jean Simmons at the Academy Awards, 1958. AP Photo  Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh at the Academy Awards, 1960. Hulton Archive—Getty Images  Rita Moreno gets a kiss from dancer and actor George Chakiris after they each won Academy Awards, 1962. AP Photo  Gregory Peck with Sophia Loren at the Academy Awards, 1963. AP Photo  Sidney Poitier with Diahann Carroll at the Academy Awards, 1964. Earl Leaf—Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images  Angie Dickinson at the Academy Awards, 1964. Hulton Archive—Getty Images  Sammy Davis Jr. with Barbra Streisand, holding the Oscar for Best Song, at the Academy Awards, 1968. Fotos International—Getty Images  Joanne Woodward arrives with her husband, Paul Newman, at the Academy Awards, 1969. 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