Academy Awards 2023: Which Iconic Oscars Dresses Have Increased The Most In Value?

These famous Oscar dresses might be worth more than you think…

Bazaar Arabia has compileda list of ten dresses who have increased most in value to provide some inspiration for future red carpets…

The Oscars are not only famous for the award ceremony celebrating outstanding talent in the film industry but also for the red carpet before that many watch precisely. So naturally, all the A-listers’ stylists want to bring their A-game. So while, of course, people will talk about who won one of the famous golden trophies and who didn’t, it is evident that just as many will be discussing the best-dressed lists that are always carefully curated by fashion editors around the globe.

Trend experts at Wethrift have collaborated with fashion expert Louisa Rogers of Studio Courtenay to analyse some of the most iconic red carpet looks worn by Best Actress winners of the past. Explaining her valuation process, Louisa states, “Simple couture dresses start at around $10,000 but can reach as high as $500,000 depending on the level of intricacy, embellishment, and hours put into creating each garment by highly skilled atelier artisans.” She continues: “When it comes to a ceremony as prestigious and globally viewed as the Academy Awards, designers will often use their gowns as opportunities to generate press coverage or as living advertisements, so the cost of making is rarely proportional to the resale value.”

From Gucci to Gaultier, here are the top 10 Oscar dresses that have tremendously increased in value over the past years.

Which Iconic Oscars Dresses Have Increased The Most In Value?

Jessia Chastain in Gucci, 2022

For receiving the Best Actress award at the Oscar ceremony 2022 for the film The Eyes Of Tammy Faye, Jessica Chastain chose to wear a sequinned gown in orange and lilac hues with a ruffle hem, swinging around the actress’s ankles with her every movement.

Despite the gown having been worn just in the recent year, fashion expert Louisa highlights that with Alessandro Michele as Gucci’s acting creative director being gone, the dress has become an archival piece, representing the Italian’s creativity and leadership. The dress was worth $45,000 (165,284 AED) in 2022 but its value has already increased by twenty-two per cent, making it worth $55,000 (202,014 AED) now.

Brie Larson in Gucci, 2016

In 2016 Brie Larson received an Oscar for Best Actress for the drama film Room. On the special night the blonde actress wore a long royal blue dress with a feathered and ruffled skirt which was being cinched in the waist thanks to a delicate silver belt. Being custom-made by Gucci for the special night explains why the gown has increased in value, from being worth $32,000 which translates into approximately 117,535 AED in 2016 to $40,000 – 146,919 AED – now.

Julianne Moore in Gucci, 2015

On the night Julianne More received her Oscar as best actress for portraying Dr Alice Howland in Still Alice, Gucci dressed her in a beautifully sequinned strapless creme-coloured gown with black applique flowers. The dress that was worth $80,000 (239,838 AED) in 2015 is now worth $92,000 (337,914 AED).

Natalie Portman in Rodarte, 2011

A truly outstanding performance was delivered by Natalie Portman in the ballet thriller Black Swan. No wonder she received the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2011, honouring her incredulous talent playing the part of paranoid dancer Nina. The actress was dressed by Rodarte in a purple silk and chiffon gown with an off-the-shoulder neckline. While the dress was worth $24,000 (approximately 88,151 AED) in 2011, its value has grown by twenty-five per cent, making it worth $30,000, therefore 110,189 AED today.

Marion Cotillard in Jean Paul Gaultier, 2008

Collecting her Best Actress Oscar for portraying the iconic French singer Édith Piaf in the biopic film La Vie En Rose in 2008, Marion was wearing a Jean Paul Gautier couture dress. The ivory gown ending in a mermaid skirt is adorned by intricate fish scale-like details. The gown’s worth went from $150,000 (550,947 AED) in 2008 to $180,000 (661,136 AED) in 2023.

Reese Witherspoon in Dior, 2006

On the night she won an Oscar as Best Actress for the biographical drama Walk the Line, in which she portrayed June Carter, Reese wore this silver vintage dress from Dior from 1955. The intricately beaded pattern is a classic representation of the Maison’s most defining moments in couture. While the gown was worth $12,000 (44,075 AED) in 2006, in 2023 its value has increased by around 212 per cent, making it worth $37,500 (137,736 AED). Louisa states that is not to underestimate that vintage gowns are after all a finite resource causing them to tremendously grow in value over the next years.

Charlize Theron in Gucci, 2004 

Charlize Theron looks like a vision as she was spotted receiving her Oscar as Best Actress for the mystery drama Monster. The prestigious house of Gucci dressed the actress in a creme gown with a V-neck, spaghetti straps as well as a slit in the front. Channelling the glamour of Hollywood in the 1950s, the gown was embellished with sparkling crystals. No wonder the dress stood the test of time and upped its worth from $120,000 (440,757 AED) to $180,000 (661,136 AED).

Nicole Kidman in Jean Paul Gaultier, 2003

When Nicole Kidman received her Best Actress Academy Award in 2003, Jean Paul Gaultier dressed her in an asymmetrical gown in midnight blue. The draped dress featured a one-shoulder moment and the fabric fell flattering onto her figure. A perfect elegant look for picking up Oscar for the period drama The Hours. The glamourous garment cost around $22,000 (80,805 AED) in 2003 and is now worth $25,000 (91,825 AED).

Julia Roberts in Valentino, 2001

A Valentino black gown out of velvet and satin with simple yet elegant white striped details. Julia Robert accepted her Best Actress award for the biographical legal drama Erin Brokovich in an elegant ensemble that redefined quiet luxury with its peekaboo panel in the top and the tulle fishtail train. The gown that was worth $95,000 (348,933 AED) in 2001 is now valued around $120,000 (440,757 AED)

Gwyneth Paltrow in Ralph Lauren, 1999

The best actress winner from 1999 wore one of the most iconic Oscar looks of the past decades. Gwyneth Paltrow was dressed by Ralph Lauren in a bubblegum pink gown with a voluminous skirt and a plunging v-neck. One single ensemble that inspired a generation of prom dresses and with a rise in desire for pink looks lately will most likely make its comeback soon. While the blonde actress won the award for the film Shakespeare in Love, we wish we could give her one for her ensemble right now for having us in love. In 1999 the dress was worth $120,000 (440,757 AED) and now, more than two decades later is worth $172,000 (631,752 AED)

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