Christopher Nolan won big for Oppenheimer at the Oscars 2024 Sunday night, but one fashion moment had us thinking about another of his films, Inception. Sydney Sweeney turned heads with her arrival at the 2024 Vanity Fair Oscar Party wearing a dress that looked very familiar—for good reason, as it was Angelina Jolie’s iconic 2004 Oscars gown, an homage to Marilyn Monroe’s The Seven-Year Itch dress. You know the one, with the subway grate.
Sweeney, whose star is on the rise for her work in TV’s Euphoria, The White Lotus, and other roles, wore the archival Marc Bouwer gown that Jolie sported two decades ago, complete with plunging neckline, open back, dramatic train, and coordinating shawl in flowy cream satin, all elegantly draped for maximum impact. According to an Instagram post from Sweeney’s stylist, Molly Dickson, the look was topped off with Messika jewels.
In her own post, Sweeney gushed about the chance to raid the archives to revive the look at the legendary celebration.
“thank you @marcbouwer for pulling this iconic dress out of the vault for me, it was an honor to wear a piece of history,” she wrote in the caption of a carousel of photos of herself wearing the dress.
Photographer Mark Seliger took Sweeney’s portrait in his studio at the Vanity Fair after party.
Two decades ago at the 2004 Oscars, Jolie wore the frock to present the award for best art direction. The look, which Jolie also chose to pair with layered diamond jewelry, became an instant red carpet classic.
For even more stars, stories, and fashion from the Oscars 2024, take in our gallery of all the looks from the night’s red carpet, and the best-dressed stars of the Oscars 2024.