Sydney Sweeney Nods to Marilyn Monroe While Wearing Angelina Jolie's 2004 Oscars Gown

Sydney Sweeney wears Angelina Jolie's 2004 Oscars dress

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 11 March 2024

Sydney Sweeney recreated an archival look from one of her It-Girl predecessors at the Vanity Fair Oscars party last night. The Euphoria actress wore a silky, ivory Marc Bouwer gown with a plunging halter neckline, exactly two decades after Angelina Jolie wore the exact same dress.

Sweeney and her stylist, Molly Dickinson, leaned into the reference by layering diamond necklaces, custom-made by Messika, similar to Jolie's jewelry in 2004. The actress even held her matching sash in the exact same position as the '90s icon, loosely wrapped around her wrists and draped behind her curves.

Sydney Sweeney at the 2024 Oscars — Sydney Sweeney arrived at the *Vanity Fair* Oscars party wrapped in her white bombshell gown.

The elegant backless number is true to Sweeney's brand of classic feminine silhouettes, with an added level of sophistication.

Dickinson thanked Bouwer and brand president Paul Margolin for the loan via Instagram, writing, "Thank you so much Marc + @paulmargolin for letting us into your archives for this special moment."

Angelina Jolie at the 2004 Oscars — Angelina Jolie first wore the white gown to the 2004 Academy Awards, with a similar stack of diamond necklaces.

Sydney Sweeney occupies a place in the culture comparable to the space once held by Jolie, so it makes sense that she and Dickinson would decide to reimagine one of the movie star's vintage looks.

And on Sweeney, the outfit recalls another American icon, the founder of Jolie and Sweeney's bombshell category—Marilyn Monroe. Adding to the Monroe effect created by the low-cut white gown was Sweeney's new hairstyle, a romantic bob.

Earlier on the official Oscars red carpet, Jennifer Lawrence exuded a different kind of Old Hollywood, wearing a strapless black-and-white polka-dot gown from Christian Dior Haute Couture’s Spring 2024 collection, paired with a matching wrap, a Swarovski diamond necklace, and a coordinating tennis bracelet. Lawrence later arrived at the after-party in an archival Givenchy dress from the autumn/winter 1996 collection by John Galliano.

Other vintage getups from the night include Margot Robbie's '90s Mugler corset at the after-party, and Carey Mulligan's red carpet recreation of a Balenciaga design from 1951.

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Julia Gray is a contributing fashion writer at Marie Claire, where she covers runway trends, celebrity style, and shopping. In her six years as a journalist, Julia’s reporting has ranged across style, music, Internet culture, art, retail, tech, and more. In addition to Marie Claire, Julia writes for outlets like the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the Ringer, New York Magazine, Pitchfork, Nylon, and Vice, among others. Julia's fashion reporting is led by curiosity. Julia is not only interested in critiquing and covering pop culture, but in understanding what our pop culture says about how we live and modern values. When she’s not writing, Julia hosts a podcast called Girls Room, where she and her co-host revisit shows like Girls and Gossip Girl from the beginning with guests like comedian Cat Cohen and writer Hunter Harris. Girls Room was recently cited in the New York Times.

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