Great Outfits in Fashion History: Beyoncé's Versace Moment at the 2005 Oscars

Last Updated: 15 March 2022

Beyonce Knowles arrives at the 77th Annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theater on February 27, 2005 in Hollywood, California.

Photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images

There are perfectly good celebrity style moments, and then there are the looks that really stick with you, the ones you try desperately to recreate at home. In 'Great Outfits in Fashion History,' Fashionista editors are revisiting their all-time favorite lewks.

When she accepted the title of Fashion Icon at the 2016 CFDA Awards, Beyoncé spoke about how fashion had always been a part of her life (and how her mother and grandmother were instrumental in teaching her this). From the beginning of her career, she's been very intentional with her sartorial choices, as she is with all of her output. That means you can pick out all-time fan-favorite looks from pretty much any era of her career. One of her most-cited, most beloved looks of all time, for example, is from 2005 — not long after the final Destiny's Child album was released, but before the group would disband — when she walked the Oscars red carpet in a black strapless Atelier Versace gown. This wasn't simply a good look: It was a moment.

That night, Beyoncé would perform three of the nominated songs live onstage (the first time it was ever done!); but first, she arrived with then-boyfriend Jay Z and posed in a plush velvet dress featuring a sweetheart neckline, a corseted waist and a short train, creating a stunning silhouette. She amped up the glamour with dangling diamond chandelier earrings and a matching bracelet.

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