Like Penelope Cruz in 2009, in vintage Pierre Balmain haute couture with a best supporting actress statuette for Vicky Cristina Barcelona, a quarter of the past decade's winners wore white — but so did many nonwinning nominees.
Lupita Nyong'o wowed the crowd in Prada and took home the best supporting actress statuette in 2014 for 12 Years a Slave. Nominees are most likely to wear blue (20 of 98 have chosen it), and its wins are proportional.
Meryl Streep took the 2012 best actress honors for The Iron Lady in gold Lanvin. While the total number of winners in gold trails the ones who wore white, percentagewise gold takes the lead: Fully half of nominees who wore it became winners.
The past five years has seen a surge of red and pink, as seen on Anne Hathaway, who wore pink for her best supporting actress Les Miserables win in 2013.
In the first half of the past decade, it was all about black — as seen on Rachel Weisz in 2006, when she won best supporting actress for The Constant Gardner. But in recent years, black has fallen by the wayside. No Oscar nominee has worn it since 2011.
The color wasn't the most memorable thing about 2011 best actress winner (for Black Swan) Natalie Portman's Rodarte gown, given the significant baby bump underneath it.
Nude tones have been rare among Oscar nominees, but Cate Blanchett's embellished Armani Prive gown in 2014 (she won best actress for Blue Jasmine) was a standout.
Silver isn't as popular as gold among winners, though vintage Dior scored for 2006 best actress (Walk the Line) Reese Witherspoon.
Brown recently has been absent on Oscar night. Dreamgirls' best supporting actress winner Jennifer Hudson wore Oscar de la Renta for her 2007 win.