Great Outfits in Fashion History: Vanessa Williams in Versace at the 1996 Oscars

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.

Vanessa Williams conquered the Broadway stage, won over the television world as the fashionably frightening Wilhelmina Slater in “Ugly Betty” and became the first Black woman to win the Miss America title in 1984. How’s that for iconic? Add performing “Colors of the Wind” from “Pocahontas” at the 1996 Academy Awards to the list — in a gorgeous cocoa brown Versace gown, complete with a dazzling sheer lace design lining the sides, while you’re at it. 

This dress was first modeled by Claudia Schiffer on Versace’s Fall 1996 runway. It appeared to be slightly more sheer on the catwalk. (Ever the trendsetter, Gianni Versace championed the sheer trend years before it became a mainstay in fashion.)

Williams let the breathtaking gown shine all on its own by not adding any jewelry and only carrying a matching brown clutch and a sheer shawl. Her quintessentially ’90s choppy mid-length hairstyle — complete with the decade’s beloved side part — beautifully complements the plunging neckline. Plus, Williams’ makeup is perfection: a dramatic smokey eye paired with a rich brown lipstick that looks like it was made exclusively for her.

We’ve compiled a list of dresses that’ll give you a slice of this sparkling cocoa brown fantasy, below. 

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