Best Actress nominee Cynthia Erivo arrived at the 97th Academy Awards wearing a stunning gown that put her at the top of best-dressed lists. As the ceremony started and the Wicked superstar performed along with costar Ariana Grande, she wore a fabulous white gown with flowers that came with a pretty iconic reference in cinema history.
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The 2024 Out100 Icon of the Year collaborated with stylist Jason Bolden for this look, which she wore while performing "Home" (from The Wiz) and, subsequently, "Defying Gravity" (from Wicked). Overall, the gown paid homage to Hattie McDaniel — the first-ever Black woman to win an Oscar for her acting performance in a film.
"Tonight is for Hattie McDaniel," Bolden wrote in an Instagram story. "Hope this dress Makes You Proud! Love, Jason & Cynthia."
Jason Bolden via Instagram story.
Instagram (@jasonbolden)
McDaniel won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress after playing Mammy in 1939's Gone with the Wind.
Erivo's performance as Elphaba in the 2024 musical film Wicked landed her a nomination for Best Actress. Notably, only two non-white actresses have won in the Best Actress category in the history of the Oscars.
Yes, you read that right: only two non-white women have won the Oscar for Best Actress in the history of the ceremony held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
In 2001, Halle Berry won the award for playing Leticia Musgrove in Monster's Ball — making cinema history. The only other non-white winner for Best Actress was Michelle Yeoh as Evelyn Quan Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once — in 2022.
Over the course of "Hollywood's Biggest Night," Bolden continued to share fun facts and details about this particular gown.
For instance, Bolden shared an Instagram story with a video of the outfit being worn on the runway. "Vivienne Westwood S/S 1997 closing look: 'Love is Blind,' symbolizing the idea of being blinded by love," he wrote. "A tulle bow tied the model's hands behind her back while a satin blindfold obstructed her vision."
Jason Bolden via Instagram story.
Instagram (@jasonbolden)
Bolden then re-posted a picture from John Mumblo (@johnmumblo) that showed Erivo and the back of her dress as the actress waited for Grande to conclude her performance of "Over the Rainbow," which is commonly referred to as "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."
Erivo followed up Grande with a performance of "Home" from The Wiz musical. Subsequently, Erivo and Grande had a duet of the Wicked anthem "Defying Gravity."
Jason Bolden via Instagram story.
Instagram (@jasonbolden/johnmumblo)
The stylist also re-shared a post from fashion publication S Magazine that drew this connection between Erivo's 2025 Oscars gown and Vivienne Westwood's Spring/Summer 1997 collection dubbed as "Love is Blind."
Jason Bolden via Instagram story.
Instagram (@jasonbolden)
This magical night for the Wicked cast, crew, and fans feels like an official bookend for the press cycle and awards campaign of the first musical film directed by Jon M. Chu and starring Jonathan Bailey, Marissa Bode, Michelle Yeoh, Bowen Yang, Jeff Goldblum, and Ethan Slater.
Later this year, the star-studded cast will do it all over again for the sequel Wicked: For Good.
The 97th Academy Awards ceremony is airing on ABC and Hulu.
