Archive Oscar's Best-Dressed Nominees! By People Staff Published on February 11, 2015 12:00 PM Share Tweet Pin Email REESE Witherspoon BEST ACTRESS NOMINEE FOR WILD “She’s very feminine,” says stylist Leslie Fremar of Witherspoon’s timeless and elegant choices. And don’t expect to see her in anything too revealing. The star, 38, “doesn’t do things that are overly sexy,” explains Fremar. “But she’s very confident—and that’s sexy.” “This dress was hand-beaded,” Fremar says of the custom Calvin Klein Collection design from the Golden Globes. Classic but not boring, her dresses often have unique touches, like the dramatic train on this custom Lanvin gown. “We keep it simple,” says Fremar, like with this custom Giorgio Armani at the SAG Awards. “Everything has modern, clean lines.” This Michael Kors dress “was so cute on her,” says Fremar. “There were pearls everywhere, but it still had structure.” Because of her southern roots, she gravitates toward color, says Fremar, so this Saint Laurent LBD was a bit of a departure. JULIANNE Moore BEST ACTRESS NOMINEE FOR STILL ALICE Moore, 54, was born with a stellar accessory: red hair. She also has an innate “edgy approach to dressing,” says her stylist Leslie Fremar. “It’s not something you can teach. You either have it or you don’t.” “It’s very rare that you get to wear a dress this beautiful and extreme,” Moore told PEOPLE of the custom emerald Givenchy Haute Couture gown she wore to the SAG Awards. Chanel Haute Couture can’t be casual, per se, but Fremar picked this one for the laid-back Toronto Film Festival because “it had a daytime feel.” Two of Moore’s signature details, “shimmer and fringe,” were present on this Tom Ford creation, which “fit her like a glove,”says Fremar. “This Chanel Haute Couture dress from Cannes was one of her favorites,” says Fremar. “She’s worn feathers many times, and she loves them.” “I’m very lucky to be wearing this gown,” Moore tells PEOPLE of her futuristic ombré custom Givenchy Haute Couture from the Golden Globes. MARION Cotillard BEST ACTRESS NOMINEE FOR TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT The French star, 39, styles herself, with a little help from Dior. (She’s a brand ambassador and the face of Lady Dior handbags.) But it’s her unexpected accessorizing (booties with couture?!) that always adds a soupçon of whimsy. “The feeling we have when we see [designer Raf Simons’s] work is nothing short of magic,” she said. Case in point: the 3D couture dress with illusion shoulder straps at the 2014 Met Gala. The scarlet hue on this Dior Haute Couture gown is attention-grabbing, but just as eye-catching is her modern, dark manicure. Asymmetrical layers and knife pleats? She makes an intricate dress look effortless with minimal jewelry and a retro ponytail. Dior’s spin on a trendy peplum is sleek, and Cotillard mimics the sharp angle of the dress with equally pointy booties in a poppy orange. This couture dress is a departure from the brand’s famed wasp-waist shapes, and her Chopard necklace acts as an upscale collar. EMMA Stone BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS NOMINEE FOR BIRDMAN Whenever she steps out, Stone, 26, puts a fresh spin on high-end designer looks. (No stuffy formalwear here!) But the fashion-forward star has said she’s “never thought about” her style-icon status. How humble! Yes, she wore a custom Lanvin jumpsuit to the Golden Globes, but she was able to pull it off. How? Lots of spunky confidence. It’s hard to stand out in a simple black dress, but Stone’s faux-leather rockstar-meets-royalty Lanvin look merits a serious double take. “The silver trim gave it a modern edge,” says Flannery of the pale pink Prada gown that Stone paired with an eye-catching ombré bob. Avoiding frou-frou fashion for the Met Gala, Stone chose a two-piece Thakoon her stylist Petra Flannery calls “a fresh look in a sea of ball gowns.” This forest green Valentino Haute Couture gown “was perfection with Emma’s red hair and complexion,” says Flannery of the Venice Film Festival look. KEIRA Knightley BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS NOMINEE FOR THE IMITATION GAME The pregnant 29-year-old has said it’s a “privilege” to play dress up in couture. “There are some ridiculous dresses out there. And where are you going to wear any of them other than on the red carpet?” Tiny metallic paillettes decorate the bodice of this powder blue Delpozo gown that she wore to the Critics’ Choice Awards. Sequins and a sheer skirt sound costumey, but this custom Michael van der Ham gown still looks ladylike. A branch embellishment extends off the shoulder of the Giambattista Valli dress she wore to take home a Hollywood Film Award for her role. Pretty in plum. At the SAG Awards, the actress artfully draped her growing bump in custom lace Erdem. This Valentino Couture gown was shown entirely sheer on the runway. Knightley’s demure version of the dress is lined. FELICITY Jones BEST ACTRESS NOMINEE FOR THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING “Felicity is inherently feminine,” says Jones’s stylist Karla Welch. In keeping with the 31-year-old’s classic beauty, they stick with refined pieces, clean lines and tasteful coverage. “She’s more modest.” Choosing her blush Balenciaga gown—with its statement-making neckline—for the SAG Awards was a “straightforward decision,” says Jones. “I just put it on and thought this is the one.” “It’s all about architecture with Dior,” says Welch of the custom Dior Haute Couture Jones wore to the Golden Globes. The peach hue and contrasting dark, sequined belt on Jones’s Balenciaga elevate the gown’s simple column shape. She says, “I love simplicity and tailoring.” This quilted Dior Haute Couture was Jones’s favorite dress of the season so far. “I just felt like a princess in it,” she says. How does the ladylike star style a futuristic, minimalist Prada? With both pretty and edgy accessories (that ear cuff!) and a sideswept do. ROSAMUND Pike BEST ACTRESS NOMINEE FOR GONE GIRL Pike, 36, loves low-key red carpet prep. “I want to change the rules,” she’s said. “Find a few dresses I really like and wear them again and again.” Until then, a monochromatic palette is a streamlined solution for the chic new mom, who gave birth to her second son in December. Pike wore this custom Vera Wang to the Golden Globes just five weeks after giving birth. “[Wang] said, ‘Just leave it to me.'” A lacy, sheer skirt is a flirty and sleek alternative to a mini—making this Edun dress (with a utilitarian rope belt) look ultramodern. She didn’t sacrifice style while pregnant: Pike paired this funnel-neck cape-dress by Co with 4¼-in. Prada heels! Pike snapped up this Valentino Haute Couture—first shown on the runway in December—for January’s Critics’ Choice Awards. A floral jacquard Alexander McQueen mini was the first look she stepped out in post-baby. Short hemline? No problem! Last Year’s STYLE STARS 2014’S OSCAR CONTENDERS SWITCHED UP—AND TONED DOWN—THEIR LOOKS SINCE STEPPING SLIGHTLY OUT OF THE SPOTLIGHT THEN NOW JENNIFER LAWRENCE She’s a face of the brand, so the American Hustle nominee’s structured scarlet Dior Haute Couture was a no-brainer. But recently she eschewed classic glamour for glitzy goddess in the drapy Prada she wore to this year’s Producers Guild Awards. THEN NOW LUPITA NYONG’O The 12 Years a Slave winner sported a sleek turquoise Gucci to the 2014 SAGs (left). At the 2015 Globes, her Giambattista Valli Haute Couture was still floral but totally flowy. “Now the pressure’s off!” she said on the red carpet. THEN NOW CATE BLANCHETT She won Best Actress for Blue Jasmine in an ethereal Armani Privé (left) but in October, she went with a Giambattista Valli Couture ensemble. Still feminine, still fashion-forward, but an open-neck white button down? Much more relaxed.