Lifestyle Style Rita Moreno Recycles Her 1962 Oscars Dress 56 Years Later for the 2018 Academy Awards The actress brought back the vintage design for the 2018 Academy Awards By Brittany Talarico Brittany Talarico Brittany Talarico is PEOPLE's Deputy Style Director, where she oversees the brand's digital Style and Beauty coverage. This includes running lead on the Met Gala, which is among PEOPLE.com's top-trafficked red carpet events every year, interviewing the industry's top influencers (including all the Kardashian-Jenners), and breaking A-list celeb news (a New Jersey shore native, it is no surprise that her favorite interview ever was with Bruce Springsteen). Brittany is a style contributor to People Every Day Podcast and has represented the brand on national TV programs including Good Morning America and The CW's two TV specials on the British Royals. She joined PEOPLE from Cosmopolitan in 2013, where she was an Associate Editor. People Editorial Guidelines Published on March 4, 2018 06:43 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Rita Moreno turned to her own closet when it came time to finding a dress for the 2018 Academy Awards. The star, who celebrated her 86th birthday in December, recycled the dress 56 years after she wore it to the 1962 Oscars, where she won Best Supporting Actress for her role as Anita in West Side Story. And this time she made one major modification to the neckline turning it into a strapless design with back velvet gloves. “This is a 56-year-old gown that I wore when I won my Oscar in 1962. This is the dress. It’s been hanging in my closet and I go and stroke it now and then. I just love — it was an amazing night,” she told People TV. “They didn’t have a red carpet then, it was so different.” Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/Shutterstock Bettmann/Getty; VALERIE MACON/AFP/Getty The actress revealed on the red carpet that she didn’t expect to win for her role in West Side Story that year. “I thought Judy Garland would,” she said, adding that she wishes she included more in her quick acceptance speech. “I would like to add about 40 different things. Mostly I wish I had accepted on behalf of my people that would have been so wonderful, but I swear it was so unexpected.” Be sure to check out PEOPLE’s full Academy Awards coverage to get the latest news on Hollywood’s big night. United Artists Bettmann/Getty; VALERIE MACON/AFP/Getty So what’s the secret to Moreno’s youthful age-defying attitude and youthfulness? Mind tricks. “I write with my left hand even though I’m right-handed, I walk backwards in a very safe place — anything that engages your brain,” she told PEOPLE in 2017. “I’m so damn lucky to still be here at 85. If I get a hangnail, I don’t dare complain! Life is good. I wake up humming.” Oscars 2018 Nominations: Get Out and Lady Bird Score Big RELATED VIDEO: Rita Moreno Recycles Her 1962 Oscars Dress 56 Years Later for the 2018 Academy Awards She also follows a very simple skincare routine that has worked for her her entire career. “People don’t like to hear what I have to say, [but] it’s bare minimum,” she revealed. “I don’t do anything except keep my skin clean [with Cetaphil skin cleanser] and moisturized [with Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Moisturizer SPF 30] and they want to smack me. They say ‘It’s not fair!’ I really sympathize with them, but I don’t have any problems with my skin.” The 90th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be broadcast live on the ABC Television Network at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.