Fashion Flashback: Céline Dion’s Iconic Oscars Look Resurfaces as a Trendsetter

Picture this: It’s the 1999 Oscars, and Céline Dion is causing a stir on the red carpet. Performing during the ceremony later that night, the French-Canadian singer hit the step and repeat ahead of the ceremony in a white John Galliano tuxedo that landed her on many international worst-dressed lists.

Why? Because she seemingly wore the suit backwards—not to mention she rebuked the traditional glitzy gowns that many other stars wore to the Academy Awards. “When I wore that, everyone was wearing dresses, not pants,” Dion told People of the now-infamous look. “I was the only one with pants in a backward suit from Galliano, and if I would do this today, it would work. It was avant-garde at the time.”

More than two decades later, Dion’s risky Oscars ensemble still remains a favorite. Dion was simply ahead of her time! It so happens that backwards looks—where the fronts and backs of a garment are deliberately switched up—are now a trend. Labels such as Zara, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, and Maison Margiela have all dabbled in surrealism, turning clothes back-to-front.

There’s something interestingly jarring about the play on shape—it makes a classic piece, like a trench or denim skirt, look both familiar yet strange. Isn’t that what great fashion is supposed to do? Make you do a double take?

Today, red carpet style has certainly loosened up, and A-listers such as Rihanna and Zendaya are now regularly rocking blazers and trousers on the step and repeat. But Dion gets props for doing it during an era when this was certainly not the norm. And even better yet, she fully committed to the bit—accessorizing her slouchy suit with a little white fedora.

Her playful and fearless approach to dressing was utterly refreshing. In 2024, red carpet looks are all strategically planned, as stars hire stylists and ink various brand deals. But Dion’s unexpected ensemble reflects a time in Hollywood where dressing up was entirely organic and, at times, even unhinged. We need more of that energy at the Oscars this coming weekend.