A New Oscars Analysis Says This Dress Color Wins the Most Academy Awards

Ahead of the 98th Academy Awards on March 15, a new look at past winners found one shade shows up far more often than the rest.

The Oscars are this Sunday, March 15, and as always, a lot of attention will go to the dresses before a single envelope is opened. With nominees including Jessie Buckley and Emma Stone in Best Actress, plus Teyana Taylor in Best Supporting Actress, red carpet speculation is already underway.

A new analysis from Playfame adds one more question to the mix: is there such a thing as a lucky Oscars dress color?

Lady Gaga, Andrew Wyatt, Anthony Rossomando and Mark Ronson at the 91st Annual Academy Awards - Press Room held at the Hollywood and Highland in Los Angeles, USA on February 24, 2019. — Lady Gaga, Andrew Wyatt, Anthony Rossomando and Mark Ronson at the 91st Annual Academy Awards – Press Room held at the Hollywood and Highland in Los Angeles, USA on February 24, 2019.

Black Came Out on Top

According to the analysis, yes, and black is the clear frontrunner. Playfame looked at Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress winners from 1980 through 2025 and tracked the colors they wore the night they won.

Black came out on top with 22 winning looks, accounting for 24% of the total sample.

Honestly, that result makes sense. Black on the Oscars red carpet almost always looks polished, expensive, and timeless. Trends change, but a sleek black gown usually ages well in photos people will still be talking about years later.

Regina King at the 91st Annual Academy Awards - Press Room held at the Loews Hotel in Hollywood, USA on February 24, 2019. — Regina King at the 91st Annual Academy Awards – Press Room held at the Loews Hotel in Hollywood, USA on February 24, 2019.

White and Blue Weren’t Far Behind

White ranked second, with 13 wins, or 14% of the total. Blue followed with 11 wins, while green and gold tied after that with seven each.

Some of the black gowns included in the study are still easy to picture: Julia Roberts’ vintage Valentino, Nicole Kidman’s Jean Paul Gaultier, and Jessica Lange’s Calvin Klein dress all still feel very Oscars.

White has had its own standout moments too. Michelle Yeoh wore a white Dior gown when she won in 2023, and Marion Cotillard’s Jean Paul Gaultier dress is still one of those red carpet looks people remember.

Some Colors Barely Showed Up at All

On the other end of the spectrum, grey was one of the least common winning colors in the dataset, with just one win since 1980.

Playfame also flagged mixed shades like gold-and-black and purple-and-black among the least successful combinations. That does not mean those colors are cursed, obviously, but they have not exactly been the dominant winning look.

Olivia Colman at the 91st Annual Academy Awards - Press Room held at the Loews Hotel in Hollywood, USA on February 24, 2019. — Olivia Colman at the 91st Annual Academy Awards – Press Room held at the Loews Hotel in Hollywood, USA on February 24, 2019.

This Is More Fun Trivia Than Serious Prediction

To be fair, this is very much one of those awards-season studies that works best as a conversation starter. Nobody is winning an Oscar because they chose the “right” gown color.

Still, it is a fun bit of red carpet trivia ahead of the ceremony. And if nothing else, it reinforces something Hollywood has known for a long time: when in doubt, black usually works.

And if this has you in the mood to overanalyze celebrity style choices, it’s also worth revisiting the best red carpet looks from last year’s Golden Globes and the female fashion icons still shaping what people wear now.