Rita Moreno appeared on the red carpet of the 90th Academy Awards wearing a familiar gown. The “One Day at a Time” star sported a dress she’s had in her closet for over five decades. It was the same dress she donned in 1962 when she won the Oscar for her supporting role as Anita in the musical “West Side Story.”
Rebecca Keegan of Vanity Fair was the first to report Moreno’s choice of attire a few days before the event. At the Oscars rehearsals, the 86-year-old’s daughter, Fernanda Luisa Fisher, divulged her mother’s plans to re-wear the gown.
Moreno told Ryan Seacrest on the red carpet that she went to the 1962 Academy Awards not thinking she would win. ” I thought for sure it was going to be Judy Garland for ‘Judgment at Nuremberg,’” she told Seacrest.
Moreno’s acceptance speech that evening was about 15 seconds long. “I can’t believe it! Good Lord – I leave you with that,” she said when accepting the award 56 years ago. Moreno was the first Hispanic woman to win an Oscar for best actress in a supporting role.
Moreno also told Seacrest she didn’t think she would ever be able to wear the dress again. She was sure the gown wouldn’t hold up after so long due to the delicate nature of its material.
“The fabric is made out of obi, which is the sash that Japanese women use on their kimonos,” she told Seacrest. “They’re usually folded over and over and over, this is one piece of fabric. I would think it would tarnish.”
Moreno’s vintage look wasn’t exactly how she wore it in 1962. She changed the black bodice from high neckline to strapless. Moreno used the extra fabric to make a headband, which she paired with long black gloves and a chunky gold necklace.
Moreno’s choice of fashion received positive reactions on Twitter.
That’s our @TheRitaMoreno
I can’t even fit into the dress I wore home from the hospital after my first kid!! https://t.co/dEGaXmUQnI
— Gloria Calderón Kellett (@everythingloria) March 4, 2018
Yasssss Rita!! Opening pose. Vintage gown. Comedy. Beauty. Heart. Yall wanna throw around the title legend. THIS IS A LEGEND. #RitaMoreno #Oscars
— Shangela (@itsSHANGELA) March 4, 2018
ICONIC. #Oscars
https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a19077933/rita-moreno-wore-1962-oscars-dress-2018-oscars/
— ELLE Magazine (US) (@ELLEmagazine) March 4, 2018
Moreno is one of 12 stars to hold the EGOT designation, having won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony.