This all-American actress picked all-American designer Ralph Lauren to dress her for the 1999 Academy Awards, where she took home the Best Actress statue for her performance in Shakespeare in Love. The bubblegum-pink princess gown got mixed reviews from critics, but Paltrow's dress struck the perfect tone for her fairy-tale evening and inspired racks full of pink dresses in stores across the country that year.
TIME's Feifei Sun and Claire Suddath pick the most unforgettable dresses ever to appear at the Academy Awards