Year after year, black remains one of the most popular colors on the Oscar red carpet. It's chic, classic and universally flattering. But the oversize black dress or should we say cape? that Vanessa Redgrave wore in 1978 was downright ugly, with its huge bell-sleeves and red trimming, which tied into too-cute bows at the shoulders.
TIME's Feifei Sun and Claire Suddath pick the most unforgettable dresses ever to appear at the Academy Awards