Halle Berry surprises fans by re-wearing her iconic 2002 Oscars dress

This week, Halle Berry surprised fans with a significant twist. While attending Elie Saab’s “1001 Seasons” event in Saudi ArabiaBerry hit the runway in Saab’s iconic sheer, embroidered scarlet gown that she wore to the 2002 Academy Awards, where she was the primary black woman to win Best Actress.

Looking just as stunning within the dress 22 years later, the actress commemorated the moment on Instagram.

“There are moments in life that just happen and change our lives forever! “Winning the Oscar in my @eliesaabworld gown was one of those moments for me,” Berry captioned the post. “Thank you, Mr. Saab, for being part of the tapestry of my life, as we have been inextricably linked for 22 years now! It was my honor to celebrate you and your 1001 seasons. I wish you many more wonderful years of joy, creativity and sparkle!”

In 2002, Berry appeared on the Oscars in a Saab gown and a particular fairy cut. Fast forward twenty years and the one difference between then and now’s the elegant knot at the highest of the star.

The actress was then nominated for best actress for her role within the 2001 film “Monster’s Ball.” In addition to earning her first Oscar nomination and win, Berry admitted that it was a historic moment for Black Hollywood.

“This moment is so much more important than me,” she said during her acceptance speech. “This moment is for Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne and Diahann Carroll. This is for the women who stand next to me; Jada Pinkett, Angela Bassett and (and) Vivica Fox. And it’s for every nameless, faceless woman of color who now has a chance because that door opened tonight.”

In 2023, Elie Saab’s dress was exhibited on the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles as a bit of Hollywood history. Sharing photos of the dress within the museum, Berry explained the impact of its placement.

“Not only this historic @eliesaabworld dress will remain under the professional care of the museum’s curators and conservators,” she wrote on Instagram. “But it will also be accessible to generations of people for whom the dress also matters, and it will forever be a reminder that anything is possible.”