Of primary interest to Academy Award viewers every year are the couture stylings of the Hollywood elite. Indeed, fashion has become a show all itself on Oscar Night. On March 26, for the second consecutive year, ABC will air a red carpet preview special preceding the Academy Awards telecast. Last year, former statue winner Geena Davis, outfitted in multiple gowns during the evening, interviewed several well dressed celebs including the eventual Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner James Coburn.

Over the years there have been countless fashion statements made by stars and nominees as they wind their way down the red carpet. These opportunities to express oneself are often more memorable than the actual awards given out that night. While it may be difficult to remember who won the Best Actress Oscar for 1987, Cher's sequin-studded Bob Mackie head dress will be etched into the collective consciousness forever. Perhaps the attention getting outfit worked; Academy voters did not forget her next year when they awarded Cher the Best Actress Oscar for the romantic comedy Moonstruck.

Another recent outrageous fashion statement came at the 67th Academy Awards ceremony. Nominee Lizzy Gardiner was up for a Best Costume Design Oscar for her wild creations for the Aussie romp, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. For her own gown that evening, Gardiner assembled a dazzling dress made almost entirely out of gold American Express charge cards. After she and fellow Priscilla designer, Tim Chappel, took the stage to accept their Academy Award, her outfit became a running gag for host David Letterman the rest of the evening.

The Academy Awards may have been created in 1928 to recognize excellence in filmmaking, but they have always been a focal point of the fashion world. Of the one billion people worldwide who tune in to watch the show each year, not all care who wins or loses. They watch not because of the films, not because of the speeches...

They watch simply to see what everybody wore.