#16. Revisiting Meryl Streep's Iconic Oscar Moment in Pauline Trigère

Meryl Streep in Pauline Trigère

At the Academy Awards on April 14, 1980, Meryl Streep donned a stunning Pauline Trigère outfit as she accepted her Oscar for Kramer Vs Kramer. The ensemble featured a strapless ivory faille evening gown paired with a matching jacket, embellished with colorful rectangular crystals on the front bodice. These same geometric crystals doubled as buttons for the jacket.

While searching through hundreds of photographs, I discovered another picture of Meryl wearing the same outfit before the Oscars. She had worn this attire when she met Queen Elizabeth at the London premiere of Kramer vs. Kramer on March 18, 1980.

Meryl Streep in Pauline Trigère meeting Queen Elizabeth

Devon O'Brien, who is an author, actor, and model, remembered seeing this outfit hanging in Trigère's studio. It was shortly after Meryl Streep won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Devon vividly described her initial encounter with Pauline in a beautifully crafted article for Vogue titled "Runaway Model", the full article can be found [here]. I will soon share a separate blog post featuring Devon's interview, where she shared personal stories about her relationship with Pauline during her time at the Trigere Atelier and beyond.

One year after I first wrote about Meryl's Oscar ensemble, I came across the same dress and jacket set at the Kent State University Museum archive. Upon spotting the outfit, I instantly recognized the dress and was delightfully surprised. Although the museum staff do not have further information besides the dress' tag revealed it was donated by "Martha's" boutique. Could this be the very dress Meryl wore to the Academy Awards? As per Devon O'Brian's article from Vogue, we are aware that the dress was sent back to the Trigere showroom. What are your thoughts? Do you think this is THE dress Meryl wore to the Oscars?