Much as many designers might like to downplay the importance of dressing a major Hollywood star for the Oscars, there's no denying it can mean big business for a brand with everyone seemingly more interested in what the stars are wearing than what they're winning these days.
The 2012 Oscars, then, could be described as the crowning glory for lovable designer Alber Elbaz, who was preparing to celebrate a decade in the driving seat at French luxury label Lanvin when both Meryl Streep and Jean Dujardin turned up to collect their best actor awards wearing his designs.With Dujardin a long time fan of the label - and with men being somewhat more straightforward to attire for such occasions - his patronage was pretty much a foregone conclusion.
But Elbaz has told Women's Wear Daily that Streep's golden gown - which was created to order from eco-certified fabric made from recycled plastic bottles as part of Livia Firth's Green Carpet Challenge- was more of a gamble for the designer who had never even met his muse.
"The seamstress that made the dress worked for three days and three nights on the dress, and after she finished, she was sick for three days," he recalls. "And you know, with the Oscars, you do the dress and you never know if they will wear it. I wanted so much for [Streep] to wear it, just for this woman that didn't go to sleep for three days, and just put so much love into the dress."
The striking result, which divided fashionable opinion, is subsequently set to become one of the most memorable Oscar gowns of all time, ensuring name checks for both Lanvin and Elbaz every year when award season heats up. A labour of love, yes, but also a gift that keeps on giving.