As the first leg of her Paris residency at La Défense Arena nears its curtain call, Celine Dion pulled a fashion callback straight out of Oscars history: a custom Chanel gown inspired by the Karl Lagerfeld design she wore to the 1997 Academy Awards.
The look
Dion debuted the dress on Wednesday, October 14, at her third-to-last show of the five-week run. It was a shimmering mix of silver and deep blue, with a corseted bodice, dramatically structured hips and a thigh-high slit.
The design came from Matthieu Blazy, Chanel’s current creative director, and the fashion house was eager to share how it was made. “The look was entirely handmade by the ateliers at 31 Rue Cambon in Paris, with a special embroidery by Atelier Montex, a Maison d’art resident at le19M,” Chanel wrote on Instagram.
The numbers show how much work went into it. According to Vogue, the gown took more than 1,380 hours to make and is covered in 6,000 jewels and 5,000 beads. The outlet broke down its construction as “an embroidered muslin, which encased a padded and corseted toile bustier. The neckline was detailed in raffia, and the whole piece was finished with glass crystal rhinestones, seed beads, and glass beads.”
The accessory with its own history
Dion also wore a silver shooting-star necklace that echoed the one she wore at the 1997 ceremony. The original was a real showpiece: platinum and 18-karat white gold set with 1,080 diamonds weighing more than 67 carats in total.
Dion on the throwback
The singer was clearly moved by revisiting the look. “Thirty years ago at the Oscars, I wore a Chanel Couture dress… This isn’t the exact same dress, but it’s a new interpretation of that original look I wore on the red carpet. Wearing this version now, brings me right back,” she wrote on her own Instagram.
The 1997 Oscars were memorable for more than the outfit. That night, the Canadian superstar became the first artist to perform twice at a single Oscars ceremony. She sang her own “Because You Loved Me” and also covered Barbra Streisand’s “I Finally Found Someone.”
It’s Dion’s first major series of concerts since she revealed her stiff-person syndrome diagnosis in December 2022. She returned to performing at the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony, singing from the base of the Eiffel Tower. A few months later, she performed at Elie Saab’s 1001 Seasons fashion show in Riyadh.
Now she has a residency, a 1,380-hour gown and a diamond necklace that tie her career back to that 1997 night.