Elie Saab created Halle Berry’s embroidered sheer gown for the 2002 Academy Awards.
Berry wore the burgundy and nude illusion-panel gown when she won Best Actress for Monster’s Ball. The dress combined a richly embroidered skirt with a translucent bodice and became one of the ceremony’s most remembered red-carpet looks.
The appearance marked a major international breakthrough for Lebanese designer Elie Saab. Before the Oscars, he was already established in couture, but global attention from Berry’s win greatly expanded his visibility among Hollywood clients and fashion audiences.
People sometimes identify the dress only by its color or describe it as a “nude gown.” Its precise attribution is Elie Saab, and the event was the 74th Academy Awards, held in Los Angeles in March 2002.