American Express Gold Card dress
| Industry | Fashion / Costume design |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1994 |
| Founder | Lizzy Gardiner |
| Products | Dress made of 254 expired American Express Gold cards |
Australian costume designer Lizzy Gardiner appeared at the 67th Academy Awards on 27 March 1995 wearing a dress composed of 254 genuine, though expired, American Express Gold cards. She received the Oscar for Best Costume Design for her work on the 1994 film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
Background and history
Originally, the dress was crafted for use in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, alongside other daring costumes such as one constructed from pink flip flops. However, American Express did not permit the garment's inclusion in the movie. Reflecting on her choice to wear the dress to the Oscars, Gardiner explained, "I was broke and had nothing suitable to wear. So I revisited some of my previous creative ideas." In March 1999, the dress was auctioned for $12,650, with all proceeds donated to AmfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. The costume designs for Priscilla were heavily influenced by Sydney's vibrant drag queen scene during the 1990s.
Design
The ensemble incorporated 254 expired American Express gold cards and was tailored with a split reaching down to the waist. The base garment was constructed entirely from cards except for narrow gold straps at the shoulders. Additionally, a gold shawl accented with cards along its borders complemented the outfit. Gardiner paired the look with gold platform shoes to complete the presentation.
Reception
Cosmopolitan listed the dress among the worst Oscar outfits ever worn, commenting, "A gown fashioned from American Express Gold cards. The clear takeaway: avoid designing your own red carpet attire."
Similarly, Time included it in their worst Oscar dresses compilation, describing the use of American Express gold cards as "tasteless" and questioning its functionality.
Conversely, Variety praised Gardiner’s creation as "ingenious" in its Complete Book of Oscar Fashion.
Acknowledging its marketing potential, American Express reportedly aimed to exhibit the dress within their US travel office locations.
Currently, this unique costume is preserved in the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria.
Following Gardiner’s innovative design, other fashion creators have developed credit card-inspired garments. In 2015, designer Alexander Wang produced a dress made from 500 American Express cards worn by model Anna Ewers at the Council of Fashion Designers of America Awards. Later in 2017, the fashion collective Vaquera unveiled a credit card-themed dress featuring their brand name styled after the iconic Hollywood Sign.