Although it may have been last minute, Rachel Zegler stunned in a black dress at the 94th annual Academy Awards on Sunday.
Zegler was not originally invited to the awards ceremony, despite playing the lead role of Maria in the Steven Spielberg film West Side Story – which was up for seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture.
However, shortly after an internet uproar regarding the situation, The Academy invited the actress to present the award for Achievement in Visual Effects alongside Euphoria star Jacob Elordi.
Rachel Zegler wore a black, sequined Dior dress to the Oscars
Despite having less time than other celebrities to prepare for the big night, Zegler rocked the red carpet in an all-black Dior Couture gown.
The front of the dress featured a fully beaded, sheer design with a scoop neck, while the back of the elegant gown included a simple, braided detail down the center.
The chic dress was by Italian fashion designer Maria Grazia Chiuri.
The star also paired the dress with gold and silver Tiffany & Co. accessories. “Rachel Zegler wears a necklace from The Tiffany Archive with a pair of diamond earrings of over 6 total carats. She completes her look with a Tiffany & Co. Schlumberger Sixteen Stone ring and a Tiffany Victoria bracelet,” the brand posted to their Instagram story on Monday.
Rachel Zegler’s joke about her last-minute invite to the Oscars
Although Zegler played the lead role in the Oscar-nominated film West Side Story, the actress revealed on Instagram earlier this month that she was not invited to the ceremony on March 27th. Zegler responded to a fan who was excited to see her outfit for the Oscars and said, “I’m not invited so sweatpants and my boyfriend’s flannel.”
However, after receiving internet backlash from fans about her snubbed invite, The Academy asked Zegler to present – six days before the show.
Zegler decided to use the stage to make a quick-witted joke about her last-minute invite to be a part of the ceremony before presenting the award for Achievement in Visual Effects next to Elordi.
Elordi started the presentation segment with, “I never thought that I would stand on this stage.” Zegler quickly jumped in after with the line, “And I never thought that I would be here six days ago.”
Although many viewers commented on the height difference between the two actors, Zegler’s line took the lead as the most memorable moment of their presentation.
While it may have been a last-minute invite with less than a week of preparation for Rachel Zegler, she still stunned the red carpet in Dior and delivered one of the most stand-out lines of the show.