Natalie Portman’s Oscars dress was embroidered with names – who are they?

 Natalie Portman  is not afraid to make a bold fashion statement. The 38-year-old arrived at the 92nd Academy Awards with a gorgeous black-and-gold Dior Haute Couture gown and a matching black cape. The ensemble looked ordinary, but upon closer look, you can see that the actress had names written across the cape’s lapel. The actress decided to honor the women directors who got snubbed at this year’s Oscar awards.

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“I wanted to recognize the women who were not recognized for their incredible work this year in a subtle way,” Natalie explained during the red carpet. In the cape, she features Lorene Scafaria (Hustlers), Lulu Wang (The Farewell), Greta Gerwig (Little Women), Mati Diop (Atlantics), Marielle Heller (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood), Melina Matsoukas (Queen & Slim), Alma Har’el (Honey Boy), and Céline Sciamma (Portrait of a Lady on Fire).

The only woman to have won the Best Director award at the Academy Awards has been Kathryn Bigelow in 2010 for her film The Hurt Locker. This year, the nominees for the award were all male and included Bong Joon Ho (Parasite), Sam Mendes (1917), Todd Phillips (Joker), Martin Scorsese (The Irishman) and Quentin Tarantino (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood).

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Natalie has always been outspoken about gender inequality in the Oscars–in 2018, while presenting the Best Director award alongside Ron Howard and called out the lack of women in the category. “And now, here are the all male nominees,” she said.