There's an incredible story behind Cher’s iconic 1986 Oscars dress

There have been many iconic Oscars dresses over the years, from Julia Roberts' vintage Valentino number and Gwyneth Paltrow's 1999 pink Ralph Lauren gown to Jennifer Lawrence's strapless voluminous dress by Raf Simons for Christian Dior Haute Couture - the most expensive Oscar dress of all time.

But none grabbed headlines quite as much as Cher's iconic look from the 1986 Oscars. The headdress, the crop top, those abs and that sequin skirt, there was no denying it was an unusual look and she of course looked fabulous.

So how did it come about? Well it was actually somewhat controversial. You see Cher decided to go with a showgirl-inspired outfit as a snub to the Academy, who she felt didn't take her seriously and hated the way she dressed.

"I had the idea mostly because the Academy didn’t really like me," Cher told Vogue. "They hated the way I dressed and I had young boyfriends so they thought I wasn’t serious. So I came out and said, 'as you can see I got my handbook on how to dress like a serious actress'."

"I came to Bob with an idea," she explained of her longtime friend and designer. "I said I want to have a mohawk, [but] that is not actually Indian. I want it to be so over-the-top that it’s next week. The beautiful shawl was cashmere. I loved the whole thing."

Bob reportedly wasn't sure at first, saying that wasn't what you were supposed to wear to the Oscars, to which Cher replied that she didn't want to look like a housewife in an evening dress.

So the designer set to task to create the jewel-encrusted bralette with a matching low rise skirt and embroidered kimono-style jacket, and of course that beaded headdress, resulting in one of the most iconic looks of all time and Cher's favourite.

Plus, it must have gone down well with the Academy too, because she won the Best Actress gong for Moonstruck the following year.

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