America Ferrera Wraps Up Awards Season with Her Most “Barbie” Dress of All at 2024 Oscars: 'Save the Pink for Last'
The 'Barbie' actress is nominated for best supporting actress
America Ferrera is closing out her awards season with a bang.
For the 2024 Academy Awards, the Barbie actress, 39, arrived in a perfectly Barbie pink Versace chainmail dress that took over 400 hours to make, the E! News hosts said on the red carpet preshow. Cohost Zanna Roberts Rassi shared that stylist Karla Welch wanted the perfect pink chainmail for this dress and it took the Versace team 10 tries to find the exact right one.
Walking the red carpet by Ferrera's side was her husband and Barbie costar Ryan Piers Williams, who wore a classic black tux to let his wife shine on her big night. For bling, Ferrera chose Pomellato jewelry, including the Ode to Milan Castello Necklace, featuring rubellites and diamonds, and the Ode to Milan Castello Ring, featuring a rhodolite garnet and diamonds.
Her pink dress was also more special because it was the first time during awards season that she chose to wear the official color for Barbie.
Welch shared a video of Ferrera in the dress on Instagram, writing in the caption, "We thought we’d save the pink for last 💕 Versace pink that is!"
The Superstore star is among 10 first-time acting nominees at this year's ceremony. Ferrera is nominated in the best supporting actress category for her performance as Gloria in Barbie alongside Emily Blunt, Danielle Brooks, Jodie Foster and Da'Vine Joy Randolph.
Ferrera has been on a glamorous style streak this awards season. She wore one of her most memorable looks — a custom Dior Haute Couture black wool and silk crepe dress with white organza sleeves — to the 2024 SAG Awards in February. She accessorized the gown with over 30 carats of diamonds from De Beers.
"It feels like a princess fairytale moment," she said of the design during the E!'s Live from the Red Carpet. "Princess fairytale Barbie, that's me."
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Ferrera also served up one gorgeous ensemble after another during the Barbie press tour last summer. While the film's leading lady, Margot Robbie, recreated some of Barbie's most iconic outfits for the red carpet, the Ugly Betty alum, who is styled by Karla Welch, wore everything from a baby pink St. John two-piece set for the movie's world premiere to a fiery body-hugging Alex Perry dress for the European premiere.
One outfit stood out to Ferrera, though, as her absolute favorite: the leather look she rocked at a Barbie press conference in Seoul, South Korea, on July 3.
"I just loved it so much," Ferrera says of the Tanya Taylor top and Veronica Beard pants. "I mean, I've loved so many of the outfits, so it's very hard to pick. But I remember putting this on and being like, 'This is exactly how I feel.'"
Related: America Ferrera’s Husband Is the Biggest Fan of Her Glam Awards Season Looks: ‘A Love Story’
Welch teamed the ensemble with a black belt and black platform heels. She topped it all off with gold Jennifer Meyer jewelry. Welch shared a carousel of photos on Instagram of the actress at the time, captioning it, "AMERICA the BEAUTIFUL." Conveniently, the post was shared on July 4, and Ferrera left a gushing note: "I love you my Queen."
Ferrera tells PEOPLE that the bold leather look — plus the slicked-back hair and bold pink lip color — made her feel like a "badass," adding, "I felt strong."
"I love wearing a dress, but there's something about pants and heels that make me feel tall because I'm a whopping 5'2", so I love being in high heels, but a great pant look just feels like that's my true inner look," Ferrera says. "What's so brilliant about [Karla] is she is never putting clothes on me. She's always helping bring through the way I want to feel. Sometimes that's soft and feminine, and sometimes that's va va voom. And other times it's, like, badass boss in a pantsuit. I would say that I probably feel the most like myself in a badass pantsuit."
The 96th Oscars will air live on ABC from the Dolby Theatre on Sunday, March 10, at 7 p.m. ET.
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