But, in between the usual fishtail dresses and retro ballgowns, a few fearless women sometimes dare to really wow on the Oscars red carpet. There was Nicole Kidman in 1997, for example ...

Mermaid dresses, also called fishtail dresses, hug the body down to the hips and flare out at the bottom, creating an hourglass figure or a “mermaid silhouette.” Considering how chic they look ...

Alexandra Daddario sported a gorgeous fishtail gown with cut-out detailing. It was a Michael Kors collection hand-embroidered sequin stretch matte jersey fishtail gown in a beautiful dark brown color.