Céline Dion Wears Custom Chanel Gown Inspired by Her 1997 Oscars Look

Céline Dion turned one of her most memorable fashion moments into something new for her Paris residency. The singer opened Night 14 of her concert run in a spectacular custom Chanel couture gown that takes inspiration from the silver look she wore to the 1997 Oscars.

The original dress, designed by Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel’s Spring/Summer 1997 couture collection, became one of Dion’s best-known red-carpet moments. Almost three decades later, Chanel’s current creative director Matthieu Blazy has revisited that idea, giving it a fresh shape while keeping the same starry, glamorous feeling.

The new gown is covered in shimmering silver and midnight-blue embellishments. It has a strapless sweetheart neckline and a more structured, sculpted bodice, before falling into a long, figure-skimming skirt. The neckline is finished with blue and silver raffia details, while thousands of tiny crystals and beads give the dress its incredible sparkle under the concert lights.

And there is a lot of work hiding behind that sparkle. Chanel says the gown was made at the house’s 31 Rue Cambon ateliers in Paris and took more than 1,380 hours to complete. Around 6,000 jewels and 5,000 beads were used to decorate the piece.

Dion kept the rest of the styling relatively simple. Her hair was pulled back into a neat, sleek bun, putting all the attention on the dramatic neckline and the glittering dress.

The jewelry was just as special. Around her neck, Dion wore a new Chanel Comète High Jewellery necklace created as another reference to her 1997 Oscars appearance. The piece is crafted from platinum and 18-karat white gold and features 1,080 diamonds weighing more than 67 carats in total.

The necklace itself has a fascinating history. Its design is based on Gabrielle Chanel’s famous Comète motif from her 1932 Bijoux de Diamants collection, Chanel’s only High Jewellery collection created during her lifetime.

What makes the whole moment work is that it doesn't feel like Dion is simply recreating an old red-carpet look. Blazy has taken the familiar idea and changed the proportions and details, while Dion brings the same larger-than-life presence she had back in 1997.