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Fashion, relationships, and even faces may change, but there\u2019s one thing that never will: The Oscars red carpet is an event not to miss. As the Oscars 2025<\/a> rapidly draws nearer\u2014the peak of the annual awards season frenzy<\/a>, with all the save-the-best-for-last looks that Hollywood has been waiting to don\u2014let\u2019s take a look two decades back to the red carpet of the 2005 Oscars.<\/p>\n The scene on that fateful Sunday evening, February 27, 2005: The Aviator<\/em> has 11 nominations, the most of the year. Will Leonardo DiCaprio<\/strong> nab that best-actor statue for the titular role? (Spoiler: No, but he did roll up to the red carpet with Gisele B\u00fcndchen<\/strong> on his arm.) Would director Martin Scorsese<\/strong> take home his first Oscar for directing the film? (Also no.) Johnny Depp<\/strong> is also up for best actor for Finding Neverland,<\/em> which received seven nominations overall, tied for second-most with Million Dollar Baby.<\/em> We know how things went in that knockout: Though The Aviator<\/em>\u2019s five overall awards made it the winningest film of the night, Million Dollar Baby<\/em> scooped up four wins in major categories. It was dubbed the year\u2019s best picture, of course, as well as best actress for Hilary Swank,<\/strong> best supporting actor for Morgan Freeman<\/strong>, and best director for Clint Eastwood,<\/strong> making him the oldest winner of that category in history.<\/p>\n Fashion-wise, backless dresses and a rainbow of hues were the night\u2019s most crowded categories. Some people, like Melanie Griffith,<\/strong> combined the two, with a shimmering, icy blue gown with a plunging back. She walked the carpet with the help of both Antonio Banderas<\/strong> and a cane, thanks to the cast on her leg that she playfully showed off via a thigh-high slit on the front of the gown.<\/p>\n Ren\u00e9e Zellweger, Emmy Rossum,<\/strong> and Sandra Oh<\/strong> opted for bold red gowns, and Oscars mainstay Oprah<\/strong> donned a shimmering butter yellow look. A pre\u2013Mad Men<\/em> January Jones<\/strong>\u2014a redhead at the time!\u2014was in attendance in a sheer black gown with cutouts, coupled off with Josh Groban.<\/strong><\/p>\n Groban wasn\u2019t the only musician to walk the carpet. Also in the audience that year were Prince, the Counting Crows (nominated for best original song for \u201cAccidentally in Love\u201d in Shrek 2<\/em>), and Sugar Ray\u2019s Mark McGrath.<\/strong> Throwback, anyone?<\/p>\n Ahead, take a walk down the red carpet of memory lane with these star snaps from the Oscars 2005, and join Vanity Fair<\/em>\u2019s fashion and film experts<\/a> for up-to-the-minute coverage of the Oscars 2025 on March 2.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n