How Jennifer Lawrence Got Paid to Wear a $4M Dress—And Still Ended Up on the Floor

In 2013, Jennifer Lawrence turned heads on the Oscars red carpet in what is widely considered one of the most iconic dresses in Academy Awards history. Designed by Raf Simons for Dior Haute Couture, the strapless white and pink gown had a voluminous, floor-length skirt that came with a jaw-dropping price tag of $4 million. Not only did it make a statement, but the dress was also part of a lucrative arrangement that paid Lawrence handsomely to wear it.

The night is perhaps best remembered for two things: the dress’s staggering value and what became known as “the fall.” As Lawrence ascended the stairs to collect her first-ever Academy Award for Best Actress, she tripped on her gown, causing her to tumble face-first onto the stage. The 22-year-old had just won the prestigious award for her performance in Silver Linings Playbook, but it was the unexpected fall that quickly went viral and became part of her Oscar legacy.

“I tried to walk upstairs in this dress, that’s what happened,” Lawrence explained to reporters after the ceremony, giggling. “Look at my dress! I tried to walk upstairs in this dress, that’s what happened. I think I just stepped on the fabric and they wax the stairs.”

When a reporter asked what went through her mind during the stumble, she quipped: “A bad word that I can’t say – that starts with ‘F’.”

But Lawrence’s mishap didn’t stop there. In what would become an infamous streak of clumsiness, she took another tumble the following year, tripping over a traffic cone on the red carpet. The two falls sparked conspiracy theories, with some speculating that the falls were more than just accidents—perhaps a calculated move to grab attention. Lawrence, however, brushed off these theories, revealing on The Howard Stern Show that the second fall made it look like she was “trying to make it a schtick.”

Despite the accidents, Lawrence’s iconic 2013 Oscars moment remains a memorable highlight, and it didn’t hurt her career or her bank account. Her $4 million Dior dress was just the beginning of a lucrative partnership with the luxury brand. Lawrence had signed an endorsement deal with Dior in 2012, just before the Oscars, and by 2014, her contract reportedly earned her between $15 million and $20 million.

Interestingly, Lawrence’s $4 million dress isn’t the only Dior gown to make waves at the Oscars. Back in 1997, Nicole Kidman also wore a stunning, yellow-green silk dress designed by John Galliano for Dior. The gown is often credited with transforming the Oscars red carpet, bringing haute couture to Hollywood and changing the fashion game for years to come. Kidman was believed to have been paid around $2 million for wearing the dress, which sparked a trend of major stars aligning with high-fashion brands for red-carpet appearances.

For Lawrence, the Dior dress cemented her status not only as an Academy Award winner but also as a style icon. Her fall may have been unforgettable, but her stunning dress and endorsement deal proved that in Hollywood, glamour and gold often go hand-in-hand.