Malala Yousafzai has a lot going for her, including being the bigger person in every situation where she is put on the spot, judged, or simply measured against standards that are not very fair considering she’s just 25. At the 2023 Academy Awards, she had more poise and context than ever. Malala’s stylist for the event, Dena Giannini, carefully curated the gown and accessories she wore to the Oscars, where A Stranger At The Gate, a documentary produced by her company Extracurricular Productions was nominated in the Best Documentary Short Film category.

The Oscars Gown
by Ralph Lauren

Malala’s silver, sequined gown and headscarf for the Oscars was created specially for her by Ralph Lauren, and she tells Vogue that she knew this was what she would be wearing the minute she saw it. Dena Giannini said later, “if there’s a gown that could encompass hope, this is it!”

The perfect party dress by Jil Sander

For the Vanity Fair afterparty, Malala wore a bespoke cream gown by Jil Sander, which aligns with the dress code the activist prefers to follow, and looks comfortable too!

The earrings with a history,
by Fred Leighton

While all the jeweled accessories she wore to complement her silver gown of hope were spot on, the earrings Malala wore were extra special. Dena Giannini noted on her Instagram that the earrings were also worn by Queen Soraya Tarzi of Afghanistan, who advocated strongly for women’s education.

Giannini quotes the former queen’s speech as significant to the causes Malala Yousafzai believes in:

“It (independence) belongs to all of us and that is why we celebrate it. Do you think, however, that our nation from the outset needs only men to serve it? Women should also take their part as women did in the early years of our nation and Islam. From their examples we must learn that we must all contribute to the development of our nation and that this cannot be done without being equipped with knowledge. So, we should all attempt to acquire as much knowledge as possible, in order that we may render our services to society in the manner of the women of early Islam.”