Actresses and other public figures have long had the option of publicly parading around in designer gowns to drum up press coverage. But Stone—or, perhaps more accurately, her stylist Petra Flannery—took this tactic a step further, turning the outfits she wore at her many public appearances leading up to the Oscars into a subtle series of allusions to both iconic Hollywood eras AND the ensembles of past Best Actress winners, subconsciously painting her, in the minds of voters, as “Best Actress” material.