Lisa Rinna's Christian Cowan Oscars Dress Took 172 Hours to Sculpt Out of Hair
"She's used to pushing the boundaries," says designer Christian Cowan.
If the 2026 Oscars isn't your first rodeo, you know some of the buzziest fashion moments arrive after the official red carpet closes. Some stars, like Lisa Rinna, even reserve their Academy Awards look just for Elton John's Oscars viewing party. Rinna's custom Christian Cowan dress—sculpted entirely from real hair—was certainly worth the wait.
The Traitors star made her Oscars debut while pregnant in 1998, before returning in 2006, 2008, and 2009. On March 15, Rinna showed out in bespoke Christian Cowan for her first Oscars soirée in three years. Clearly, the New York City designer knew the watch parties host more avant-garde gowns than the ceremony. (See Megan Thee Stallion, Julia Fox, Zoë Kravitz, and Kendall Jenner in naked dresses last year.) "[Rinna's] used to pushing the boundaries," Cowan tells Marie Claire. "She's not a typical gown girl—she likes to play with fashion and all the possibilities that fashion can provide."
Lisa Rinna modeled Christian Cowan's latest creation—a gown crafted from human hair—at a 2026 Oscars party.
The dress translated from sketch to red carpet with ease.
With the lax dress code top of mind, Cowan and TRESemmé used real human hair to build Rinna's boldest red carpet look yet. What started as a sheer nude mesh became quickly coated with jet black strands of hair. Products from TRESemmé's A-List Collection gave each tress some structure, without dimming its shine. "I think so often I'm in fittings with our gowns and we haven't done the hair yet," Cowan shares. "It's the hair that's the pièce de résistance." He wanted this to "start at that point rather than finish, and just celebrate the beauty of human hair."
First, Cowan used the moldable hair to create a sweetheart-esque neckline. Once the bust was completely opaque, the hair began to loosen down Rinna's waist, hips, and legs. This formed occasional skirt cut-outs as locks cascaded further and further. If the vibe was gothic Rapunzel, Cowan and Rinna hit the nail on the head. In the end, 16 people—ranging from "atelier workers to hair stylists"—spent about 172 hours on Rinna's gown.
Christian Cowan's atelier sprayed each strand of human hair with TRESemmé products.
Then, the designers started molding the hair to the naked foundation.
It took nearly 172 hours to craft, start to finish.
Designers don't create a gown of this magnitude for just any celebrity. But Cowan and Rinna have history: She attended Cowan's fashion show back in Feb. 2020. (Not in a hair-dress, but in a pink sequin mini.)
A few months later, Cowan cast the reality TV star in a campaign for his Le Specs collaboration. This time, Rinna wore nothing but rim-less, cat-eye sunglasses. See? Wearing only hair to a 2026 Oscars affair wasn't out of left field for Rinna.
Cowan and Rinna posed together at the designer's February 2020 fashion show.
Until recently, Lady Gaga was one of Hollywood's only A-listers willing to take such a risk. (Remember her purple ponytail-turned-dress in 2012?) Hair dresses are having a moment this year—a plot twist I certainly didn't see coming.
Last month, Margot Robbie picked up where Gaga left off on the Wuthering Heights press tour. Blonde braids so dark they almost looked green stretched from the choker, beyond the sheer corset, and across her custom Dilara Findikoglu gown's skirt. Turns out, a bracelet made of author Emily Brontë's hair inspired the embellishment. Still, Robbie's hair was placed more sporadically than Rinna's. "She will always find a way to put her original twist on a look," Cowan says.
