Malala Kept A Diary Of Her First Oscars For Vogue

Jun 24, 2023

By Vogue

An activist, author and Nobel Peace Prize-winner (and former British Vogue cover star), Malala Yousafzai recently added another role to her already expansive CV: producer. It was in her capacity as executive producer of the documentary Stranger at the Gate that she attended the Oscars for the first time (the film was nominated in the Best Documentary Short category) with her husband Asser Malik – wearing some truly special custom looks.

Malala was styled by Dena Giannini in a custom Ralph Lauren gown with built-in headscarf, which was entirely covered in silver sequins. “She looked so beautiful!” Giannini told British Vogue. Malala’s shimmering dress was accessorised with antique earrings and a navette diamond ring, both by Fred Leighton, and an emerald ring by Santi Jewels. The 25-year-old wanted her look to “symbolise hope” Giannini told Vogue, explaining that her earrings were previously worn by Queen Soraya Tarzi, Afghanistan’s first Queen Consort and a trailblazing advocate for female education.

Malala, wearing custom Ralph Lauren, with her husband Asser Malik ahead of the 2023 Oscars.

To attend the Vanity Fair after-party, where she met winners including Best Actor Brendan Fraser, Malala chose a custom gown with a built-in headscarf by Jil Sander, which she describes as a “perfect party dress”.

“My dream for my film and television work is to help women and young artists reflect the world as they see it,” says Malala, who has her own company, Extracurricular Productions. “Through their eyes, I hope the art we create will help people build connections to each other – whether that’s across the living room or across the world. Over the last few weeks, I was delighted to meet so many wonderful people who share that dream. My first Academy Awards was an amazing experience – and I can’t wait to do it again.”

Below, Malala shares her Oscars diary with British Vogue.

I wish someone had warned me that “going to the Oscars” wasn’t just a one-day affair. There are pre-parties and after-parties, screenings and luncheons, press interviews and dress fittings. It is exhausting, but exhilarating too. At the end of a hectic few weeks, I started Oscars morning with a rushed breakfast of porridge, fruit and tea. I would have preferred the pancakes, but there wasn’t enough time.

I was so happy to work with the brilliant stylist Dena Giannini and her team. In the weeks before the big day, we looked at many sketches and narrowed our options down to five gowns. But once I saw the custom dress Ralph Lauren created for me, I immediately knew it was the one.

Dena worked with jewellers at Fred Leighton to source these beautiful earrings. They were incredibly meaningful to me because they once belonged to Queen Soraya Tarzi, Afghanistan’s first queen consort and a champion of girls’ education and women’s rights. I also wore a 19th-century vintage diamond ring from Fred Leighton and a green emerald ring from Santi Jewels, which looked great with my emerald wedding ring.

The Academy Awards ceremony began at 5pm, but I had to start hair and makeup at 11.30am. There’s so much to do before you even get out the door – last touch-ups to the dress, finalising the jewellery selection, making sure your heels are as comfortable as they can be and taking lots of photos. I’m still getting used to wearing red-carpet make-up. It’s a lot more elaborate than my daily routine.

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Finally we made it to the car. It’s a short drive to the Dolby Theatre from our hotel but LA traffic is always bad, especially for the biggest event of the year. During the ride, I practised answering questions about my nominated film, Stranger at the Gate, my production company, and, of course, my dress and jewellery!

After spending a couple of hours talking to journalists and other guests, I was so happy to finally be in my seat and excited for the show to begin. It’s the Oscars, anything can happen!

The show was on commercial break, so I slipped out of my seat and walked two rows back to say hi to Rihanna. Her performance was amazing and I was so excited to see her in person!

Back to my hotel room to change my dress and head out to the Vanity Fair after-party. This dress was designed for me by Jil Sander – it’s a perfect party dress.

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