Clearly, she had been thinking about her awards outfit for weeks. She worked with Jen Rade, stylist to Angelina Jolie Pitt, on her look, and she even tweeted about her wardrobe concerns when it was first announced that she would receive the Arthur Ashe Courage Award.

The fuss surrounding what women wear to galas and awards ceremonies can seem silly. Often it is. But these moments can be significant, too, for the women themselves and the designers who dress them. The dress Amal Clooney wore to the Met Gala earlier this year served as a major signpost on the road to recovery of its designer, John Galliano, and Jennifer Lopez’s deep-cut Versace gown at the Grammy Awards in 2000 spawned Google’s now-indispensable image search.

This moment was freighted with perhaps more meaning than any other red carpet moment in recent history. Simple and sophisticated, Jenner’s dress presented her to the world as an elegant, confident woman. She looked great.

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