Lopez: The Best-Dressed Latina at the 2015 Academy Awards

She may not be an Academy Award nominee, but Jennifer Lopez is certainly Oscars red carpet royalty.

Jennifer Lopez

The 45-year-old Puerto Rican actress, singer and American Idol judge, who served as a presenter during this year’s awards show, earned Best-Dressed Latina honors on this year’s red carpet.

Lopez, always fond of making a dramatic entrance, turned heads in a nude-hued Elie Saab dress that featured a voluminous skirt, intricate beading, and long train.

Jennifer Lopez

A high ponytail, muted makeup, and diamond earrings rounded out Lopez’s glamorous look.

But la Lopez wasn’t the only Latina to make a statement on the red carpet.

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Zoë Saldaña, a presenter at this year’s awards show, returned to the Oscars red carpet in a major way only three months after welcoming her twin boys.

The 36-year-old half-Dominican/half-Puerto Rican American actress dazzled in a form-fitting champagne-colored custom Atelier Versace gown, as well as a $1 million Neil Lane diamond collar necklace.

Petra [Flannery], my stylist, called and it was custom made for me,” Saldaña told Us Weekly of her Versace creation.

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Gina Rodriguez, making her first appearance on the Oscars red carpet, walked the carpet in a stunning blue silk dress, flashing her pearly white smile.

The 30-year-old Puerto Rican actress, who won her first-ever Golden Globe last month for her performance on the CW’s Jane the Virgin, tweeted about her special gown.

It comes from Suzy Amis Cameron‘s Red Carpet Green Dress eco-fashion campaign and was designed by Manon Gabard, a Parisian fashion student.

As Gina explained in a Twitter post just an hour before the red carpet:

“#Oscars2015 ready and in my sustainable 100% certified peace silk gown (god I ❤ peace silk) for the @RedCarpetGreenD @JakeMcDorman BOOM!,” tweeted Rodriguez, who completed her look with an Edie Parker clutch and wearing Platinum jewelry.

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Genesis Rodriguez, whose film Big Hero 6 won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, arrived in sizzling style.

The 27-year-old Venezuelan- and Cuban-American actress, wowed in a body hugging Vivienne Westwood dress, Charlotte Olympia shoes, a Jimmy Choo clutch, and Norman Silverman jewelry.

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Last but certainly not least, America Ferrera hit the Oscars red carpet in an airy, ombré Jenny Packham gown that appeared to simply float across the red carpet.

The former Ugly Betty star, whose film How to Train Your Dragon 2 was nominated for the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, accessorized her sheer overlay frock with a dark red hexagonal clutch and Irene Neuwirth jewelry, including a sharp pair of turquoise drop.

Valentina Delfino: The Latina Behind Pyle’s Eco-Friendly Oscar Gown

During Sunday’s Academy Awards, The Artist star Missi Pyle managed to teal the show in an eco-friendly gown designed by Latina fashion design student Valentina Delfino.

The 25-year-old Venezuelan student at Ai Miami International University of Art & Design beat out hundreds of entries from around the world to win the Red Carpet Green Dress design contest, which required participants to make a gown of sustainable materials.

Missi Pyle at the Oscars

The contest was founded in 2009 by Suzy Amis Cameron, an ardent environmentalist and the wife of the Oscar-winning director James Cameron.

“I looked at the gowns that had won in previous years,” said Delfino about her creation. “A blue one won and a pink one won, so I pulled myself away from those colors. And then I thought about Mrs. Cameron; I put her in my mind. I didn’t know anything about sustainable fabrics. Finding information is harder than you think.”

But Delfino is a quick study! After some research, she decided to make the dress out of cruelty-free silk, called “silk peace chiffon,” meaning the worms that spun the material were not killed in the process of harvesting their silk. In addition, Delfino lined the dress with recycled polyester and used recycled zippers. She even chose a color from an OSHA-approved natural mineral dye.

Valentina Delfino

“It was originally supposed to be in saffron,” Delfino admits. “But the actress had worn a similar color to the Golden Globes, so we had to change it to a pastel teal.”

Emmy-winning designer Birgit Muller mentored Delfino and supervised the creation of the dress, which could set a new eco-friendly trend, especially since Pyle is the first actress in an Oscar-nominated film to wear the annual competition’s winning design.

“There are so few clothing options that are eco-friendly, and [manufacturing] has a huge impact on our environment,” said Pyle at a fitting the day before the Oscars. “I’m so excited to be going on the red carpet in this gown!”

Angelo Santos, Missi Pyle and Birgit Muller

Pyle, Cameron, Muller and Valentina toasted their collaboration with a glass of champagne before making some last minute adjustments the gown to get it red carpet ready in hopes of stealing the spotlight and making an impact.

“Ultimately, Red Carpet Green Dress isn’t about beautiful gowns,” says Cameron. “It’s really about bringing awareness to the fact that we can be kind to the planet and still wear something really gorgeous — and to then take that a step further, for people to think about the carbon footprint of their everyday clothes.”

Meantime,  Delfino who hopes to land an internship with the likes of Oscar de la Renta or Elie Saab when she graduates this December.