The Oscar winner admits she wished she looked completely different when she was younger in the new Hulu docuseries ‘In Vogue: The 90s’

Nicole Kidman in June 2024. Photo: Araya Doheny/Getty

Nicole Kidman might be the picture of confidence and stylishness on the red carpet, but it took her a long time to appreciate the way she looks.

The Oscar winner opened up about her youthful insecurities in the new Hulu documentary series, In Vogue: The 90s, which premiered on Sept. 13. The series hit the ground running, giving viewers an inside look at the fashion world during the decade of grunge and supermodels. It takes a deep dive into the ’90s, through the lens of Vogue magazine and its iconic editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.

In the third episode, designer John Galliano talked about wanting to make his next big splash in the fashion world after Princess Diana’s 1996 Met Gala look — and he knew just the person to help him do it.

Kidman’s reign as one of the greatest rising talents of the ’90s was in full swing, and she became the next in line to wear a Galliano creation, which he designed for her to wear at the 1997 Oscars.

The actress revealed what was going through her mind when Galliano reached out. She delved into some of her struggles from her youth regarding her body image and what it meant to her to have a dress designed specifically for her.

“Can you believe it?” Kidman rhetorically asked. “My whole life, I wanted to be 5’2” and curvaceous and suddenly, being 5’11 and completely sort of skinny and flat chested was like, ‘Great, we can dress you.’ ”

Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise at the 1997 Oscars.Ron Wolfson/Getty

Kidman also spoke about the respect she had for those who had defined their style by the designers they chose and the fashion partnerships they forged.

“I grew up watching Audrey Hepburn and Katharine Hepburn and Grace Kelly — all these women whose style was created with the designers that they’re affiliated with,” Kidman said. “They just loved fashion. So I remember thinking, but of course, this should be brought into Hollywood now, and we should be wearing the things that are made in these gorgeous little salons in Paris. Because that’s what they used to do, so why aren’t we still doing it?”

Kidman described the night she debuted her Galliano dress as something out of a fairytale.

“I mean, I was a red-headed, fair-skinned girl who was almost 5’11 at the age of 14,” she said. “I would get teased, and it wasn’t kind. So every time I was given access to that whole world, you feel like a little girl who’s been given the chance to step into this sort of fantasy world.”

Nicole Kidman in 1993.Patrick Riviere/Getty

Nearly 30 years later, big-name designers and A-list stars have become virtually inseparable when it comes to red-carpet fashion, and it all started in the ’90s.

The first three episodes of In Vogue: The 90s debuted on Sept. 13, and the final three episodes will premiere on Sept. 20. Afterwards, the six-part series will be available to stream on Disney+ and Hulu.