Oscars 2019: Melissa McCarthy’s rabbit gown pays homage to The Favourite

McCarthy presented the award for Best Costume Design

Olivia Colman may have taken home the Oscar for Best Actress, but it was Melissa McCarthy who stole the show with her homage to Colman in The Favourite.

The Bridesmaids star arrived on stage to present the Best Costume Design award wearing an elaborate regal gown, complete with stuffed bunnies, ruff and a wide-rimmed hat.

McCarthy’s comedy outfit was a nod to Queen Anne, who kept 17 pet rabbits which she named and referred to as her children.

Colman’s portrayal of the monarch won her the award for Best Actress in this year’s Oscars.

McCarthy was joined on stage by actor Brian Tyree Henry, who wore an equally flamboyant period outfit, to present Ruth E. Carter with the award for Best Costume Design for Black Panther.

“Nuance and sophistication are just two qualities of the most effective costume design,” Tyree Henry joked.

Stony faced, McCarthy added: “These artists create a pastiche of textiles with authenticity, yet never distract from the story,” while she worked a rabbit puppet.

“Costume designers construct the looks that ground a character to a particular time and place in the subtlest, subtlest of ways,” she continued.

McCarthy’s rabbit gown (Matt Petit – Handout/A.M.P.A.S. via Getty Images) (Matt Petit - Handout/A.M.P.A.S. via Getty Images)

McCarthy struggled with her hand puppet to prise open the envelope, which revealed the winner as Carter.

Carter became the first African-American woman to win an Oscar in this category. Upon accepting the award, Carter said: “This has been a long time coming.”

The designer was previously nominated in this category for her work on Malcolm X (1992) and Amistad (1997).

Hannah Beachler also became the first African-American woman to win an Oscar for Production Design on Black Panther.

Carter thanked director Spike Lee for giving her her first break.

She dedicated the award to her mother, calling her “the original superhero”.