The dress that she wore at the Academy Awards was originally conceived
for the film for which she won the Oscar, The Adventures of Priscilla
Queen of the Desert (1994), but the idea was shelved when American
Express passed on the idea. However they relented when she later told
them that she would wear the outfit to the ceremony. They were generous
enough to supply here with 300 AmEx cards (according to Gardner she
used 254) all with her name printed on them and all one number short as
to make them all invalid. After she won Gardner was featured in
magazine ads wearing the dress that said "You only need one in your
wallet" and beneath in small print "Congratulations - and thank you".