84th Oscars: El Paso Native Takes On Red Carpet In Thrift-Store Dress, Millions In Jewels

Gigi Causey is living her own version of a Hollywood fairy tale.

It all started when “The Early Show” host Gayle King asked El Paso native Causey what she would be wearing on the red carpet at the Academy Awards on Sunday.

Causey said she would be sporting a thrift-store gown and her husband would be wearing a $35 rental tuxedo.

But jeweler-to-the-stars Jeffrey Rackover wouldn’t hear of it.

Rackover got in contact with Causey and offered her a choice of $10 million in diamonds to drape the Oscar hopeful.

After perusing the multi-million dollar jewelry stash, Causey settled on a pair of 18-carat diamond earrings and a few 18-carat bracelets — worth more than a million dollars total.

“Holy crap,” said Causey.

Causey produced the short film “Time Freak,” which earned the Oscar nomination for Short Film earlier this year.

Causey and her husband spent their $35,000 nest egg to get “Time Freak” to the silver screen. The couple became YouTube stars after they posted their surprise reaction when they received the nomination.

Causey told ABC-7 she was nervous but excited about the Academy Awards.

“It’s just very emotional and incredibly exciting. It feels like our wedding day, except that on our wedding day we knew that we would be married at the end of it,” she said. “Today is a celebration of our work and our project, so the winning or not winning isn’t the important part.”

Causey said she was proud to represent the Borderland at the event.