Whether it’s vintage or recreated, there is nothing quite like finding fresh inspiration in archival fashion looks. While many celebrities dress in the latest season fashions for the red carpet, others like to cherry pick classic looks from old collections that deserve another moment in the sun.
From Carey Mulligan in vintage Balenciaga to Kaia Gerber’s recreation of Bianca Jagger’s 1981 Met Gala look, there are so many wonderful examples of celebrities embracing the looks of yester-year on today’s red carpets.
Carey Mulligan
Carey Mulligan wore archival Balenciaga from 1951 to the 96th Academy Awards, where she was nominated for her performance in Maestro.
“It’s the most incredible shape and so classic, but feels really modern,” she told Vogue. “It just feels amazing to wear.”
Kate Moss
Moss attended a themed party at the Victoria & Albert Museum in 2007. Honouring the ‘Golden Age Of Couture’ she wore a slinky gold vintage Christian Dior gown.
Kirsten Dunst
Kirsten Dunst wore an impressive black Christian Dior dress to the 89th Academy Awards. The gown was originally designed back in 1952 by Dior himself, for the autumn-winter Haute Couture collection.
Kaia Gerber
Kaia Gerber pulled off a vintage fashion reference at the 2021 Met Gala. Her gown was a recreation of New York socialite Bianca Jagger’s Dior Met Gala look, which she wore in 1981. Gerber’s gown was made by Oscar de la Renta.
Bella Hadid
Bella Hadid is a master of wearing archival fashion, and this ensemble worn to Cannes Film Festival is no exception. Procured by stylist Law Roach, who appears to have an encyclopedic knowledge of archival looks, this dress was part of Karl Lagerfeld’s 1986 collection for Chanel.
Dua Lipa
If you looked at this dress and saw the hallmarks of an iconic Versace gown, you’d be right. Dua Lipa wore it to the 64l;
th Grammy Awards, but this vintage Versace bondage dress is actually from 1992.
Kim Kardashian
Controversially, Kim Kardashian wore Marilyn Monroe’s ‘Happy Birthday Mr President’ dress, which was loaned out to her, to the 2022 Met Gala. The dress is vintage Bob Mackie, and was originally worn by Monroe in 1962.
Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman rocked this stunning vintage Dior gown, which is from 1954. Designed by Christian Dior himself, she wore it to the 2012 Oscars.
Alexa Demie
Attending Moet & Chandon’s 2022 Holiday Season Celebration in New York City, Alexa Demie wore vintage Alaia from 1992.
Zendaya
Zendaya, and her stylist Law Roach, are the masters when it comes to pulling off Vintage looks. It’s hard to go past this stunning vintage Valentino dress from the spring/summer 1992 collection, which she wore to the 2022 Euphoria season two premiere.
However, we’d be remiss not to also include Zendaya’s look for the press tour of Dune: Part Two. This silver futuristic look is actually vintage, from Mugler’s autumn/winter 1995 ‘Cirque d’hiver’ 20th-anniversary collection.
Margot Robbie
Attending the 2023 Met Gala, actress Margot Robbie wore a remake of a sheer corseted Chanel gown that Cindy Crawford originally wore in the spring/summer 1993 couture show. The dress was designed by Karl Lagerfeld.
