Judging by the outfits on s red carpets this summer, a premiere from 2012 was more relevant than ever. Zendaya, Natalie Portman, and Bella Hadid, stars who are particularly fond of the red carpet, are love with trendy vintage summer pieces.
In June, Zendaya wore a strapless dress from Bob Mackie’s autumn/winter 1998 collection to the Time 100 Gala. It was styled by Law Roach, who once said, “Vintage and archival dressing isn’t a trend for me. . . [It] will always be my first choice when possible.” The powerhouse stylist is also responsible for the tiered, balloon-sleeved Chanel autumn/winter 1986 gown that Bella Hadid wore to the Venice Film Festival in May – a striking Karl Lagerfeld-designed piece that was sourced from Sielian Vintage.
Celebrities have been wearing vintage on the red carpet for several years now. In 2019, rapper Cardi B wore a 1995 Mugler couture creation to the Grammys, while actor Gwyneth Paltrow chose a 1963 Valentino column gown for the Emmys. A year prior, the legendary Rita Moreno re-wore her 1962 Oscars gown to the same event.
While it’s obvious that it would be a challenge to wear a dress designed decades ago, the process of doing so can cause damage to the garment. As evidenced by Kim Kardashian at this year’s Met Gala—when she wore Marilyn Monroe’s “Happy birthday, Mr. President” dress from 1962—wearing a vintage dress for even a few moments can cause irreversible damage. This is why many stylists are now sourcing and purchasing vintage dresses from specialty retailers instead of taking priceless ones from museums out on loan.
In June, actress Ariana DeBose wore a vintage John Galliano embroidered dress to the season 4 premiere of Westworld; it was sourced from Shrimpton Couture, which specialises in vintage evening gowns. Dove Cameron also wore a 1997 Versace lace gown—with thin, bowed straps—to the Tribeca Film Festival, also sourced from Tab Vintage. Some garments end up in museums, while others are sold at retailers; but most celebrities do seem keen on respecting and maintaining the integrity of the original designs.
Just last week, in addition, the actress Natalie Portman wore a vintage Claude Montana orange suit to an event for Thor: Love and Thunder. She rented it from Paumé Los Angeles, which has an extensive rental collection of designer pieces including Halston and Mugler pieces from the 1980s. Many stars are choosing to collect vintage pieces, but Yana Kamps – a curator for Paumé – says renting such designs is another way for old designs to shine through. “Each piece we adopt into our family gets to shine again and go out in the world – showing that good design and craftsmanship are long lasting.”
