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Stars in vintage dresses on the red carpet: new snobbery or ecological gesture?

2023-05-13T04:27:16.985Z

Highlights: Vintage on the red carpet has become the new very hype battle of celebrities. Vanessa Hudgens revived Audrey Hepburn in a black and white vintage Chanel dress. Rooney Mara stood out in an empire-sized model from Alexander McQueen's Fall/Winter 2008-2009 collection. Bailey Bass, who plays Tsireya in James Cameron's new Avatar saga, in a Zac Posen creation made of Tencel, an eco-friendly material produced from wood pulp from sustainable forests.


Appearing in a vintage dress or wearing the same outfit several times is the new stylistic statement of the stars on the red carpet. Both a green commitment and the assurance of making a sensation.


Make the red carpet greener. This is the ambition of more and more stars – and their stylists – during their appearances at major events. The recent Oscars ceremony clearly displayed this eco-responsible objective. On March 12, Hollywood movie stars were invited to walk the red carpet of the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, dressed in vintage creations already worn on other occasions, rented or borrowed from the archives of fashion houses. Or to adopt an outfit from upcycling, or to favor textiles derived from natural sources, such as linen, hemp, wool or any other bio-based plant-based materials.

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While many celebrities have worn brand new models from the autumn-winter 2023-2024 collections of the biggest names in couture, others have played the game of "fashion sustainability". Examples: American actress Vanessa Hudgens revived Audrey Hepburn in a black and white vintage Chanel dress; model Kendall Jenner crackled photographers' flashes at the after party in a vintage Jean Paul Gaultier mermaid scabbard; Rooney Mara stood out in an empire-sized model from Alexander McQueen's Fall/Winter 2008-2009 collection, and Bailey Bass, who plays Tsireya in James Cameron's new Avatar saga, in a Zac Posen creation made of Tencel, an eco-friendly material produced from wood pulp from sustainable forests.

The letters of nobility of the second hand

In March 2023, Vanessa Hudgens also wore an antique piece on the red carpet of the Oscars 2023, this one was signed Chanel. Mirador Sthanlee B/ABACA

At a time when authenticity is more than ever acclaimed and where ecology has become a major issue, has vintage on the red carpet become the new very hype battle of celebrities? "The 'archive' look is the fashion statement of the moment," confirms Marie Dupin, fashion and lifestyle business director at the Nelly Rodi trend office. Beyond the desire to stand out by wearing a unique dress, choosing a vintage creation is a way for VIPs to show that they have a stylistic personality that is off the beaten track. We feel that they want to establish a cultural and intellectual knowledge of fashion. Thanks to the meticulous work of their stylist, they also understood that the beautiful fabrics of the past tell a piece of fashion history, while highlighting the talent and genius of mythical designers, such as Thierry Mugler, Paco Rabanne or Jean Paul Gaultier."

A sentiment shared by Didier Ludot, the biggest French collector of haute couture dresses, whose store at the Palais-Royal in Paris is known around the world: "Wearing second-hand on the red carpet is the new fashionable snobbery. A way of saying, 'I'm a scholar, I have knowledge and knowledge, and I'm showing it to you.'" In 2023, the ultimate chic would no longer be to wear a preview of a dress seen on the catwalk of a designer (and not yet in store) or a custom creation imagined just for you, but to appear in a piece that has already shone.

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Vestiaire Collective's 2022 impact report revealed that more than 33 million people bought their first second-hand garment in 2020, and that the resale sector is expected to grow eleven times faster than traditional new clothing. The race for vintage is therefore accelerating. Would this new enthusiasm of celebrities for archival pieces be a way to prove that they do not live in an ivory tower, completely beside the subjects of society and the daily life of Madame Tout-le-Monde? "To feel more connected to their fans, especially young people, and to show that they feel concerned about the future of the planet, some VIPs play their role as public figures to the fullest by multiplying appearances in vintage outfits," confirms Marie Dupin.

On the red carpet of the 73rd Berlinale, Cate Blanchett wore this Givenchy dress that she had already worn at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018. (Berlin, February 23, 2023.) Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Getty Images

And the queen of recycling (and the pioneer in the field) is undoubtedly Cate Blanchett. With the talents of her famous stylist Elizabeth Stewart (who also counts among her clients Julia Roberts, Amanda Seyfried, Gal Gadot and Jessica Chastain), the Australian actress has made the repetition of outfits her fashion signature. The proof: at the last Oscars, she wore a spectacular vintage blouse signed Louis Vuitton, and previously, on February 6, on the occasion of the 43rd edition of the London Critics Circle Film Awards, she appeared slipped into an Alexander McQueen costume already sported at a premiere in New York in 2019. She also wore her Cannes 2018 look (a Givenchy dress) again to the Berlinale this year. "It's chic to repeat yourself," Elizabeth Stewart posted on Instagram at the 2020 Venice Film Festival.

Rare piece for desire to be unique

At the 2023 Oscars after-party, Kendall Jenner bet on a spectacular vintage mermaid dress by Jean Paul Gaultier. Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/Getty Images

A whole young generation of actresses is following this path. From superstar Zendaya, who has long been dressed by stylist Law Roach and who recently made an impression in a Versace evening dress from 2002, to Jenna Ortega, sublime in a sheath of the same brand dating from 1999. "Whether it's to defend an idea or to shine brighter than its rival, all the reasons are good to (re)vive pieces of the past, notes Didier Ludot. Vintage is a formidable green guarantee, and this new craze for the old – whether haute couture or not, whether it is an ethical and ecological claim or just a pleasure – saves fabulous and well-made pieces, sleeping on the racks of a second-hand shop or forgotten too long at the bottom of his mother's or grandmother's wardrobes. The power of the past is very emotional, reassuring and above all so exhilarating." Just ten years ago, wearing a garment from the previous season was considered a faux pas, worthy of feeding the fashion police and being immediately relegated to the lists of the "worst outfits".

In 2023, archival fashion seems to be the ideal ally to avoid stylistic clumsiness. This is evidenced by the anecdote told by the fashion antique dealer, Didier Ludot: "In December 2005, a lady arrived at the boutique with a Dior dress from 1957 that had belonged to her mother. It was a sublime piece, entirely embroidered by hand. I buy it and I put it in the window. Two days later, a team of American stylists arrives and tells me they want to buy it for a famous actress nominated for an Oscar. It was Reese Witherspoon. She absolutely wanted an old evening dress, and the reason was simple... Six months before, she had appeared slipped into a creation of the house Chanel already worn some time earlier by another celebrity. As a result, journalists laughed at her for a long time! Annoyed, she told herself that by wearing a vintage piece, found on the other side of the Atlantic, no other woman would have the same outfit. She flew on, tried it on, and not only did the dress fit her perfectly, but it also brought her luck, as she won the Oscar for Best Actress for her role as June Carter, the wife of singer Johnny Cash, in the movie Walk the Line.

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Vintage, a business and a creative challenge

Bella Hadid's dress at the Prince's Trust was designed by Yves Saint Laurent for Dior in 1959, found at Aralda Vintage in Los Angeles by Law Roach. (New York, April 28, 2022.) Gotham / Getty Images

On the side of celebrity stylists, the race to the nugget that throws it has never been so pressing. Their secret weapon? The archives of fashion houses, auctions (digital or physical) dedicated to fashion designers, organized by Christie's, Sotheby's or Artcurial, but also and especially the small shops of fashion collectors, with a preference for those that are well established. Lily et Cie, the popular Beverly Hills boutique (Jennifer Aniston and the Olsen sisters are long-time customers), Tab Vintage (address of the little black Thierry Mugler dress, 1980s era, worn by Kourtney Kardashian at the 2022 Oscars), Aralda Vintage, in Los Angeles (this is where stylist Law Roach found the Dior dress, created by Yves Saint Laurent in 1959, worn by Bella Hadid, in April 2022, during the Prince's Trust Gala in New York), Shrimpton Couture in Toronto... These brands (and many more) are the sacred temples of vintage haute couture for wardrobe mentors. "The profession of stylist has a new flavor, attests Marie Dupin. The world of vintage is a great creative playground, and going in search of the most beautiful period piece for a muse of the future is a much less easy exercise than choosing a creation that has just paraded on the catwalk of a designer. "

In this race for exceptional plays, celebrities and their stylists will soon be able to fight a new media battle: on May 16, the Cannes Film Festival and its climb of the steps, among the most photographed and filmed in the world, will begin. Before that, many made it to the 1 MET Gala in New York on May 2023. An exceptional red carpet... and necessarily vintage since, this year, the evening paid tribute to Karl Lagerfeld, four years after his death. "We had a lot of phone calls for this event," says Didier Ludot. The designers were looking for creations by the German couturier to dress the celebrity guests." Gianni Versace said: "To be superficial, you have to be very deep. And to appreciate beautiful things, you have to know how they changed the course of history."

Source: lefigaro

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