Archival dresses have become the go-to trend for celebrities looking to make a splash on the red carpet and this year we’ve reached peak sartorial nostalgia.
It makes total sense. The thirst for vintage fashion in general shows no signs of slowing down, but celebs opting for archival looks also means giving audiences something more than just a pretty dress to talk about.
Whenever Zendaya steps out in a vintage couture look that her longtime image maker Law Roach plunged the archives to find, said dress gets dissected in microscopic detail by the internet as audiences devour its fashion history.
Ahead of the Oscars this year, I spoke with several celebrity stylists behind the iconic looks of A-listers from Lupita Nyong’o to Meryl Streep about the rise of archival dressing and many cited increased publicity as a reason, but also shared that it’s a not-so-subtle way of signalling a celebrity’s status. After all, not just anyone can mine the Mugler archives for a one-of-a-kind robot suit or be allowed to slip into a Bob Mackie dress once worn by a pop diva.
This year, we’ve been graced with some history-making archival fashion moments. Some of today’s rising stars like Sydney Sweeney and Sabrina Carpenter paid homage to Hollywood legends, donning looks once worn by Angelina Jolie and Madonna respectively. Halle Berry dusted off her 2002 Oscar dress and closed Elie Saab’s anniversary extravaganza in Riyadh in the red taffeta number.
From Zendaya’s throwback tenniscore looks for the Challengers press tour to Kaia Gerber looking like the splitting image of supermodel mum Cindy Crawford in a head-turning bandage dress, these are all the major moments celebrities re-wore archival dresses in 2024—and here’s to more fashion nostalgia mania in 2025!