Why 2024 Was The Year of the Archive Dress
This year saw a flurry of A-list stars take a trip down memory lane, pulling gowns from designer archives, back catalogues and even their mum’s closets
Technically speaking—as with many fashion phenomena—Kim Kardashian got there first. In 2022 the influencer icon divided fans when she wore Marilyn Monroe’s legendary ‘Happy Birthday, Mr. President’ sheer dress to the Met Gala. Speaking to the event’s ‘In America: An Anthology of Fashion’ theme, Kim recreated one of the most memorable moments in American fashion history, cleverly combining current star power with clout from a prior epoch. It delivered double the celebrity status, and naturally, far more attention on social media.
Kim, it seems, opened the flood gates. In 2024, a whole host of celebrities have been re-wearing famous dresses from fashion’s back catalogue, giving a new lease of life to previous looks worn upon the runway and red carpets of yesteryear. It’s official—2024 was the year of the archive dress.
In May, Naomi Campbell reprised a couture gown that she first wore upon the runway for Chanel’s Autumn couture show 1996. The supermodel wore the black sequin dress with pearl straps to the Cannes premiere of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, some 27 years ago.
In July of this year, Victoria Beckham followed suit. The former Spice Girl turned fashion designer broke with tradition for her wedding reception in 1999, wearing a striking purple Antonio Berardi gown instead of a typical big white dress. To celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary this summer the pair recreated the moment with a photo shoot shared on social media, with Victoria recycling the figure-hugging gown with floral embellishments.
A mere few weeks later in Augst, for the premiere of It Ends With Us, Blake Lively donned a sequinned dress from Versace’s A/W 2002 collection, famously worn by Britney Spears to the Oscars in 2002. Taking inspiration from her character Lily Bloom, a florist in the film, Lively embraced the floral theme with its vibrant floral sequins.
The A-list cohort continued the trend in September, with Sabrina Carpenter sporting a vintage gown by Bob Mackie. The white satin gown, bedecking in sequins, pearls, and crystals, was famously worn by Madonna to the 1991 Oscars, where she was accompanied Michael Jackson. Carpenter’s stylist, Jared Liner, revealed on Instagram that he came by the dress at Tab Vintage, a Los Angeles-based vintage clothing studio.
Fashion month delivered more than one archival gem—Kaia Gerber also paid a heartfelt tribute to her supermodel mother by wearing a white Hervé Leger body-con dress that Cindy Crawford famously wore to the 1993 Oscars; recycling the dress for the 2024 Toronto Film Festival.
The most impactful of all the archival moments this year? Halle Berry appeared on the runway at Elie Saab’s 1001 event in November wearing one of the most famous designs in the Lebanese designer’s legacy. The gown’s sheer, embellished bodice and sweeping maroon skirt holds great sentimental meaning for Berry, as she wore it to receive her Best Actress Academy Award for Monster’s Ball 22 years ago. The actress, like her all archive-trawling peers, looked just as enchanting decades later, proving that while fashion may fade, style is certainly eternal.
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