However, this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the industry of red carpet referencing, which has spread far beyond the Met Gala’s yearly themes. For every award show or event in the past couple of years, there are some celebs that can be counted on to reach into the fashion archives for impact. It can be as niche as the dress Gwyneth Paltrow donned for the Shakespeare in Love premiere, as reimagined on Millie Bobby Brown for her own premiere. Or as iconic (and controversial) as Marilyn Monroe’s “Happy Birthday, Mr President” dress, borrowed by Kim Kardashian in 2022.
In particular, this year’s VMAs were littered with referential looks, such as Sabrina Carpenter taking inspiration from ‘90s Madonna and Tate McRae wearing a recreation of a dress that Britney Spears wore to the event more than two decades previously. This trend of repeating past iconic Hollywood looks is solely for celebrities who are trying to secure further fame by association.
Just like any other artistic pursuit, all fashion has its outer influences. The famous “cerulean sweater” monologue made by Anna Wintour stand-in Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada (2006) underlines how even the most trend-averse of sartorial choices comes with a backstory. From an Oscar De La Renta collection to the clearance bin of “some tragic casual corner.” What was once an original idea becomes a cheap imitation, analogous to how a look that might be marketed as a tribute can quickly become a costume party.
“In an image-dominant digital culture that discourages nuance, we all are inclined to use the most immediate and legible signifiers possible to articulate who we are, or who we want to be seen as,” claims Ariel LeBeau in i-D. “It is symptomatic of an entertainment industry at large that overwhelmingly relies on lazy reproduction and expects us all to lap it up.”
Perhaps part of the reason that referencing seems to be a go-to strategy for many is not only a reflection of a tired culture, but also a yearning for a time when the culture of fame came with more mystery and prestige. It is something that social media has taken away from the majority of up-and-comers in the entertainment industry who rely on it to establish themselves, all while it further reifies the style of celebrities who peaked in decades past via throwback photos and nostalgic Instagram accounts.
The key is not necessarily avoiding a reference altogether, but being mindful of how it is done and incorporating it into the identity of the person making it. Planning is everything when it comes to receiving a positive reception beyond giving social media stans a reason to post the outfit and the person who inspired it side by side, while at the same time having fun with it.
Sometimes, this means an evaluation of what suits the person being dressed, not somebody else whom they choose to pay tribute to. “No corny direct reference. A real ****ing look!” praised one fan of Jenna Ortega’s viral sheer reptilian dress for the Wednesday premiere in London last month. Ortega had previously received mixed reactions for recreating an outfit Winona Ryder wore for the original Beetlejuice (1988) while promoting the lukewarmly received reboot.
Still, so long as the personality shines brighter than the clothes, a nostalgic slant can be a roaring success. This is especially true if the famous person centers their persona around certain eras or role models while also maintaining their own strong creative identity.
One prominent example is British singer-songwriter PinkPanthress, whose personal style is notoriously inspired by the early 2000s. Wearing an ensemble inspired by Cheryl Cole in the Fight For This Love (2009) music video to perform at Glastonbury this year felt like an ode to how her public persona reimagines the recent past. As well as her work, which has been praised for its skilled sampling of music that spans multiple decades.
On top of this, it is possible to reference someone else’s look in a way that is tacky, but tonally appropriate. LeBeau points to Timothée Chalamet at the premiere of A Complete Unknown in 2024. Here, he recreated the ensemble that Bob Dylan wore to the Sundance Film Festival in 2013. The parody was intentional and underscored the works of art that were being celebrated.
No red carpet outfit stands in a vacuum, and inspiration from elsewhere is inevitable in fashion of every kind. That said, the purpose of famous people is to entertain us proles, right? The least they could do is try to be original about it. In a world where plagiarism has never been more widespread (thanks AI), it makes sense to try to stand out with the help of referencing a look from a time when unique creativity was praised. What is most important to this method is making sure it represents the individual, and not the person they are standing in the shadow of.
