The award season red carpet is typically the place where custom couture and fresh-off-the-runway looks come to shine. Lately, however, Hollywood A-listers have been heading in a different fashion direction, embracing vintage fashion on the step and repeat. Whether it’s iconic ’90s runway frocks or archival jewelry pieces dating decades further back, these celebrities have demonstrate the timelessness of great style. In the year 2024, the retro can feel totally fresh.
This year’s Golden Globes ceremony kicked off awards season with a variety of different vintage designs. Elle Fanning shined in archival Pierre Balmain, a cream and white strapless gown from 1960 embellished with an oversize bow at the bust. Carey Mulligan donned a vintage Schiaparelli mermaid gown from 1949; with its spliced bodice and sculptural ruching, the look came across as strikingly contemporary. Elsewhere, the most head-turning jewels of the night were vintage: Dua Lipa donned a Tiffany & Co. necklace from 1962, which was fabricated in gold and platinum with luxurious yellow beryl, topaz quartz, and diamonds.
Of course, these stars’s decision to pluck pieces from the archives makes a statement beyond style. In a crowded, competitive arena like awards season—where there’s so much pressure for celebrities to don extravagant looks, each one better than the next—these vintage moments spotlight a need for more sustainability and consciousness on the red carpet (especially given that fashion and its supply chains have major impacts on the environment). Sometimes, creating new outfits just isn’t necessary—especially when there is a goldmine of retro ensembles for stars to choose from, all of which pack just as much of a punch.
And the best news is, the awards ceremonies have only just begun—meaning there is sure to be much more vintage style to come. Watch this space as even more archival looks hit the red carpet this month.
Below, the best vintage style from the 2024 awards season thus far.