While method dressing might have reigned supreme on the red carpet in 2024, just one month into the New Year and it seems there's a new trend taking over: referential dressing. From actual people to on-screen characters, a host of A-listers have taken to honouring looks from the past, giving rise to a new wave of red carpet moments — and we can't get enough of it. Take the Golden Globes for example, where Ayo Edebiri payed homage to Julia Roberts in a custom Loewe suit that recalled the actress' look at the Globes in 1990.
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Then there was Kylie Jenner who, despite not actually walking the carpet, took the trend a step further and dipped into the Versace archives for a look that paid homage to Elizabeth Hurley's slinky number at the 1999 CFDA Awards. Her date for the evening, Timothée Chalamet, also bore a striking resemblance to Hurley's own date Hugh Grant, in a Haider Ackermann suit.
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So in honour of this emerging trend, we're rounding up our favourite celebrity referential fashion moments, below.
Zendaya
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Though all eyes might have been on that engagement ring, we couldn't help but notice that Zendaya referenced late American singer and activist, Joyce Bryant, in a custom burnt orange gown by Louis Vuitton. In particular, the Old Hollywood look seemed to wink at the cover of Bryant's 1954 album, Runnin’ Wild — a theory strengthened by a series of references shared to Instagram by Zendaya's stylist, Law Roach.
Ariana Grande
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As rumours of a possible Audrey Hepburn biopic ramp up, Ariana Grande put her hat in the ring with an elegant vintage Givenchy Haute Couture gown from 1966. The look — complete with white opera gloves — was interpreted by many as a nod to Hepburn's style, right down to her signature sweeping micro fringe.
Kendall Jenner
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When Kendall Jenner turned 21, she celebrated by referencing the ultimate party girl: Paris Hilton. Her look for the occasion — courtesy of the brand LaBourjoisie — was almost identical to the bedazzled number Hilton wore for her 21st birthday. That's hot.
Kim Kardashian
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Arguably the best-known instance of referential fashion came courtesy of Kim Kardashian at the 2022 Met Gala, where she wore the actual dress worn by Marilyn Monroe back in 1962. Kardashian documented the extreme lengths she went to for the look, including dying her dark hair platinum blonde, and dropping a significant amount of weight to squeeze into the glittering gown, which was purchased by Ripley's Believe It or Not! for USD$4.8 million.
