Has Pulling Archival Fashion Gone Too Far?
For those tapped into the fashion and overall industry scene, the pulling of archival fashion pieces for red carpets or events is not necessarily a new development. As the idea of stardom has transgressed through changing societal norms, and the definition of “famous” has changed amidst the dominance of social media, it could be argued that the legacies of pieces of archival couture or history are being stained due to the nature of how, and who wears it today.
Photo: Greg Swales
To understand the potential issue at hand, it is important to understand recent controversies over the pulling of archival pieces for modern fashion events. One of the most controversial instances of recent years was social media mogul Kim Kardashian’s dress at the 2022 Met Gala Red Carpet. The theme was “Gilded Glamour, White Tie,” which was a nod to the American Gilded Age of fashion. Kim Kardashian picked her dress for the evening, the same dress Marilyn Monroe wore when she controversially sang Happy Birthday to President John F. Kennedy on his 45th birthday. In a quote with Vogue, Kim describes this decision as a no-brainer as she says, “What’s the most American thing you can think of? And that’s Marilyn Monroe,” says Kardashian (Vogue). The original dress was sketched by Bob Mackie for the french-born costume designer Jean-Louis, featuring a “sparkling translucent look embellished with over six thousand crystals” (Vogue).
Photo: Getty Images
By the time Kim came around to sourcing this piece, it was sold for $4.8 million dollars at an auction, and acquired by the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Museum. When Kim tried on the non-replica version of the dress, it did not fit, prompting her to enter a fitness journey two-months prior to the gala, citing this experience as “I would wear a sauna suit twice a day, run on the treadmill, completely cut out all sugar and all carbs, and just eat the cleanest veggies and protein” (Vogue). Eventually the dress did fit after Kim lost 16 pounds, but Kim ended up only wearing it on the carpet for pictures before changing into a replica once she entered the MET Museum.
Kim, as Marilyn once did, had journalists around the world casting their perspectives on the validity of wearing a historical artifact in the world of Hollywood and American Culture. Some critics claim that Kim stretched the fabric of the dress, with Ripley’s themselves denying it, however the fact that Kim had to go to dire measures to fit into the dress raises concerns over the dress being the right fit for her, and worth the desanctification of its legacy. Some critics, including the author of this article, find it comical of sorts that a dress once worn to please the presence of the President of the United States, was then fortunate enough to be held by Kim’s Date, an esteemed, high-caliber, ‘handsome’ comedian, Pete Davidson.
Photo: Evan Agostini
Although the incident with Kim and the Marilyn Monroe Dress caused uproar, many archival moments have blessed fans and industry members alike with rare, eventful red carpet moments magnified by the pulling of past collections.
When discussing Archival Fashion moments, it is distasteful to not include collaborations between Luxury Stylist, Law Roach, and his muse, Zendaya.
In one of their many archival collaboration moments, Zendaya was styled by Law at the 2022 NAACP Image Awards, where she wore Balmain Couture from 1956. Although this piece was not of historical significance compared to Monroe’s dress, she had the seal of approval from the iconic house. With the dress being originally designed by the label’s founding father, Pierre Balmain, the brand posted on instagram an original drawing of the design with a quote on how Zendaya, “embodies mid-century romance” and “casts a glittering spotlight on the house’s sumptuous savoir-faire and Pierre Balmain’s historic ‘New French Style.'”
Photo: Dominic Miller
Photo by Balmain
Looking at other collaborations between Law Roach and Zendaya is evident in her press tours, specifically with Dune: Part Two where Law created a thematic wardrobe “built on architectural silhouettes and archival designs” (Vogue). One look in particular stands out from this press run, when she channeled the sci-fi elements of Dune while wearing Thierry Mugler’s archival robot suit from the late designer’s fall 1995 couture collection. Law has said countless times that when dealing with archival pieces he always handles them with extreme care. Specifically here, Law says how, “It’s 30 years old, so I had respect for its craftsmanship.” He also goes on to say how he had Jean-Jacques [Urcun] who was the man who crafted it with Mr. Mugler, helped with the fittings, and actually helped dress Zendaya the night of the carpet.
Photo: Getty Images
The relationship between Zendaya, her stylist, Law Roach, and the fashion houses they work with, illustrate how Zendaya and Law’s approach to creating powerful archival moments are grounded in collaboration and care for the legacy of the piece. It is not to say that Kim and her team did not handle Marilyn’s dress with care, but is important to analyze the distinctions between the type of support both parties had when pulling archival pieces, as it paints a picture of the purpose of pulling the piece in the first place, and what the piece invokes when worn in modern times.
Photo: Jeff Kravitz
Cynthia Erivo in a silver raffia gown from Alexander McQueen's autumn/winter 1997 couture collection for Givenchy, originally worn by McQueen muse Debra Shaw.
Photo: Jeff Kravitz
Ariana Grande paid homage to her idol, Audrey Hepburn, in an archival Givenchy gown from 1966
Photo: Emma Mcintyre
Kiki Palmer wearing a vintage strapless velvet Chanel Gown from the fashion houses' autumn/winter 1985 show
Archival fashion is here to stay, evident by its rise over the years on Hollywood’s boldest carpets. Although there have been moments over the years where the pulling of historical fashion pieces, especially with Kim wearing Marilyn Monroe’s dress, there has been many positive outcomes of celebrities choosing to wear pieces from the past. Law discusses how by celebrities choosing to wear archival pieces, not only does it support small vintage businesses, but also increases sustainability in fashion as celebrities are requiring less custom made pieces, allowing pieces to have decades of life. Ultimately, if a celebrity or stylist has the motive to acquire a piece, and most likely has the money to do so, no one will be able to stop them from buying it. However, it will be interesting to see as this archival trend continues to surge, if there are other pieces similar to the caliber and history Marilyn’s dress, that will stir up the fashion community once again.
Works Cited:
https://www.vogue.com/article/kim-kardashian-met-gala-2022
https://graziamagazine.com/us/articles/zendayas-best-vintage-moments/
https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/a63895171/vintage-french-fashion-2025-sag-awards/
