Vintage fashion has surged in popularity in recent years, as a growing number of stars have embraced archival looks on the red carpet and beyond. But long before the recent trend took off, early adopters like Kate Moss were leading the way – the supermodel’s famous lemon-yellow Topshop dress, created in collaboration with the high-street retailer, was inspired by a vintage number in her own wardrobe.
Fast forward to today, and highly sought-after pieces of fashion history are regularly seen on the A-list, amid growing concerns about the environmental impact of our clothes. Rihanna chose to announce her first pregnancy while wearing a hot-pink Chanel puffer coat from autumn/winter 1996, while Kim Kardashian memorably wore the exact dress that Marilyn Monroe wore to sing “Happy Birthday, Mr President” to John F Kennedy in 1962 to the 2022 Met Gala.
Below, Vogue revisits the 10 best vintage looks of all time.
James Devaney
1/10
2003
Kate Moss wearing a ’50s lemon-yellow dress by Jean Dessès for a night out in New York
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
2/10
2006
Reese Witherspoon opted for an embellished ’50s Balmain gown at the Oscars when she picked up the Best Actress award.
Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images
3/10
2019
Cardi B in Thierry Mugler’s famous “Birth Of Venus” dress from the designer’s autumn/winter 1995 couture collection.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
4/10
2019
Lily-Rose Depp at the Met Gala wearing a chain-embellished dress from Chanel’s spring/summer 1992 collection, originally worn by Christy Turlington on the runway.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
5/10
2021
Olivia Rodrigo wearing a ’90s skirt suit by Chanel for a visit to the White House.
Gotham
6/10
2021
Kendall Jenner in a ’90s Jean Paul Gaultier set, featuring the designer’s bald-eagle print.
Shutterstock
7/10
2022
Rihanna wearing a pink Chanel puffer coat from autumn/winter 1996 on announcing her first pregnancy.
John Shearer/Getty Images
8/10
2022
Kim Kardashian at the Met Gala wearing the glittering dress that Marilyn Monroe wore when she sang “Happy Birthday, Mr President” to John F Kennedy in 1962.
Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images
9/10
2022
Bella Hadid at Cannes Film Festival in a Tom Ford-era Gucci dress from autumn/winter 1996, featuring a cut-out at the hip.
Kayla Oaddams
10/10
2023
Zendaya wearing a lime-green and black Versace spring/summer 2002 dress at the NAACP Image Awards.
Old is gold.