The Return of ‘80s/’90s Red Carpet Fashion + Hit Retro Movies/TV
Hey WNVM-ers,
This week, Cheryl is on her dream vacation birding abroad and I (Fawnia) venture back into the vintage space.
So after the Golden Globes, Cheryl texted me about the preponderance of ‘80s and ‘90s vintage (or vintage-looking) fashion on the red carpet. I initially balked — probably because I’m emotionally scarred from those early years frantically writing red carpet roundups for like $5. But, then I realized: Wait, this feels different, and it's for Whatever Nevermind. Plus, I’ll always jump at a reason to talk to prolific stylist and designer Phillip Bloch, who famously dressed Halle Berry in the brown embroidered Elie Saab dress for her history-making Academy Award win in 2002. His 1997 Oscar night remains stuff of legend. He traversed Los Angeles to dress 13 (13!) stars, from Fran Drescher to Jada Pinkett-Smith, who wore a custom Versace crop top and skirt that Gen Z, and I, would wear right now.
And, in reboot news You Oughta Know, When Harry Met Sally underwhelms for the Super Bowl moment, “Little House on the Prairie” returns, and Kea-News!
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I Have Never Seen That Dress You’re Wearing
Why Oscar nominees Ariana Grande and Demi Moore are wearing ‘80s and ‘90s fashion on the red carpet right now.
By Fawnia
Sartorially speaking, January 2025 felt a bit like taking a ride in Doc Brown’s DeLorean back to the ‘80s or cramming into the Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure phone booth to travel to the ‘90s. On the arm of Timothée Chalamet at the Golden Globes, Kylie Jenner, in a slinky vintage lilac Versace gown, really did seem to conjure 1999 — when Elizabeth Hurley wore the same dress as Hugh Grant’s plus-one. For a pre-Globe event, The Substance Oscar nominee Demi Moore revisited the Brat Pack era with a custom peplum Nina Ricci cocktail dress, by Harris Reed. Then — in the most uncanny valley, brain-wrinkling space-time-continuum conundrum — Kaia Gerber looked exactly like her mom, Cindy Crawford, in an ‘80s-esque polka-dotted Valentino gown by Alessandro Michele. Nevermind that, Ariana Grande rolled out a series of ‘80s labels on multiple Wicked and awards season outings, which I’ll get to in a sec.
Point is: ‘80s and ’90s designer vintage — and referential style — are proliferating on red carpets as we head toward the Oscars. Of course, Clinton-era designer goods have been in high demand by us normie consumers for some time now — often influenced by which fashion icon wore it during that era’s unprecedented confluence of fashion, entertainment, and celebrity. (See: Gwyneth Paltrow, and unfortunately not me, in red velvet Tom Ford for Gucci.)
But what’s driving today’s fashion icons, of all generations, toward ‘90s — and somewhat-reviled ‘80s — styles, and why do the looks help generate headlines during their career-making runs? It all may thread back (sorry) to Moore, herself.
Stars — Just Like Us!
“Demi Moore was the first person to wear vintage, purchased from us, on the red carpet,” says Rita Watnick, owner of Lily et Cie. For the 1992 Oscars, the Ghost star attended the ceremony in a lilac and floral-embroidered late-‘40s silk georgette gown from the legendary Los Angeles vintage purveyor. Although, as lore evolves like a game of telephone, the gown has been also credited as then-contemporary Versace. (Vogue UK even contradicts itself here and here, and Watnick did not respond to a follow-up fact-check request. Update: On Feb. 6, after the newsletter published, Watnick confirmed that Moore’s gown is vintage from Lily et Cie. “It is not Versace! It is a ‘studio’ gown from MGM, I believe.”)
Regardless, Moore is widely credited as the fairy godmother of red carpet vintage who perhaps kick-started a slow-burn trend. Because, like us, bold name celebrities aren’t immune to following a path set by someone cooler.
“It’s a family tree. You see one person doing something and it affects the next person who then does it. It just simply has to do with the success of people who've done it before,” says Watnick. “Winona [Ryder] came to us because of Demi. Everybody. Renee … ”
Nine years later at the 2001 Oscars, Renee Zellweger made headlines in a daffodil-yellow 1950s Jean Dessès gown. “There's even a Wikipedia [mention] for it,” says Watnick, about the legacy of Zellweger’s dress, which may have inspired Jennifer Lopez to wear late-’50s Jean Dessès, also from Lily et Cie, for the 2006 ceremony. “Again, we are all driven by what we see.”
The Superlative Supes
“Models became huge celebrities in the ‘90s — Kate, Naomi, Christy, Linda, Cindy — everybody wanted to dress like them,” says Watnick.
The sentiment applies to today’s impressionable clientele, like the newly-minted vintage aficionado Grande and her stylist Mimi Cuttrell. The Wicked triple-threat hosted “Saturday Night Live” in a hot pink Thierry Mugler spring/summer 1982 hot pink dress that's very “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friends”-meets-George Michael’s 1992 “Too Funky” video, starring the likes of Linda Evangelista, Tyra Banks, and Eva Herzigova. Later, Grande presented at a Variety awards ceremony in a Fall 1986 Haute Couture Chanel LBD by Karl Lagerfeld. A 16-year-old Naomi Campbell modeled the same jagged-neckline dress in one of her first editorial shoots for Elle.
A refresher on the powerful supermodel influence also proved timely for normies and Hollywood luminaries alike, with the 2024 release of Apple TV+’s documentary series “The Super Models” and Hulu’s “In Vogue: The ‘90s.” Robyn Goldberg, owner of The Kit Vintage, credits the former series with reminding celebs (and their stylists) of the appeal and quality of ‘90s design, and maybe even offering a point of discovery to later generations.
“People are really looking back and being, ‘Wow, these pieces were absolutely incredible — and they're sexy, which a lot of [stylists] are looking for to dress their clients on the red carpet,” says Goldberg.
The ‘80s Through Fresh Eyes
“When you go vintage, you now bring the layer of being unique,” says Goldberg, whose clients include Angelina Jolie and Ryan Murphy’s go-to costume designer Lou Eyrich. (In “Feud: Capote v. The Swans,” Demi Moore’s Ann Woodward wore a Swedish couture ball gown from The Kit Vintage.) I mean, I’d rather not risk showing up at a party in the same look as another guest. But for celebrities, completely negating the odds of twinning is especially crucial for the paparazzi-filled red carpet — and to avoid those vile “who wore it better” round-ups. Further, for stars of a generation that's already accustomed to ‘90s slip dresses and grunge-y layers, ‘80s linebacker shoulders and exaggerated puffball flourishes feel like uncharted waters.
“This whole new influx of [Gen Z and younger millennials] are obviously going to bring something very different. So to them, this whole retro thing is new and it's fresh,” says OG stylist Phillip Bloch.
But, today’s red carpet stylists aren’t necessarily asking for specific ‘80s designers or collections. It's more about statement-making design elements that happen to be of that decade, and overall vibes. “A lot of people are attracted to that sculptural ‘80s look,” says Goldberg. “It’s sculptured from the shoulder, then in at the waist, and out at the hip. It has that feel to it. There is something very sexy about it without being revealing. People are definitely attracted to that silhouette.”
She also compares the essence of the era’s power-shouldered suit to the flouncy peplum, which, in the 20th century, is most associated with Dior’s post-World War II “New Look” silhouette and audacious ‘80s dresses in some wild print or disco lamé. “[Peplum] is a way of being strong and bold,” says Goldberg. “And, without being overly undressed, which is another way that people like to dress [on the red carpet].”
Because, these days, the sexy aesthetic, which the ‘90s did in spades, continues to dominate — and probably why the innovative Mugler pops up most often in the ‘80s vintage discourse. “Mugler was tough, sexy, and futuristic. It was video friendly; the whole bondage thing and the models [in ‘Too Funky’],” says Bloch, about the evergreen appeal. ”His vision was so well thought out — taking from history and then making it more modern.”
Newfound interest in Mugler also brings fresh attention to his ‘80s cohort/rival Claude Montana, celebrated as “King of the Shoulder Pad” for his aggressively exaggerated power silhouettes. (Which makes me think of Gen Z and millennial vintage t-shirt vendors happening upon — and charging obscenely high prices for — “undiscovered” bands, like Skid Row and Firehouse.) “Mugler and Montana are the designers that have been made to be very popular over this past year,” says Goldberg, also making a case for the red carpet comeback of ‘80s-era Rifat Ozbek, a favorite designer of Princess Diana. Gird your loins for enormous shoulder pads, big gold buttons, and knee-length skirt suits.
“We're like, ‘uh, what?’” says Bloch, with a laugh. “I think people of my generation want to forget the ‘80s.”
Hidden Messaging in ‘80s and ‘90s Fashion
Bloch points out that key ‘80s/‘90s design elements actually reference much-romanticized Old Hollywood. So maybe award season contenders are sartorially manifesting that little gold naked man through their red carpet gowns.
Academy Award nominee Grande radiated Audrey Hepburn in that ‘80s black Chanel haute couture — especially with simple pearls and an elegant chignon. (Plus, her pink Mugler does feel very Marilyn Monroe — or “Material Girl” Madonna.) At the Golden Globes, fellow Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo mixed and updated the ‘90s slip-dress bodice with an ‘80s peplum, by way of 17th-century panniers, and Zendaya honored Black trailblazers in music and film, Diahann Carroll, Eartha Kitt, Dorothy Dandridge, and Joyce Bryant, with a ‘50s-meets-’80s sweetheart neckline custom gown — both by Nicholas Ghesquière for Louis Vuitton.
“Those dresses were very what I did in the ‘90s, which was to bring back Old Hollywood,” says Bloch. During his whirlwind 1997 Oscars night, he dressed Jennifer Lopez — just a few days after Selena hit theaters — in a silver screen siren-channeling Badgley Mischka gown, and Salma Hayek, just off From Dusk Til Dawn, in a Breakfast at Tiffany’s-inspired white beaded Armani dress. (“They still slay all day.”)
But referring to Grande, Zendaya, and Erivo, Bloch asks: “What are they? Are they ‘80s or ‘90s? Or are they actually ‘50s and ‘60s?”
The Gen X Redux
Of course, the ‘80s and ‘90s resonate with generations that didn’t directly experience the questionable fashion of the decades. Similarly, I will always love a ‘70s flare and floaty caftan, but have less than zero desire to revisit weird shrunken t-shirts and low-slung jeans of Y2K that I lived through as a young adult. Which is why I did a double-take when I saw Moore in the peplum Nina Ricci that she could pulled out of the back of her closet from a St. Elmo’s Fire premiere afterparty. Of course, Moore looked objectively amazing — which could actually be the reason she’s happily revisited period’s fashion.
Goldberg immerses herself in the mindset of a Gen X vintage client sartorially returning to our formative years. “I know this is going to look good on me. I want to wear what I feel good in, what's going to look the best [on me], and then I'm going to feel the best,” she says. “When that happens, it's about personal style.” Because after years of self-discovery and expression through our wardrobe, we now know our best selves and want to put that out into the world.
Bloch — who took inspiration from Sharon Stone’s last-minute, high-low 1996 Oscars outfit for his upcycled bespoke cashmere line, Omniscient Things — reminds us that Moore has always embraced experimentation and expression with it comes to her style. “Well, let's remember Demi Moore went to the Oscars in a bike shorts, ‘50s hostess gown,” he says, of her 1989 self-designed look that was maligned in the press then, but feels pretty badass today. (I mean, look at how much fun she had in it. That's inspiring!)
“Everything goes around and comes around in fashion. There is nothing new,” says Bloch.
“That is the joy of fashion… and the horror of fashion.”
We are two Gen X journalists who celebrate people of our generation doing cool things, as well as analyze all the '80s and '90s nostalgia in current pop culture, fashion, and beauty. Read more stories like this one here!
You Oughta Know
Kea-News! Keanu Reeves continues to be excellent to others as one of the early A-list supporters of the quickly growing #StayinLA campaign. Our hero signed the petition to push the local government and powerful studios to bring production — and jobs — back to Los Angeles in the wake of the devastating fires. [The Ankler]
The 50 year old series “Little House on the Prairie” is somehow one of the top streaming shows right now, according to Nielsen. (Hear me out: It’s because of Michael Landon.) Now, the son of the original executive producer will be a producer on a reboot of the beloved stories. Let's hope Nellie is still a raging bitch in the new version. (The “Wilder” podcast from last year is excellent, btw, if you need some Laura Ingalls lore. It also addresses a lot of the problematic parts of the story, which hopefully this reboot will reckon with.) -CW [Variety]
More information about the upcoming The Lost Boys musical hitting Broadway in spring 2026: It will feature a score by The Rescues, but no word on casting yet. Fawnia asked the most important question: “WILL THE ACTORS BE HOT?” -CW [The Hollywood Reporter]
There’s going to be a Labyrinth sequel, directed by Nosferatu’s Robert Eggers. Can it work without Jim Henson and David Bowie, and will Jennifer Connelly reprise her role? –CW So if the movie kinda creeped us out as kids, will it be absolutely terrifying as adults when Bill “Pennywise” Skarsgård, Willem Dafoe, or an unhinged Rob Pattinson plays king of the goblins, Jerith?? –FSH [Variety]
Director and ‘90s poster child Kevin Smith drops by the “Lovett or Leave It” podcast to discuss the 25th anniversary theatrical re-release of his controversial movie Dogma. He also shares a decades-long transgression by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon (he still calls them “the boys,” aw) and compares Gen X v. Z perspectives on ‘90s fashion. –FSH [Lovett or Leave It]
Welp, to paraphrase Ralphie in A Christmas Story, it was indeed for a crummy commercial [Hellman’s]
Whoever referenced Ralphie to comment on the awful When Harry Met Sally mayo commercial wins this week. It was indeed crummy and so cringe.
So fun! I never knew Demi Moore was a red carpet vintage evangelist! Excellent read as always ❤️