In years past, Hollywood stylists have competed to secure one-of-a-kind ensembles from luxury fashion houses and the freshest pieces to come off the runway. But on this season’s red carpet, the ultimate power flex isn’t custom, it’s archival.
Nowhere was this shift more evident than at the 2026 Golden Globe Awards. There, stars channeled the charm of Old Hollywood with vintage and archival designs. In January, Marty Supreme star Odessa Azion arrived at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles wearing an all-black Dolce & Gabbana look centered around a vintage feathered off-shoulder bolero jacket. That same night, Kate Hudson sparkled in a liquid silver halter dress straight from the Armani Prive 2007 runway, and Jennifer Lopez went even further back in time in a sheer 2003 mermaid dress by Jean-Louis Cheraire.
“In a constant cycle of creative directors and trend fatigue, vintage allows stars to step outside of the algorithm and say something original,” says Chandler Guttersen, owner of Vintage Grace, a celebrity-purveyor vintage shop in New York City. “It’s not just about wearing a dress, it’s about having a perspective.”
Additionally, with sustainability becoming increasingly important, archival dressing offers celebrities a way to literally recycle their fashion while displaying red carpet prestige. Cate Blanchett has long been a leading advocate of sustainable fashion, frequently wearing archival and vintage pieces and even re-wearing pieces from her own closet to promote circularity.
However, as with any trend, there is a right (and very wrong) way to do it. Gattersen cites Zendaya and Margot Robbie as two stars who use Vintage not just as an access flex, but as a true extension of their sartorial vision. For the Wuthering Heights press tour, Robbie and stylist Andrew Mukamal created a custom Bronte-inspired look using Chanel, Thom Browne and Schiaparelli. But what is widely considered to be one of the most powerful moments in the coverage was the vintage coat that Robbie wore to a London photocall on John Galliano’s 1992 runway. Styled in a black micro miniskirt and a garter belt attached to red thigh-high stockings, Mukamal injected modern provocation into ’90s design. Without these personal touches, the look could have become what Guttersen calls a “costume archive,” where “the piece wears the person and the past is treated like a prop.”
Other consistent archival dressers have recently joined the ranks, including Elle Fanning, who pulled a 1950s Nettie Rosenstein satin gown from her personal collection acquired from Estabay Vintage for this year’s Palm Springs International Film Festival. John Galliano-era Dior remains particularly popular in Hollywood, with the corset top and matching skirt worn by Keiki Palmer at the 31st Critics’ Choice Awards an archival Dior from 2004, and the pink one-shoulder dress worn by Ariana Grande at last year’s 16th Governors Awards, also a Dior Galliano design dating back to 2007.
Stylists may be trying to catch up with the Joneses, but custom recreations of historic runway looks are still more common than authentic archival pulls. “Recreations are safer for brands because they reference history without risking damaging the original,” says Guttersen. Still, she hopes to see at least some true archival moments at the 2026 Oscars. “There is nothing more moving than seeing a piece of history brought back into the spotlight.”
Ahead of the 2026 Oscars, check out some of this awards season’s best vintage and archival moments.
