For a long time now, the likes of Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner and Rihanna have been flying the flag for vintage fashion, often incorporating collectors’ items into their every day get-ups. Now, Gen Z has found a new poster girl for vintage in the form of one Dua Lipa.
Dua Lipa’s first major vintage moment came at the Grammy Awards in April, when she stepped onto the red carpet in a bondage-inspired look from Versace’s autumn/winter 1992 collection, first worn on the runway by Christy Turlington. Indeed, the head-turning number kicked off something of a vintage Versace revival on the red carpet, with Bella Hadid wearing not one but two dresses from the Italian fashion house’s archive at Cannes the following month.
“The girls that want and wear vintage Versace now are looking for the same stand-out dresses that the original girls who wore [them] wanted when they were first introduced,” Shrimpton Couture’s Cherie Balch told Vogue of the surge in interest.
Dua treated us to another series of stand-out vintage looks in her music video for “Potion”, opting for several brands that have enjoyed a huge resurgence in the pre-loved market in recent years. Firstly, the singer is seen in a printed John Galliano-era Dior mini dress, sourced from Tab Vintage, followed by Roberto Cavalli co-ords dating back to the early Noughties and Dior buckle boots via My Runway Archive. Dua then switches into another archival Cavalli number, an embellished slip dress that’s also from My Runway Archive, concluding with an iconic Tom Ford-era Gucci mini dress in the designer’s blue python print from spring/summer 2000, again from Tab Vintage.
Given the Y2K revival we’ve witnessed, it makes sense that Dua – with the help of stylist Lorenzo Posocco – should be gravitating towards vintage pieces from the early Noughties right now. For her 27th birthday celebrations in Ibiza, the pop star opted for a full vintage Dior look from My Runway Archive, comprising a denim bikini set, matching sheer sarong and monogrammed knee-high lace-up boots. In the evening, Dua changed into an archival Thierry Mugler couture leather dress from Tab Vintage, featuring a dramatic flame motif.
With Dua serving up no shortage of looks this summer, the singer’s recent foray into the archives shows how pre-loved fashion can fit seamlessly into your wardrobe. Considering that shopping second-hand is a much more sustainable option than buying new, that can only be a good thing.
