The 12 Best Vintage Fashion Moments of 2022
In 2022, wearing vintage clothing and accessories became a statement—and a venerable movement within the industry. After bombshell reports concerning the human rights violations wrought by major fast-fashion brands surfaced, many shoppers decided to forgo purchasing new clothing altogether. For years, the conversation surrounding sustainability has put fashion squarely at its center; the amount of waste the industry produces is certainly profound. But this year, high-fashion thrifting stepped up its game. Platforms like The RealReal, eBay, and Depop became hubs for finding vintage grails from nearly every major designer. Plus, they allowed archival fashion enthusiasts to more easily tap into the ’90s and aughts trends that dominated the runways this year. In turn, celebrities began to get in on the fad—re-wearing a gown on the red carpet from years prior meant you stood for something, and finding a super-rare throwback piece (whether through an Instagram archivist or a big-name stylist) gave stars extra style credibility. Zendaya and her stylist Law Roach dominated the vintage red carpet sphere, with the Euphoria actress wearing a Bob Mackie stunner of a gown to the Time 100 Gala. Meanwhile, Bella Hadid and Dua Lipa gave brands like Versace and Roberto Cavalli a noted boost wearing looks straight from the 2000s. And Kylie Jenner, in a culmination of this year’s vintage obsession, flexed her access at the opening of Thierry Mugler: Couturissime at the Brooklyn Museum by wearing three different archival ensembles from the designer. Below, we’ve put together a list of our favorite vintage fashion moments of the year—one that was monumental in changing the conversation surrounding secondhand clothing.
Iris Law in Versace
Iris Law is a known fan of vintage fashion—and she pulled out a particularly iconic piece with this dress from Versace’s fall 2003 collection. Most notably worn by Beyoncé at that year’s MTV VMAs, Law opted for the golden frock to attend a London Fashion Week party hosted by Perfect Magazine on February 21.
Bella Hadid in Tom Ford-era Gucci
Bella is another established vintage fashion enthusiast (her secret Depop page is filled with Miss Sixty tank tops, Von Dutch jeans, and rimless Chanel sunglasses) who pulls out grails for major red carpet moments. See: the Cannes Film Festival, where she wore this favorite from Gucci’s fall 1996 collection.
Zendaya in Bob Mackie
Zendaya always makes the right choices on the red carpet. For the Time 100 Gala in June, she and stylist Law Roach tapped legendary designer Bob Mackie’s archives—and settled upon this turquoise and black stunner.
Kate Moss in John Galliano
Kate Moss showed her pride of country during The Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II back in June. The super topped her black silk slip dress with a cropped, all-over printed blazer bearing a Union Jack pattern. The piece comes from John Galliano’s Brit-inspired spring 1993 collection, which Moss wore when it debuted on the runway almost 30 years ago. The model was likely gifted the jacket by Galliano, as the designer was known to do back in the day.
Bella Hadid in Dior
Another John Galliano piece, this time worn by Bella Hadid during New York Fashion Week in September, celebrates the designer’s time at the helm of Dior.
Amal Clooney in Alexander McQueen
For the Ticket to Paradise premiere in L.A., Amal Clooney dove deep into the archives for this spring 2003 Alexander McQueen gown. It makes sense—the Lebanese-British human rights lawyer has a penchant for vintage dresses.
Natalie Portman in Claude Montana
We love this sculptural, bright-orange blazer from French designer Claude Montana’s fall 1991 collection, which Natalie Portman wore to an event celebrating her film Thor: Love and Thunder. Montana, it’s worth noting, was known to make suiting for women that celebrated their natural form.
Zendaya in Valentino
Admittedly, it was difficult to choose Zendaya’s best vintage looks of the year—she had many. But this archival Valentino gown is incredibly flattering for her long-and-lean figure, and has a particularly iconic history (Linda Evangelista debuted the dress on the designer’s spring 1992 runway).
Kylie Jenner in Thierry Mugler
After stepping out in three looks from Thierry Mugler for the opening of the designer’s Couturissime retrospective at the Brooklyn Museum, Kylie Jenner arrived at the 2022 CFDA awards in yet another look from the couturier. For the Oscars of fashion Jenner opted for a one-shoulder gown with matching glove and high-slit skirt from the Mugler’s fall 1999 collection.
Kate Winslet in Badgley Mischka
For the Avatar: The Way of Water premiere in London, Kate Winslet rifled through her own closet. She pulled out this seven-year-old Badgley Mischka halter number with a crystal-embedded bodice, which she originally wore back in 2015 at the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of The Dressmaker.
Rihanna in a TLC Fanmail Jersey
When Rihanna does vintage fashion, she absolutely makes it her own. For date night with A$AP Rocky, Rih wore a pair of green and black Marni checkered corduroy trousers, along with a vintage TLC Fanmail Chargers jersey from the group’s 2000 concert tour.
Dua Lipa in Versace
At the 2022 Grammys, Dua Lipa channeled Donatella Versace—not just with waist-length blonde hair, but also by throwing on this vintage gown from the Italian label’s fall 1992 ready-to-wear collection. Originally modeled by Christy Turlington and designed by Gianni Versace, this classic piece features a sheer corset and bondage-esque bodice, along with multiple chunky gold chain necklaces with the Medusa emblem around her neck and on her wrist.
