This evening, Zendaya attended the Rome premiere of The Drama in a black Armani Privé gown, featuring an embellished and very low scoop neck and structural waist. The silhouette was familiar—yet, that was the point. Keen red carpet commentators might have noticed that it’s identical to an Armani Privé dress that Cate Blanchett wore at the Venice Film Festival last year. Well, that would be because it is literally hers.
Fitting for the bridal theme of Zendaya’s latest movie, the clever trick serves as the actress’s “something borrowed.” (At the Los Angeles premiere, Zendaya recently rewore her white Vivienne Westwood dress from the 2015 Oscars as her “something old,” raising suspicions of the strategic dressing.) Image architect Law Roach took to Instagram to confirm the theory, posting on his story, “Thank you Cate Blanchett.”
Now, no one does outfit repeating better than Blanchett—prior to the Venice Film Festival she had already worn that particular Armani Privé look to the 2022 SAG Awards. Rewearing is a common occurrence for the seasoned red-carpet attendee. This awards season, Vogue has even dubbed one of its inaugural awards “The Cate Blanchett Sustainability Award for Best Vintage or Archival Fashion.” However, there was once a time where outfit repeating as an industry peer was a little more taboo.
Picture this: It’s 2006 and Reese Witherspoon appears at the Golden Globes in what she thinks is a vintage Chanel gown. Except it’s not, it’s from the 2002 couture collectsion and Kirsten Dunst had worn the same thing three years prior. A sartorial mini-scandal ensued. Disappointment surrounding the snafu was reportedly voiced by Witherspoon’s then-publicist. Chanel’s PR team clarified that a dress so young couldn’t be considered vintage, while also apologizing for the oversight. Fast forward a couple of decades and it’s hard to believe such a situation could ever rock the media waves. Rewearing is lauded as a sustainability move today. Or even as a clever marketing gimmick.
At the 2025 Venice Film Festival Julia Roberts and Amanda Seyfried wore carbon copy looks from Versace’s then creative director Dario Vitale, offering a would-be sneak peek at the incoming designer’s debut collectsion. As José Criales-Unzueta noted at the time, Joan Rivers used to have a segment literally called “Bitch Stole My Look.” How the times have changed!
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