What Happens to Celebrity Outfits After the Red Carpet Event Is Over

While admiring the stunning outfits that celebrities flaunt on the red carpet, we don’t really think about what happens to them afterward. It’s hard to imagine that these gorgeous dresses collect dust in the far corner of a celebrity’s closet. But, as it turns out, this is not always the case.

Where celebrities get their outfits from

The majority of celebrities don’t buy their red carpet outfits. Celebrity stylists send out requests to different fashion brands and choose a dress from the ones they’ve been offered. Some celebrities have contracts with certain designers. Kristen Stewart, for example, is a Chanel ambassador, so she wears the clothing of this brand most often. As a rule, designers lend their dresses for no more than 48 hours. And after this period of time, the dress should be returned to them. But sometimes, an actress can get a dress as a gift.

However, some celebrities don’t follow this and purchase their red carpet dresses themselves. This is what Bryce Dallas Howard does. According to the actress, samples are usually available only in small sizes, so it’s not as easy for her to find a dress that will fit her figure perfectly.

You can buy a dress worn by a celebrity at a sample sale.

There are iconic fashion houses, like Dior, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel, that keep their red carpet dresses in special archives. But lower-tier designers tend to sell the samples they lend to celebrities. Usually, such a sale takes place a few years after the event. And since the outfit is a secondhand item, you can get it at a big discount. This way, fashionistas can get a unique dress worn by a celebrity at a very low price.

But if a red carpet dress becomes a hit, it can be picked up for mass production. For example, a dress similar to the silver stunner by Maria Lucia Hohan that Kate Hudson wore to the Vanity Fair Oscar afterparty can now be bought online.

Sometimes, fashion brands lend the same dresses to different celebrities.

Fashion brands can loan out the same red carpet dress more than once. But not all celebrities are happy when they find out about this. In 2006, Reese Witherspoon’s stylist, for example, was shocked to find out that the Chanel dress she wore at the Golden Globes was actually the one Kirsten Dunst donned 3 years prior.

Witherspoon’s representative was so angry at Chanel that she said she would not accept anything from Chanel again and asked her other famous clients to follow suit.

Some items are sent to charity auctions.

Sometimes, gorgeous outfits help celebrities make the world a little bit better. The dresses can be put up for auction and the money earned can go to charity. In 2020, for example, celebrity stylist Elizabeth Stewart arranged an auction during which the coolest celebrity dresses were sold.

Cate Blanchett’s yellow gown that she wore at the 2020 Golden Globes, as well as Jennifer Lopez’s pink dress she flaunted at the 2018 American Music Awards, were sold there. The proceeds from the auction were sent to a non-profit organization that provides equipment to healthcare workers.

You can find outfits worn by celebrities at the Grammys in a museum.

There is a Grammy Museum in the US devoted to the history and winners of the Grammy Awards. You can also find legendary costumes worn by famous singers there.

In the present day, the Grammy Museum is holding an exhibition dedicated to the red carpet outfits worn at the ceremony in 2021 and 2022. Visitors can admire the gowns worn by Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Gloria Estefan, and many others.

Some celebrities refashion their old dresses.

The concept of sustainability has become quite popular recently, which is why some designers refashion their old costumes and provide them to celebrities. Saoirse Ronan’s silk gown, which she wore at the 2020 BAFTA, was refashioned into a stunning dress that she flaunted at another red carpet event a week later.

Sometimes red carpet dresses migrate into a celebrity’s everyday life.

Dakota Fanning loved her pink mini dress she wore to the Coraline premiere so much (she gave her voice to the main character) that she decided to wear it to her high school prom. And her fans admired her choice.

Jennifer Lawrence also doesn’t mind re-wearing her red carpet dresses. Lawrence donned the pink dress she wore to a social event in 2017 to Amy Schumer’s wedding. However, later, Lawrence complained that the buttons on her bodice kept coming undone. This was likely a sign that the celebrity had a good time on the dance floor.

Celebrities can appear on the red carpet wearing the same dress again and again.

In 2014, Winona Ryder appeared in the dress that she had already donned on the red carpet in 2005. The actress said, “I know that’s kind of a no-no in the fashion world, but why wear something just once if you love it?” And we totally agree with Ryder.

Even though the Hollywood actress tried to find excuses for her choice, the British Princess is not going to explain things for sure. It’s interesting that a certain glossy magazine found 82 times when Kate Middleton appeared wearing the same outfits. Kate Middleton wore a cream-colored Alexander McQueen dress, for example, 4 times, including to Princess Charlotte’s christening in 2015 and on Anzac Day 2022.

Celebrities share their outfits with their family members.

Some celebrities give their outfits to their family members. Kris Jenner, for example, was seen wearing the same dress that her daughter, Kim Kardashian, donned a year earlier. And this was not the only time this family shared their clothing. Perhaps they have a common wardrobe.

Angelina Jolie also gives her dresses to her daughters. In 2021, her daughter, Zahara, appeared on the red carpet wearing the dress that Jolie donned in 2014. The actress said that Zahara wanted to promote sustainability this way, saying, “We should look at what we already have and make something of it.”

What happens to your evening dresses or suits that you wear to important events? Do you keep them in your closet, give them to someone else, or continue to wear them?