Nowadays, it’s common for just about anyone and everyone to hit up their local vintage dealer for an archival outfit to wear on the red carpet. But not everyone can conjure up the archival magic that Laverne Cox did last night. The actress, a long-time Alexander McQueen collector, slipped into a houndstooth skirt set from Lee McQueen’s landmark spring 2009 show to attend the InStyle Imagemaker Awards.
Cox’s gown is from McQueen’s notorious “Horn of Plenty” collection where, true to form, he presented parodied versions of Parisian fashion worn by models with doll-like lips and saran-wrapped headpieces. Cox’s black and white number, a riff on Christian Dior’s “New Look” silhouette, featured a low-cut front and a flared skirt that trailed down to her knees. The actress toned down the theatrical runway stylings in favor of sleek opera gloves and matching pointed-toe boots.
Cox’s outfit was shown with an experimental black hair style, matching houndstooth shoes, and clown-chic makeup on the 2009 runway. McQueen juxtaposed the high glamour of his designs by lining the catwalk with a piling heap of trash, spare tires, and odd bits and baubles. The collection, a true showcase of the late designer’s vision and tailoring, would become a perennial reference for the fashion world and stars alike in the years since its debut. But it’s quite rare to see any of the pieces pop up on the red carpet like they did last night.
Cox has been quietly staking claim to some holy grail archival McQueen pieces these past few months. Over the summer, the actress donned a printed mini dress and harness to an event in New York. Her dress is from the spring 2010 runway (back then, marketed as the “first live-streamed fashion show”) which marked Lee McQueen’s penultimate collection prior to his passing in early 2010.
The 2024 SAG Awards saw the actress take her McQueen obsession back to the ’90s. She sourced a gold-trimmed jacket from the designer’s fall 1996 show that she paired with a beaded John Galliano necklace—of course, also vintage.
It’s easy for stars and their stylists to make the “vintage” aspect of vintage red carpet fashion the entire focal point. But with Cox, it’s evident that she not only appreciates unearthing rare pieces from years past but also enjoys the story—and, in her case, the designer—behind them.