Selena Gomez's archival Mugler dress has a rich red-carpet history
Selena Gomez is the ultimate inspiration when it comes to styling the mini. From her post-engagement double white dress moment to her Chanel tweed two-piece, the singer is no stranger to refined dressing.
Yesterday, she rounded out her elegant style with a vintage throwback. The Only Murders In The Building actress filmed an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon with fiancé Benny Blanco, wearing an archival dress by Mugler. The recently-engaged couple is currently promoting their upcoming joint album I Said I Love You First, which will contain 14 songs in total.
Known as the "vampire" dress, Gomez's look was originally from Mugler's 1981 couture collection. The black velvet piece is constructed with a sculptural design which features off-the-shoulder puff sleeves, horned bustier detailing and a peplum waist.
The dress was also re-editioned through Mugler's collaboration with H&M in 2023, where customers could shop an almost identical remake of the original piece for a fraction of the vintage resale price.
But that's not the only place we've seen the archival Mugler dress resurface in recent years; the design was worn by Natalie Portman in 2021 while she attended the L.A. Dance Project Annual Gala, where the actress styled the piece with black stiletto heeled sandals and her signature sleek bob. Sydney Sweeney also embraced the vampire dress in 2022, wearing a green belted iteration for the Hollywood Critics' Association TV Awards.
Gomez is the latest to embrace the trend of wearing pre-worn red-carpet looks, taking the cyclical nature of archival pieces to the to the next level. Kylie Jenner wore a sparkling vintage Versace dress to the 2025 Golden Globes, a lavender version of which was worn by Elizabeth Hurley in the 1990s, while Keke Palmer revived another archival Versace piece, this time from its spring 2004 collection — also worn by Christina Aguilera for the 2003 MTV Europe Music Awards.
Vintage Mugler pieces have become hugely sought-after for celebrity red-carpet looks in recent years, including the iconic chrome suit worn by Zendaya for the Dune: Part Two premiere, Kylie Jenner's 1998 sheer gown at the 2024 Academy Museum Gala, and Kendall Jenner's black lace Oscar's after-party gown, pulled from Mugler's spring/summer 1992 collection. Read about more of our favourite Mugler fashion moments here.
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