What Becomes of Red Carpet Dresses After Celebrities Showcase Them?

The fascination with award-show fashion has nearly overshadowed the events themselves. Annually, multiple networks dedicate hours to dissecting the outfits celebrities wear on the red carpet before they step into the awards venue. During the 2017 Oscars, the E! Network even allocated an entire day to red carpet coverage, beginning with an early morning "pre-pre-show" titled "Countdown to the Red Carpet" and followed by the extensive "Live from the Red Carpet" hosted by Ryan Seacrest.

For designers, the red carpet serves as one of the most prominent and talked-about platforms to showcase their brands. Indeed, leading designers often invest significant sums—ranging from $100,000 to $250,000—to have A-list actresses and musicians wear their dresses or jewelry, depending on the celebrity's level of fame.

Other stars are permitted to 'borrow' a designer gown, handbag, or diamond-encrusted necklace for the evening—free of charge—to ensure the designer's name appears in the highly sought-after red carpet photo galleries.

But what becomes of that exorbitantly priced dress once the red carpet is cleared and the cameras shift focus to the next event? Is the gown tucked away in a closet, never to see the light of day again, or does the designer send it to the dry cleaner and attempt to sell it online?

We consulted Ariana Weisner, a renowned Hollywood stylist, for insights. Weisner, who outfits celebrities for award ceremonies, press tours, and magazine features, reveals that nearly all dresses loaned for award shows are returned to the designer—99.99% of them, to be precise.

"In rare instances, the designer may gift the gown to the celebrity," explains Weisner, citing the iconic plunging green Versace dress Jennifer Lopez wore to the 2000 Grammys as the most famous example. "Versace gave her the dress because it marked such a historic moment." Glamour magazine reports that the daring dress remains in JLo's wardrobe.

Major fashion houses like Dior, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel typically reclaim red-carpet dresses and store them in their archives, notes Weisner. You won't find a high-profile Oscars gown resold to the public, whether dry-cleaned or not. However, this isn't the case for lesser-known designers.

Weisner attributes this trend to the rise of fashion rental companies in cities like Los Angeles and New York. Less notable red-carpet dresses from "whatever designers" (as Weisner puts it) often end up in shops like Armarium or Rent the Runway a few years after a major event.

Sample sales are another avenue where you might discover a dress worn by a celebrity for a single glamorous evening. When a designer's warehouse overflows with unsold items from previous collections or sample-sized dresses repeatedly tried on in stores, they organize a sample sale.

"Occasionally, you can find a dress at a sample sale that a celebrity has worn before," says Weisner. "They're usually quite affordable since they've already been used."

Even if you can't purchase the exact dress a celebrity wore on the red carpet, you might find an identical replica available. Occasionally, Weisner notes, a standout dress from an award show is selected for mass production. For instance, a dazzling silver gown Kate Hudson wore to the 2016 Vanity Fair Oscars after-party was later sold online by the designer for "just" $3,325.

Extravagant dresses not only captivate E! viewers but also attract thieves. At the 2015 Oscars, Lupita Nyong'o wore a stunning white Calvin Klein gown adorned with 6,000 pearls, valued at approximately $150,000. The dress was stolen from her Los Angeles hotel the day after the ceremony but was mysteriously 'returned' by the thief.

According to TMZ, after stealing the gown, the thief removed two pearls and took them to the garment district, only to discover they were fake. Deeming the dress 'worthless,' the thief left it in a bathroom at Nyong'o's hotel and alerted TMZ to its location.