London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Jul 22, 2025

This Week, the Best Dressed Stars Had All the Right References

This Week, the Best Dressed Stars Had All the Right References

Behind every outfit is a story-and this week, they ran deeper than usual.

Fashion may rely on references, but it’s rarely evident on the red carpet, where the designer’s vision often comes second to that of the celebrity and their stylists. The outfit, and how its wearer looks in it, tends to become the story-but this week, the focus was on the history behind their wardrobe choices.

After all, to fully appreciate why someone dressed up, viewers needed a little sartorial subtext. Take Lady Gaga’s transformation into a vintage 1950s chanteuse during her trip to New York, which might seem like a flight of fancy. Still, the singer’s retro moment marked the lead-up to filming an MTV Unplugged set with her Cheek to Cheek collaborator, crooner Tony Bennett. By nodding to the aesthetic of Bennett’s heyday, Gaga paid tribute to one of her heroes while priming the audience for their next round of duets.

Elsewhere, the sartorial subtext continued. At the Cartier Queen’s Cup polo tournament in the U.K., Naomie Harris arrived with an accessory that alluded to Surrealist art. Dressed in a hot pink Schiaparelli column gown with a built-in bustier and sculptural brass buttons, it was Harris’s gold and black tote from Daniel Roseberry’s spring 2021 collection that added that irreverent touch the brand is known for. Each element of the bag’s “face” references one of Elsa Schiaparelli’s collaborators; the asymmetrical eyes are a call back to a brooch Jean Cocteau created for the house in 1937, while the handbag’s bijoux mouth is a nod to Salvador Dalí’s pearl-filled “ruby lips” brooch from 1949.

The week’s most controversial callback goes to Kim Kardashian, who broke the internet by wearing the lacy final look from Barragán’s fall 2020 show to tour the Sistine Chapel with Kate Moss. Given the spiritual significance of the Apostolic Palace and Kardashian’s status as a polarizing public figure, anything she wore was destined to get attention. Still, the context of Victor Barragán’s creation-and its beauty-added depth to what could have been just another wardrobe change during the reality star’s whirlwind tour of Italy. Influenced by the history of the Mexican Inquisition, Barragán used his collection to explore ideas about freedom from patriarchal domination and the power of sexuality. Given those themes, who better than Kardashian to take the look to the streets?

At the BET Awards in Los Angeles, meanwhile, everyone was dressed to the nines. But few could compete with Lil Nas X, whose outré outfits stole the show. While he wore multiple looks over the course of the night, it was Richard Quinn’s embroidered, pearl-encrusted suit that best captured the ceremony’s exuberant mood. A labor of love collection that Quinn crafted during lockdown in London, its excess of embellishment and color was an assertion of optimism, glamour, and the joy of fashion.



WHO: Laura Harrier
WHAT: Louis Vuitton
WHERE: Louis Vuitton Hosts Haute-Joaillerie Dinner at La Vigie in Monaco
WHEN: July 1



WHO: Rebecca Dayan
WHAT: Jacquemus
WHERE: Jacquemus “La Montagne” Show
WHEN: June 30



WHO: Lous and the Yakuza
WHAT: Louis Vuitton
WHERE: Louis Vuitton Hosts Haute-Joaillerie Dinner at La Vigie in Monaco
WHEN: July 1



WHO: Naomi Campbell
WHAT: Gucci
WHERE: The BET Awards
WHEN: June 27



WHO: Lil Nas X
WHAT: Richard Quinn
WHERE: The BET Awards
WHEN: June 27



WHO: Ellie Goulding
WHAT: Olivia Creighton
WHERE: The Cartier Queen’s Cup Polo 2021
WHEN: June 27



WHO: Lady Gaga
WHAT: Giambattista Valli dress and Fendi coat
WHERE: The Plaza Hotel
WHEN: July 1



WHO: Kim Kardashian
WHAT: Barragán
WHERE: Vatican City
WHEN: June 30



WHO: Yvonne Strahovski
WHAT: Brandon Maxwell
WHERE: The Tomorrow War premiere
WHEN: June 30



WHO: Naomie Harris
WHAT: Schiaparelli
WHERE: The Cartier Queen’s Cup Polo 2021
WHEN: June 27

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
×