Was Kendall Jenner really the only person to ever wear the archival Alexander McQueen for Givenchy gown at the 2024 Met Gala?
After Jenner, 28, donned the 1999 dress on Monday, May 6, eagle-eyed spectators were quick to point out that the dress was previously seen on Winona Ryder.
“I am so, so incredibly honored to wear it,” Jenner told Vogue at the ball. “I’m the first human to wear it. It’s shown on a mannequin.” The gown featured a plunging neckline, a sheer waist and fringe embellishments at her straps.
Following Kendall’s big claim at Fashion’s Biggest Night, photographer Warwick Saint shared his knowledge of the history of the gown.
“I shot this image of Winona Ryder back in 1999, wearing this authentic Givenchy dress. It was captured at Milk Studios for Flaunt Magazine, with makeup by Kevin Aucoin, hair by Ward, and styling by Kithe Brewster,” he captioned a shot via Instagram of Ryder, 52, in the design for the Flaunt Magazine shoot.
“Interestingly, Kendall Jenner claimed she was the first to wear this dress and a few people have reached out to me asking if it was authentic,” Saint continued. “It definitely was the authentic Givenchy dress for sure.”
On Thursday, a source confirmed to Us Weekly that Ryder’s dress was a replica, although fashion enthusiasts still found it strange that Givenchy would make such an intricate copy of the gown for Ryder — the It Girl at the time — to wear for a fashion spread.
“I’m shocked that the rumor is that the one Winona wore was a replica,” a social media user wrote via Instagram. “Could you imagine a replica of a dress that took over 500 hours to hand-embroider 100,000 beads and sequins. Why would they make two?”
A second fan agreed: “Exactly! like, what sense would it make for them to make another dress for ONE photoshoot? and who would’ve paid for it? Haute Couture costs more than an arm and a leg!”
Us Weekly reached out to Jenner’s stylist, Dani Michelle, and Givenchy for comment.
