Maisie Williams wore Sandra Bullock’s original 2006 “Infamous” gown to a “Practical Magic 2” photocall, the centerpiece of a press tour styled entirely from her co-star’s archive.
Sandra Bullock’s black off-the-shoulder gown from the 2006 “Infamous” premiere came out of storage this month and traveled to London, where Maisie Williams wore it to a “Practical Magic 2” photocall on Aug. 27. The dress was the original, lent by the actor who plays her mother in the sequel.
“My Antonia girl, you can raid Mama’s closet anytime,” Bullock wrote on Instagram, using the name of the character Williams plays in the film, which opens Sept. 11.
Stylist Dino Bonačić built the entire three-look press run from Bullock’s red carpet history. At the European premiere on Aug. 26, Williams appeared in a custom deep red Ellie Misner ensemble that reworked the boatneck top and wrap skirt Bullock wore to the 1999 “Forces of Nature” premiere. Misner built the sleeveless corset top to read as a ruched T-shirt, and Bonačić knotted the satin skirt at the waist and extended it into a train. She wore it with a rubellite Bulgari high jewelry necklace, a Roger Vivier clutch, and Christian Louboutin platforms. A third look nodded to the Collette Dinnigan slip from the 1998 original with a Paul Smith floral dress over a plain slip.
“As soon as @maisie_williams and I started talking about working together, I knew I wanted to pay homage to her film mother, who has epitomised the rebellious energy of the 1990s that Maisie oozes with herself,” Bonačić wrote on Instagram in a post. Of the red premiere look, he wrote: “Pulling this look together felt like winning the Oscar.”
Archival fashion has become the red carpet’s real status symbol
Borrowing a co-star’s actual wardrobe sits at the far end of a shift that has stylists trading current-season runway pulls for pieces with documented histories.
“Ultra-rare archival fashion functions as a status symbol that’s less about money and more about knowledge and access,” Dr. Carolyn Mair, author of “The Psychology of Fashion,” told Marie Claire U.K. “Anyone (wealthy) can buy a current runway look, but far fewer people can locate, authenticate and secure one of these pieces—which in turn positions the wearer as an insider with taste and discernment, not just spending power.”
“When I first started Timeless Vixen in 2004, the business was geared more towards passionate collectors and the film industry, who needed authentic pieces for period films,” founder Lauren Lepire told the publication. “Now, we are also assisting stylists daily who want epic vintage for red carpet moments and celebrity dressing.”
“Celebrity interest in rare archival fashion is really about cultural currency, especially at a time when luxury has become hyper-accessible and endlessly replicated online,” said Ameli Lindgren, who owns the vintage seller Nordic Poetry. She added, later in the same piece: “Archival fashion offers individuality. And who wants to turn up to a party wearing the same dress as everyone else?”
What the look signals about resale demand
The global secondhand apparel market now accounts for roughly 10 percent of total apparel spending and is projected to reach $393 billion by 2030, according to ThredUp’s 14th annual resale report with GlobalData. Gen Z and millennial shoppers are expected to account for 71 percent of that growth. U.S. resale is forecast to hit $78.8 billion over the same period.
“Resale is no longer just growing, it’s taking direct market share,” ThredUp cofounder and CEO James Reinhart said in the report. “In 2025, the U.S. secondhand market grew nearly 4X faster than the broader retail clothing market.”
“I do not believe in renting out rare archival vintage. If you really have a passion for rare fashion, you would want to purchase it and have it become part of your legacy,” Lepire said. Elsewhere in the same interview, she added: “For the past 20 years I have built my life on trying to share these archival pieces with the mainstream so I am overjoyed that more people are collecting.”
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