Cate Blanchett is something of a fashion icon. The Oscar winning actress has been walking red carpets for over three decades, and wearing many designer gowns while doing it. In recent years, Cate has been doing something many stars would call a major no-no. She's an outfit repeater! At the 2025 Venice Film Festival, the Tar actress wore a black, floor length Armani Privé gown with a bejeweled and plunging neckline for the second time, proving sustainability can be black tie.
Cate was at the Venice Film Festival to celebrate the premiere of Paolo Sorrentino's film, La Grazia. Many sharp-eyed fans recognized the gown. Cate first wore it at the 2022 Screen Actors Guild awards. This wasn't the first time Cate re-wore a designer gown. She and her stylist, Elizabeth Stewart, often lean into sustainable fashion. In 2020 when Cate attended the Venice Film Festival, Elizabeth posted to Instagram writing: "It's chic to repeat." The two collaborate on repeats, with Cate re-wearing designer pieces at least 9 times over the past few years.
Megan Watkins, Head Stylist at online fashion destination SilkFred told HELLO!: "Cate is the perfect example of how powerful a capsule closet that you can re-wear is. It shows that great style isn't about constantly chasing something new or keeping up with fleeting trends, but about finding pieces that feel timeless and wearing them in a fresh way."
And re-wearing pieces isn't just about timeless fashion. Elizabeth wrote to Instagram about Cate's decision to re-wear: "Since fashion is international, a typical fitting can have looks from Paris, London, Milan… it takes planes, trains, and automobiles for almost any look and all the environmental impact and carbon footprint that entails."
She continued: "If we can avoid most of that by simply re-wearing an incredibly great look…we are going to do it dammit!" Many stars have sustainability on their mind. Billie Eilish has been seen re-wearing her clothes while performing, Kate Middleton notably repeated an Alexander McQueen look in 2019. Jane Fonda often outfit repeats. And Emma Stone even recycled her wedding dress for the 2022 Met Gala.
"With sustainability front of mind, we're seeing more stars repeat looks, and it doesn’t make the moment any less glamorous, if anything it adds to the story of the piece," Megan told HELLO!. She continued: "As with all red carpet looks, a stylist plays a big role here. We work closely with designers, archives and couture houses to source gowns, and we think about how to re-style them so they feel relevant for the occasion. That might mean updating accessories, hair and makeup, or even subtle tailoring tweaks."
With dozens of red carpets a year, it's simply not sustainable for stars to source custom gowns for each and every one. It feels like soon, more of our favorite stars will be following in Cate's footsteps. "Ultimately, re-wearing isn't about playing it safe," Megan explained to HELLO!. "It's about showing confidence in your choices and proving that true style stands the test of time."