Kerry Washington looked stunning in red for the American Black Film Festival Awards on Sunday, March 5. We see a lot of stars wearing replicas or nods to iconic looks worn by icons, such as Lily-Rose Depp in a 2023 version of Kate Moss’s memorable sheer gown from the ’90s. The Scandal star, however, wore an actual dress worn by absolute legend Whitney Houston in 1996.
On Instagram, Washington—styled by Law Roach—shared a video of herself in a bright red body-con dress from Marc Bouwer with ruching, halter straps, and a square neckline. She paired the dress with bright red pointed-toe heels. Washington wore her shoulder-length hair sleek and straight in a side part, and she kept the ’90s minimalist theme alive with subtle jewelry, including silver earrings and rings.
“What’s cooler than wearing Whitney Houston’s dress?” reads the text in Washington’s IG video. Cue Houston’s song “I Have Nothing,” which began playing at the part where she belts, “nothing, nothing, nothing!”
“No lies told,” Washington wrote in the post’s caption. “Whitney Houston’s ACTUAL @marcbouwer dress she wore in 1996 😱. Sooooooo incredibly special. #ABFFAwards here I come! ❤️❤️❤️”
In 1996, Whitney Houston wore the Marc Bouwer dress when she performed at the BET Walk of Fame Awards gala. (You can see Houston in the look over at The Daily Mail.)
Roach also shared the look on Instagram, writing in the caption, “And then THIS happened…Thank you @marcbouwer for letting me go into your archives and borrow Whitney’s dress for @kerrywashington.”
He concluded the post with the hashtag #fLAWless, and honestly we’d have to agree.
