The star and stylist Molly Dickson sourced archival pieces from Halston, Marc Bouwer, and Stephen Burrows for a night celebrating American fashion history.
Keke Palmer took the stage as host of the 2026 CFDA Awards in New York City with a wardrobe built entirely from vintage archives. Working with stylist Molly Dickson, she planned four distinct looks to unfold throughout the evening, each drawn from fashion history.
The opening look arrived in the form of a rare 1970s Bob Mackie gown—custom-made for Raquel Welch, who wore it to perform "I'm a Woman" alongside Cher on *The Cher Show* in 1975. The strappy, shimmery-gold piece came from Timeless Vixen, a vintage dealer also used by Sabrina Carpenter and Kylie Jenner. "Wearing Bob Mackie was one of the first ideas I mentioned to Molly," Palmer told *Vogue*. "His work holds so much entertainment history, and I loved being able to bring my own energy to a piece with that story."
Lauren Lepire, owner of Timeless Vixen, noted that the piece came to mind immediately when Palmer's team requested something special by the designer. "With his recent passing, it's especially meaningful to see Keke bring such an iconic design back into the spotlight," Lepire said.
The remaining three looks traced a black-and-gold narrative through subsequent decades: a revealing black Marc Bouwer dress previously worn by Toni Braxton, a striped one-shouldered Halston from the 1980s, and a slinky black 1970s Stephen Burrows to close the night. "For me, it was a story through the ages, celebrating these designers and the women who brought their clothes to life," Palmer explained.
Between costume changes, Palmer found unexpected pleasures in backstage encounters. She cited seeing Demi Moore, Law Roach, Prabal Gurung, and Brandy among the evening's highlights.
Palmer's upcoming projects include filming season two of *The 'Burbs* and continuing work on new music following her recent "Keke Frankenstein" video release. She also noted her continued focus on Practice by Palmer and motherhood, adding that she ended the awards night simply: "Bed! I'm a homebody."