Sydney Sweeney Wows Fans Wearing Iconic Gown Marilyn Monroe Made Famous
Sydney Sweeney is making waves on the red carpet with her love for Old Hollywood glamour. The 28-year-old actress has been showing up at press tours, award shows, and film festivals lately, and she’s been consistently channeling vintage looks from Hollywood legends.
At the Santa Barbara Film Festival on February 8, Sweeney once again paid homage to a star of the past. Attending as one of the honorees for the Virtuosos Award, she wore an elegant Ceil Chapman gown that closely matched the dress Marilyn Monroe wore on her first LIFE magazine cover in April 1952.
The gown, sourced from the vintage boutique Timeless Vixen, featured the same off-the-shoulder design and iconic round brooch at the center. Its ivory hue and heavy ruching created a cinched-waist effect, a signature style of Chapman, who dressed stars like Elizabeth Taylor and Jayne Mansfield in the 1940s and 50s.
By choosing the gown, Sweeney wasn’t just wearing a beautiful dress—she was celebrating the history of the film industry she now shines in. This wasn’t her first nod to Monroe.
In December, at the Los Angeles premiere of The Housemaid, she wore a white Galia Lahav gown with a feathered skirt reminiscent of Monroe’s famous subway grate moment in The Seven Year Itch. She even recreated Monroe’s classic bombshell look for a W Magazine cover earlier this year, appearing in just a Chopard diamond necklace and blonde curls.
Fun Fact: Sydney Sweeney is wearing a VINTAGE ✨️Cecil Chapman✨️ dress at Santa Barbara Film Festival, the one Marilyn Monroe wore on the cover of Life Magazine in 1952.🪡 pic.twitter.com/o2t1zIq9Jq
— La Mode Unknown (@LaModeUnknown) February 9, 2026
Sweeney’s career is thriving alongside her fashion moments. The Housemaid, her psychological thriller directed by Paul Feig, was released in late 2025 and has already earned over $350 million worldwide. Fans can expect a sequel, The Housemaid’s Secret, with Sweeney returning to the role.
She’s also taking on a gritty new project, portraying 1990s boxing champion Christy Martin, which required a major physical transformation. And she’ll be back on HBO for the highly anticipated third season of Euphoria, set to premiere on April 12. Beyond acting, Sweeney recently launched her own lingerie brand, Syrn, expanding her reach into the business world.
“I love paying tribute to Monroe—it’s a way to connect with the legends of Hollywood while making the look my own,” she shared in an interview with W Magazine.
Do you think Sydney Sweeney’s frequent fashion nods to Marilyn Monroe help solidify her as a modern-day icon, or is it time for her to carve out a style all her own? Share your thoughts in the comments.
