Hailey Bieber is in her Gucci era—and last night, she reminded us that few can revive an archive quite like she can. Stepping onto the red carpet at the GQ Men of the Year Awards, the model and mogul delivered a masterclass in sensual nostalgia, slipping into a look that felt both familiar and freshly provocative.
Her choice? A shimmering, jet-black, sheer knit Gucci dress—a Tom Ford–era relic with undeniable magnetism. The halter neckline, the plunging back, the whisper-thin fabric draped like smoke… and then, of course, the pièce de résistance: an exposed Gucci-logo thong detail grazing the small of her back. It was a sartorial wink straight to the fashion faithful.
She finished the look with Tiffany & Co. cluster drop earrings, a coordinating bracelet, and a diamond band, while keeping her glam quintessentially Hailey: swept-up brunette hair, glazed caramel lips, and that signature barely-there blush.
This isn’t Bieber’s first flirtation with the cheeky-back silhouette. At the 2019 Met Gala, she embraced the Camp theme in a saccharine pink Alexander Wang gown with a similarly suggestive thong reveal—long before her quiet-luxury uniform became the standard for every off-duty moodboard.
Her latest Gucci moment pays homage to one of Tom Ford’s most iconic contributions to the house: the monogrammed thong first seen on the spring/summer 1997 runway. Worn by Kim Kardashian and Solange and immortalised in the Met’s permanent collection, the piece is practically fashion folklore. And under the “’90s Hollywood red carpet” theme at Chateau Marmont, Bieber brought its subversive glamour roaring back, recalling the daring back-baring looks of Gillian Anderson and Rose McGowan.
It also fits seamlessly into her recent red-carpet rhythm: Saint Laurent leather, sculptural Ferragamo, and an increasingly loyal return to vintage. Ford-era Gucci, in particular, remains her sweet spot—and for good reason. Few eras embody playful sensuality with such opulence.
Joined by fellow GQ cover stars Stephen Colbert, SZA, Oscar Isaac, Sydney Sweeney, and Clipse, Bieber cemented her place in the night’s sartorial hierarchy. And while temperatures everywhere seem to be plummeting, celebrity fashion is sizzling toward a new threshold of daring.
