Kerry Washington, 46, shut down the red carpet for the 2023 American Black Film Festival Honors: A Celebration of Excellence in Hollywood on March 5 in West Hollywood, California, in a red figure-hugging Marc Bouwer dress originally worn by Whitney Houston. The late singer originally wore the dress 27 years ago.
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Kerry Washington Wore Whitney Houston’s Red Dress For The ABFF Honors
Kerry wore the ruched, halter top dress with matching pointy-toe red heels. She also opted for Gismondy1754 jewelry, including a ring from their Ghaccio Collection, a flower ring, and a pair of white diamond stud earrings.
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The Scandal actress’ dress was originally worn 27 years ago by the late singer and music icon, Whitney Houston who wore it at the second BET Walk of Fame Awards gala in 1996. On his Instagram page, Marc Bouwer posted a slideshow of Kerry in the dress, along with an image of Whitney Houston wearing the dress. He captioned the post, “This dress is incredibly special to me. Swipe to see who wore it 27 years ago,” with a heart emoji.
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Celebrity stylist Law Roach selected the dress for Kerry. He captioned his post, “And then THIS happened…Thank you @marcbouwer for letting me go into your archives and borrow Whitney’s dress for @kerrywashington.”
Roach is also the stylist for Hunter Schafer and Issa Rae. Zendaya’s showstopping appearances at the Screen Actors Guild Awards (in a pretty pink gown) and NAACP Image Awards (in a vintage Versace dress) were styled by Roach as well. At the 2022 Council of Fashion Designers of America Awards, Roach received the inaugural stylist award for his accomplishments.
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The Unprisoned star shared a video of herself in the dress on Instagram with the caption, “What’s cooler than wearing Whitney Houston’s dress?” while lip-syncing the lyrics. “Nothing, nothing, nothing,” from Whitney’s 1992 song, “I Have Nothing,” from the movie The Bodyguard.
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The ABFF Honors pays tribute to Black artists who have made incredible contributions to entertainment and diversity in Hollywood. The 2023 honorees included Courtney B. Vance, Charles D. King, Glass Onion‘s Janelle Monáe, and the 1997 film Eve’s Bayou. Kerry was honored with the Excellence in Arts Award.
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