Olivia Rodrigo Puts a Dazzling Twist on the Slip Dress

This time last year, the Brit Awards marked Olivia Rodrigo’s very first red carpet outing as a newly-minted superstar following the runaway success of her breakout hit “Driver’s License.” For the 2021 ceremony, the musician stepped out in a Dior haute couture gown before changing into a red Valentino dress with batwing sleeves—and finally, bringing the house down with a performance of her record-breaking first single.

So it makes sense that the 18-year-old pop prodigy would make it a priority to return to London for this year’s event, even if this time, she arrived with a year of honing her ever-evolving, playful style under her belt. It’s no secret that Rodrigo knows how to pay perfect homage to the eras that inspire her in both music and fashion—most notably, the late ’90s and early ’00s—and it seems that for her second showing at the Brits, she went for a subtle nod to one of her heroes, Courtney Love, whose love of a silver slip dress is well known. (Who can forget the thrifted silky number Love wore to the 1995 Vanity Fair Oscars party, styled with a tiara?)

Rodrigo’s shimmering Alexandre Vauthier dress, though, offered a very 2022 take on grunge—that is, dialed up the glamour for maximum impact. Embellished with thousands of square sequins, the dazzling fishtail gown came paired with delicate Stefere jewelry and Giuseppe Zanotti wedges. And while Rodrigo might not have performed this evening, she still got her on-stage moment after winning the award for best international song. It seems that Rodrigo’s return to London didn’t just deliver in the style stakes, but came with some much-deserved laurels for her music too. To paraphrase the title of one of her best-known tracks: Good for her.