On Monday night, Keke Palmer didn’t just host the CFDA Awards. She hosted it — in a 50-year-old dress that once made Raquel Welch and Cher share a stage.
The actor, who served as the host of the 2026 CFDA Awards, arrived at the annual ceremony on Monday in a rare Bob Mackie gown from 1975.
And yes, it’s the exact same one. Not a recreation. The original.
The Dress: A Piece of Pop Culture History
It was originally worn by Raquel Welch to perform “I’m A Woman” alongside Cher on The Cher Show decades ago.
February 1975. The Cher Show — the most glamorous variety show on TV. Raquel Welch, the biggest sex symbol in the world, and Cher, the most outrageous dresser, performing “I’m A Woman” in matching Bob Mackie. Welch’s version: a shimmering champagne-gold creation.
Palmer models an iconic vintage gown originally custom-made by Bob Mackie for Raquel Welch during her performance with Cher in 1975. Sourced from Timeless Vixen, the shimmering champagne-gold creation features a low-cut plunging bra top with crisscross halter straps.
The details everyone is screenshotting:
- Color: All-over jewel-embellished champagne-gold, not yellow gold — catches light like liquid
- Top: Plunging bra top with crisscross halter straps framing décolletage
- Middle: A web of waist cutouts — completely exposed torso, held together by beaded web
- Bottom: Dramatic high slit, backless, midi-length — you see leg, then more leg
- Back: Completely open, no zip you can see — pure Bob Mackie showgirl engineering
Keke Palmer brings dazzling retro glamor and vintage flair to the red carpet at the 2026 CFDA Fashion Awards. She wears a plunging gold Bob Mackie gown featuring a web of waist cutouts and a dramatic high slit.
The actress posed on the CFDA Awards 2026 red carpet at the American Museum of Natural History wearing a golden gown with completely exposed torso.
Why This Dress Now — And Why It Matters
This wasn’t just vintage for vintage sake.
1. It was a tribute.
The 2026 CFDA Fashion Awards brought out the biggest names in style. The awards, presented by Amazon Fashion, took place Monday, November 2, 2026, at New York City’s American Museum of Natural History.
In honor of Bob Mackie’s passing this year, Palmer wore a strappy gold dress by the designer, a custom creation for Raquel Welch on The Cher Show in 1975.
Bob Mackie — the man who dressed Cher for 50 years, who made the naked dress a thing, who dressed Marilyn, Diana Ross, Tina Turner — passed in early 2026 at 86. CFDA had a tribute planned. Keke was the tribute.
The actress, 33, turned heads in a vintage golden gown previously worn by Raquel Welch more than half a century ago when she walked the red carpet at the 2026 CFDA Fashion Awards.
“It’s Bob Mackie, vintage. Actually, it’s the dress that Raquel Welch wore when she performed with Cher,” she tells PEOPLE. She called it a “little vintage moment.”
2. It was sourced like museum piece.
For last night’s rewear, Palmer’s stylist Molly Dickson sourced the garment from vintage boutique Timeless Vixen.
Turns out, the iconic piece of pop culture was sourced from the professional vintage dealer Timeless Vixen — a celebrity favorite that Sabrina Carpenter and Kendall have used. Timeless Vixen keeps Bob Mackie originals in climate-controlled archive. This one had been in private collection since 1980s, never worn again after Welch.
Molly had to have it tailored — Welch was 5’6″, Palmer 5’2″ — but kept original beadwork. No new beads added.
3. It was 1970s Hollywood glamour done right in 2026.
2026’s theme is nostalgia dressing — Others, like Keke Palmer and Alix and Ashtin Earle, continued 2026’s theme of nostalgia dressing, in archival styles from Bob Mackie and Cavalli.
But Keke didn’t do 1970s as costume. She did 1970s as power:
- Hair: Big, brushed-out Diana Ross curls, not sleek
- Makeup: Bronzed lids, glossy nude lip, not matte
- Attitude: Host, not just guest — she opened show in that dress, doing a monologue, moving, dancing. Most people can’t walk in vintage Bob Mackie. She hosted 3 hours in it.
And then she changed:
Later in the evening, Palmer had multiple outfit changes, slipping into two other vintage looks: a 1990s Marc Bouwer and a 1970s Stephen Burrows.
Marc Bouwer — the 90s supermodel dress (think Whitney). Stephen Burrows — 70s disco lettuce hem, to close show. Full vintage timeline: 1975 → 1995 → 1970s.
Why Everyone Is Talking About It
Because it hits every 2026 obsession at once:
Vintage, not new: CFDA Awards usually about new designers. Palmer wore 50-year-old dress to awards celebrating new designers — and won red carpet. Keke Palmer had a “little vintage moment” in a Bob Mackie gown first worn by Raquel Welch.
Ab-baring but classy: In era of naked dresses, this one is naked but joyful — 1970s showgirl, not 2020s Instagram. The backless, midi-length dress featured all-over jewel embellishments, a criss-cross neckline, and a midriff-baring cutout — but it’s about performance, not just skin.
Raquel Welch + Cher + Keke: Three generations of women who own stage. Welch died in 2023, Cher is 80 and still performing, Keke is 33 hosting fashion’s biggest night in their dress. That’s lineage.
Keke Palmer** brought the glamour to the CFDA Awards on Monday night. The actress, who hosted the awards show celebrating the best of fashion, stunned in a decades-old Bob Mackie creation worn by Raquel Welch in 1975.
How to Get the Look (Without Raquel’s Original)
You can’t get the original — it’s back in archive after tonight. But 1970s Hollywood glamour is replicable:
- Color: Champagne gold, not yellow. Look for beaded halter
- Cutouts: Webbed waist — many brands (Retrofete, Norma Kamali) do it now
- Hair: Big, not flat
- Confidence: Keke’s real trick — she wore it like it was made for her, not borrowed. Because in Bob Mackie world, it was.
Keke Palmer Wears Raquel Welch’s 1975 Bob Mackie Gown as Hailey Bieber, Demi Moore & More Hit the 2026 CFDA Fashion Awards — and among all the new Saint Laurent, Palmer in 1975 Bob Mackie was most photographed.
1970s Hollywood glamour is back because we forgot how fun glamour could be — not serious, not minimal, just shiny, ab-baring, disco-ball joy.
Keke remembered.
