Who can forget the moment when Kim Kardashian donned Marilyn Monroe’s famous “Happy Birthday” dress for the Met Gala in 2022? She’s not the only celebrity who dipped into designer archives for the red carpet though – and the latest is Kerry Washington, perhaps best known as Olivia Pope in Scandal . The actor wore a vintage Marc Bouwer dress first worn by Whitney Houston in 1996 on Sunday, when she accepted an award for excellence at the American Black Film Festival Honors. So what do we know about the iconic dress – and how did Washington style it compared to Houston? Kerry Washington’s historical red dress look The red dress Washington wore to the American Black Film Festival Honors on Sunday played a role in Black fashion history. Red carpet recycles: 7 Hollywood stars who re-wore their designer outfits The ruched, velvet piece was originally worn by Whitney Houston when she performed at the BET Walk of Fame in 1996. It was designed by Marc Bouwer, who frequently dressed the singer for events and designed her 1992 wedding dress, according to InStyle. Houston even wore a similar design in black for the 1996 Carousel of Hope Ball. Law Roach was the stylist behind the ensemble Washington tapped stylist Law Roach to build her look for Sunday night, which included matching pointed-toe heels and touches of silver jewellery, similar to Houston’s styling. The Scandal actor even matched her nails to the dress, which featured a halter neck and ruching from top to bottom. She kept her make-up simple, opting for a nude lip and brown, smoky eyeshadow. The actress accepted an award for excellence in the arts at the event alongside actor Courtney B. Vance. Janelle Monaé and producer Charles D. King were also honoured at the event. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kerry Washington (@kerrywashington) Washington took her tribute one step further when she posted a video of herself lip-synching to Houston’s hit song “I Have Nothing” on Instagram Sunday night. In the caption, she called the opportunity to wear the gown “incredibly special”. Luxury idols: who is Blackpink’s most powerful member? Brand values, ranked Houston and Washington, side by side on Instagram Roach also shared a side-by-side of Washington and Houston on his Instagram, thanking Bouwer for letting them borrow the dress. Bouwer responded with thanks of his own, commenting on the post that the star looked “major”. According to Sports Illustrated, this isn’t the first time the dress made its way back into the spotlight. Model and actress Brooks Nader wore the same number to IMG Model’s vice-president Luiz Mattos’ 50th birthday party in June 2022. More and more frequently, stars and their stylists are bringing new life to vintage pieces by repurposing them for the red carpet. Zendaya and Roach pulled two archival designer pieces for the NAACP Image Awards in February, starting with a black and green Versace couture gown from 2002. She later appeared onstage in a 1993 Prada set, swapping out the original pants for a maxi skirt. This article originally appeared on Insider Want more stories like this? Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Twitter .