Margot Robbie divides fans with vintage-inspired Versace gown lined with red lace

Actress’s gown appears to be an updated take on Versace dress worn by Carla Bruni in 1995

Margot Robbie has sparked a debate with her latest red carpet look, after the actress attended the Sydney premiere of Babylon in a vintage-inspired Versace gown.

On Monday 16 January, Robbie arrived on the red carpet ahead of the Australia premiere of her latest film. For the occasion, Robbie seemingly looked to the 1990s Versace archives for inspiration, as she wore a pale blue gown by the designer, which featured a corset-style bodice and a ruched fabric detail around her waist that accentuated the dress’s high slit.

However, the actress’s gown appeared to be altered slightly from the original style, which was originally worn down the Versace runway by Carla Bruni in 1995, as the thigh-high slit and hem of Robbie’s dress were lined with cherry red lace.

The design choice has been met with mixed reactions on social media, where many have suggested the red lace took away from the simplicity and timelessness of the original Versace gown.

“Now why did Margot Robbie ruin this beautiful dress with the red thing…” one critic tweeted, while another said: “Whoever added the lace needs jail time.”

According to someone else, who questioned Versace’s vision, the dress looked “SO much better without the lace”.

“The red lace looks just wrong, like it doesn’t match at all,” another person claimed.

Others suggested the design choice would have been less jarring if the lace had been a different colour, with one person claiming white lace would have worked better with the pale blue of the satin gown. “It wouldn’t be that bad if the lace was white,” they wrote, while someone else said: “Like, even if the lace was black this could’ve been a slay.”

“Why the lace? Adds nothing to an already perfect dress,” one person claimed.

Margot Robbie attends Sydney premiere of Babylon (Getty Images for Paramount Pictu)

The lace detail of Robbie’s Versace gown proved controversial, however, as some fans revealed that they liked the look of the dress with the red lace.

“I must be the only one on earth who thinks Margot Robbie’s red lace trim looked good on the dress. Hate me, I don’t care,” one fan tweeted.

Another said: “I love the red lace on the Margot Robbie Versace dress. It’s cool and cute and different and I’m obsessed with the contrast, fight me.”

“The red lace on Margot Robbie’s custom Versace dress is a nice touch,” someone else wrote. “Also, why are people acting like she’s the one who made the f**king dress. Haters.”

Others revealed that they were simply glad to see the Wolf of Wall Street star in designs other than Chanel. Robbie, who has been a brand ambassador for Chanel since 2018, frequently wears the fashion house’s designs on red carpets. However, Robbie has recently worn a number of other designers, with the actress wearing Celine, Alaïa and Bottega during the Babylon press tour.

“So refreshing to see her in anything but Chanel,” one person tweeted in response to Robbie’s latest red carpet choice, while another said: “Margot Robbie is a stunner when she’s not wearing Chanel.”

Although Robbie has sported looks from other designers recently, it does not appear that she has cut ties with Chanel, as she attended the 80th annual Golden Globes last week in a dress by the brand. For the occasion, Robbie wore a custom pale pink gown embellished with crystals.

Margot Robbie wears Chanel to Golden Globes (Getty Images)

According to Vogue, the red carpet look required more than 750 hours of work, as the dress, which featured a mermaid-style hem, was embellished with sequins, bugle beads and feathers.