In early June, model and former Miss Universe Olivia Culpo married NFL player Christian McCaffrey in Rhode Island. On the day, Vogue published multiple stories about the wedding, including a deep dive on Culpo’s gown. When asked for her inspiration, Culpo said she wanted the dress to be “something serious” to match the marriage commitment and “didn’t want it to exude sex in any way, shape, or form.” The Tuesday following the wedding weekend, stylist and content creator Kennedy Bingham made a video response to Culpo’s choice of words and the gown, and both McCaffrey and Culpo responded on social media. Then, nearly three weeks later, Culpo responded for the first time. Here’s what to know about the whole ordeal.
What’s the deal with Culpo’s dress?
The wedding gown was designed by Dolce & Gabbana, the Italian fashion house whose founding duo have made racist and bigoted comments in the past. It was a long-sleeved crew neck with a big skirt and a 16-foot lace veil.
So why did Bingham make a whole video about it?
In her video, Bingham first commented that Culpo had worked with Dolce & Gabbana to create the dress when she could have worked with any other designer, citing Dolce & Gabbana’s homophobia, racism, sexism, “and basically any other -ism or -phobia you can think of.”
The second comment came from some strange, pseudo-religious things Culpo said about the design. Aside from saying she didn’t want her gown “to exude sex in any way, shape, or form,” Culpo said, “When I think about Christian and what he loves and the moments that he thinks that I’m most beautiful, it’s absolutely in something like this: timeless, covered, and elegant.” Bingham doubled down on Culpo’s use of the word covered and questioned her intention: “I also think it’s weird how much she’s talking about coverage, especially as someone who in her day-to-day life is not a modest dresser … I just think the usage of the word ‘covered’ is so icky, because you are not covered in day-to-day life. And, also, why is he thinking you’re the most beautiful when you’re covered? That’s such an odd thing.”
@gowneyedgirl From Miss Universe to Miss Pick Me, Olivia Culpo is earning her crown 👑 (Photos from Vogue Weddings via Jose Villa) #bride #bridal #weddingdress #wedding #oliviaculpo #bridalgown #bridalstylist #vogue #voguewedding #bridaltiktok #weddingtiktok #dolcegabbana
♬ Chopin Nocturne No. 2 Piano Mono - moshimo sound design
Did Culpo respond to the video?
Yes. Both Culpo and her husband have responded. On an Instagram Reel (with the same video Bingham had posted to TikTok), McCaffrey commented, “What an evil thing to post online. I hope you can find joy and peace in the world, the way my beautiful wife does.”
In the responses Bingham shared, Culpo wrote, “Wow what an absolutely evil person you are. I hope no one ever tears you apart in this way because it’s extremely hurtful. I love this dress and it was everything I wanted and more.”
Culpo wrote that millions of people wear Dolce & Gabbana and that calling them all racist is “bizarre.” Bingham responded by saying those people don’t work directly with them and praise them in Vogue: “They are not just a designer to you, they are a coworker … I’m also not saying YOU’RE anything. I’m saying that your actions allude to a certain mindset that you aren’t doing anything to contradict.”
Then they started arguing over … lashes?
Next, everything went in a direction no one could have anticipated. Culpo had told Vogue that she skipped mascara, eyebrow makeup, and lip liner for the wedding. Bingham took offense to this, saying in her video, “She told Vogue she prefers to go more natural so she didn’t wear mascara or eyebrow gel on her wedding day. Sweetness, you didn’t wear it because you have a lash lift, lash extensions, and eyebrow lamination.” They went back and forth on that point in the comments, with Bingham ultimately saying the real issue was that Culpo had worn Dolce & Gabbana and was using the lash comment to deflect.
“I pointed out your designer has a long history of homophobia and racism and your words push a harmful standard of misogyny and you’re upset about the lash comment?” asked Bingham. Yikes.
Today With Hoda & Jenna gets involved.
On the July 9 episode of their show, Jenna Bush Hager and Hoda Kotb shared their support of Culpo.
“We think she looks beautiful,” said Bush Hager. “Why does anybody feel like they get to comment on how she’s dressed? She looks beautiful. People were down in their basements saying she’s too covered up? You can’t win.” The duo clinked glasses and drank to it.
And then what happened?
Three weeks later, Culpo responded to her dress drama via People. She explained that she wanted to feel like herself “in every sense of the word” and that’s why her look was more pared down. She was surprised by the response, saying, “Unfortunately, I feel like the words I said were spun out of context to fit an agenda that I did not have.”
She went on to say that she had “a vision. Stylistically, I felt like I was making a decision that was going to stand the test of time, and that’s it.” She added, “I felt very comfortable in it, for what it’s worth. I was on the water, and there was a very nice breeze.”
We will await more updates from this incredibly niche and petty drama.
This post has been updated.
