Fashion Trivia: The Iconic Celebrity Trial that Produced a Fashion Campaign

Gwyneth Paltrow isn't the only star whose courtroom fashion deserves a conversation.

Test your fashion-industry knowledge with our new-old weekly series, Fashion Trivia! There’s no prize (yet) for having the right answer, but you get theoretical bonus points for not using Google.

Q: Which celebrity's early-2000s shoplifting trial led to a string of fashion campaigns with one of the designers she stole things from? (She even wore the brand to court.)

Scroll down for the answer...

A: Winona Ryder.

As we detailed in our other fun column, Great Outfits in Fashion History, Ryder provided an an excellent example of courtroom dressing in 2002 when she was on trial for shoplifting $5,500 worth of items from Saks Fifth Avenue. One of those items was a Marc Jacobs sweater. Obviously a fan of the designer, she actually showed up to court wearing a black-and-pink knit dress by the brand (presumably one she actually paid for).

Ryder was found guilty, but her consolation prize was a great relationship with Jacobs that's still going strong.

After the trial, the brilliant designer decided to cast Ryder in his Spring 2003 ad campaign — a Juergen Teller classic.

Ryder went on to attend many of the designer's runway shows and events, and star in the stunning 2015 Marc Jacobs Beauty campaign by David Sims, as well as the Fall 2015 fashion campaign. Most recently, she fronted ads for the brand's J Marc Shoulder Bag in 2022.

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It feels safe to say Ryder can get any Marc Jacobs item she wants now. Maybe Jacobs lets her pillage the showroom while his team looks the other way just to give her the thrill. Probably not, but it all goes to show: Sometimes, crime does pay (especially if you're rich, white and famous, haha).

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