All great fashion moments come with hidden tales — and Bella Hadid’s Cannes Film Festival dress by Versace is no exception. The twenty-five-year-old supermodel and former Bazaar Arabia cover star stepped out yesterday evening in a black gown, sporting a slick updo and graphic eyeliner as she made her way up the carpeted steps to the screening of Innocent (L’Innocent).

Some will call it an iconic moment (let’s face it everything Bella wears has, at some point, been described as iconic), others will say she understood the ᴀssignment. Whatever Gen-Z language you prefer to use, it was nothing short of one of the best style moments of the year, starring a dress dreamed up by one of fashion’s most gifted creatives. There was no theme to crush, no statement to be made; just pure vintage fashion at its finest, brought to life by a modern-day muse.

Bella Hadid at Cannes: The Story Behind The Dress

Styled by Law Roach (who paired the look with jewellery by Chopard), Bella was wearing a Gianni Versace’s creation, which first made its debut thirty-five years ago. According to Versace’s Instagram account, the black dress the supermodel wore was originally designed in 1987 Austrian for soprano and mezzo-soprano Helga Dernesch, for a performance of the opera Salomé at Teatro alla Scala in Milan.

“The strapless gown features a draped bodice in black georette and a panné velvet skirt,” the brand describes within the caption. “A flourish at the waist is crafted from a stiff taffeta band and closes at the back.”

“My brother Gianni designed this dress in 1987 for the opera Salomé at Teatro alla Scala in Milano,” she wrote within the caption of a carousel post on Instagram, the last image being a drawing of the dress worn by Bella Hadid at Cannes. “It’s so wonderful to see beautiful Bella bringing it to life again with all the drama it deserves.”