When Lindsey Vonn stepped onto the red carpet at the 2025 ESPY Awards, the night stopped being solely about trophies. The alpine skiing legend, nominated for Best Comeback Athlete after her remarkable return to competition, delivered a fashion moment that felt more fashion week than awards show — and one that continues to spark conversation more than a year later.
Vonn arrived at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on July 16, 2025, in a strapless, deep plum Elisabetta Franchi gown from the designer’s fall/winter 2025 collection. The dress featured a dramatically high slit that rose to the hip, deliberately revealing a coordinated black thong with gold detailing. Paired with platform sandals, statement earrings, wet-look waves, and smoky eye makeup, the look was bold, confident, and unapologetically strong.
The choice was intentional. Vonn later clarified on Instagram that the visible underwear was “part of the look,” pairing the post with the message: “Strong and feminine… Doesn’t have to be one or the other. We can be both. Just be you.” A brief wind-related wardrobe moment nearly escalated the reveal, but her sister Karin Kildow quickly stepped in to help manage the fabric, preventing any further exposure.
Inside the ceremony, Vonn switched into a second look — a silver fringe-beaded gown with a sheer skirt — before co-presenting the Best Play award. She did not take home the Best Comeback trophy that night (it went to gymnast Suni Lee), but her red carpet appearance generated more lasting buzz than many of the winners.
The moment captured something larger about Vonn’s public persona. At 40, fresh off a partial knee replacement and a successful return to World Cup racing that included her first podium in seven years, she refused to soften her edges. The same athlete who had just rewritten the narrative around age and injury in elite sport showed up in a dress that celebrated strength, femininity, and control on her own terms.
In the year since, the look has been revisited in fashion roundups, style rankings, and social media discussions as one of the most memorable red carpet statements of the 2025 awards season. For an athlete who has spent her career dominating downhill courses at high speed, turning an awards carpet into something that felt like a personal runway was entirely on brand.
Lindsey Vonn didn’t just attend the 2025 ESPYs. She made them look like they needed a longer catwalk.
