The internet can't get enough of Angelica Hicks and her hilarious recreations of celebrity looks featuring regular household items
Fashion is a tricky topic. You’re supposed to be daring and take risks and stand out from the crowd, but if you happen to wear a piece that resembles food or aluminum foil, prepare to have some jokes cracked about your look online. Angelica’s videos are all in good fun, but they do bring attention to how hilarious and bold some of these celebrity outfits are. Just because someone spent $5,000 on a gown or had it custom designed by Christian Dior doesn’t mean that it’s the most gorgeous piece to ever walk the red carpet. In fact, it might be easily recreated for a photo using some objects you have in your kitchen and pantry.
To learn more about how these creative videos came to be, we reached out to the brilliant artist herself via email. When it comes to what inspired these looks in the first place, Angelica says that she adores fashion, but she’s always viewed it through a comedic lens. “Sometimes it can appear so unattainable to people not ‘in the industry’, which is a shame, and something that I hope to combat through humor; taking the everyday and recreating the elevated.”
We were also curious if Angelica had any idea just how popular these videos would become. “I definitely didn’t expect them to blow up!” she told Bored Panda. “I was just having a lot of fun making videos, and my friends and people online were so supportive, which gave me confidence to create and create!”
And when it comes to how Angelica chooses which outfits to recreate, she told us, “Some looks just speak to me, I can’t really explain it. It has to be something that allows me the space to be sort of absurd. Of course, sometimes I feel I HAVE to recreate a look because it’s so obvious, but the most fun is when it’s truly difficult. Like a project runway challenge!”
Celebrities often seem untouchable, but Angelica’s videos have gone so viral that we were curious if any of the stars that served as her muses have seen her content. “I know that some celebrities have seen the recreations as they have shared my videos!” she told Bored Panda. “Maggie Gyllenhaal shared my recreation of the Schiaparelli dress that she wore to the Oscars in 2022. That was a HUGE deal as I am a massive fan of hers! Recently Heidi Klum shared my recreation of the Lever couture dress she wore to the premiere of Avatar. I loved that! She’s so cool. And it’s so cool that they have even watched the videos! Let alone that they share the joke. It means a lot to me.”
We were also curious if any of Angelica’s recreations stand out to her as personal favorites. “One of my all time favorites is Taylor Swift at the Grammys,” she shared. “Oscar de la Renta made out of tinsel garland. Next to each other on the scale of an iPhone or tablet, they are truly identical. Which is so fun! It’s truly a trompe l’oeil facilitated by the screen.” If you haven’t seen Angelica’s video featuring this look, you can find it right here. And she’s right, her adaptation is a carbon copy!
We also asked Angelica if she’s ever sported any of these looks outside of the house. “I’ll wear shoes and accessories out of the house occasionally,” she revealed. “I once filmed a video outside, which was quite embarrassing… I am sort of shy and live in a very residential neighborhood. I found myself standing there in costume when school broke out, so I got a lot of funny looks!”
If you’re looking to create any of these innovative looks at home yourself, Angelica’s videos typically break down what items she’s using and show an abridged version of her process. Of course, much more time and energy is invested in these outfits than a quick, one-minute TikTok will show. But her videos do provide a basic structure for viewers who want to snap a photo of their fave celebrity look for Instagram or need an affordable costume for Halloween. If you have toilet paper, towels, trash bags, wrapping paper, gaffer tape, ribbons, foil, glitter and a few cheap closet staples from Goodwill, you’d be amazed what looks you can put together!
