TikToker uses trash to recreate celebrity red-carpet looks

One person’s trash is another’s couture — at least in the eyes of one New York artist.

Angelica Hicks, 29, has captured the interest of thousands of fashionable eyes around the world by creating budget versions of high fashion outfits. In 2021, Hicks started sharing her stunning recreations, which rely on everything from toilet paper to garbage bags, to social media. She’s since racked up more than 181,000 followers on TikTok and Instagram combined.

“The videos aren’t meant to denigrate the looks,” Hicks explained in a post online. “Just sometimes I see an outfit and I think…I can make an affordable version, and that process is funny .”

She’s recently taken on some of the buzziest red carpet looks, including Florence Pugh’s sheer Venice Film Festival frock and Taylor Swift’s silvery VMA mini and high fashion looks straight from the runway of New York Fashion week, Hicks is dazzling followers with her creative — and hilarious — takes on high fashion.

The artist has collaborated many big names on art projects including the Metropolitan Museum of Art ahead of the 2019 Met Gala, Rockefeller Center, Yoox Net-a-Porter Group and Gucci, but as found a loyal following on social media

With her TikTok bio reading “serving looks for less,” Hicks does just that, with some of her most loved looks amassing millions of views online.

Carolina Herrera runway model at NYFW

Hicks used a roll of toilet paper and a strapless little black dress to recreate a runway look from Carolina Herrera’s 2022 Fall Collection at New York Fashion Week.

She wrapped the TP around the black dress to create bold stripes, then completed the look with strappy sandals similar to those on the runway — except the straps around her ankles were made with electrical tape.

Ana de Armas at the 2022 Venice Film Festival

Ana de Armas wowed the crowd at the 2022 Venice Film Festival last week in a blush pink Louis Vuitton dress with a plunging neckline and gorgeous flowing cape-style back. The gorgeous gown was accessorized with a chunky choker and bracelet.

Hicks’ look was equaling dazzling, relying on sheer pink trash can liners to simulate the original’s fabric. Hicks draping some bags around her neck so they dangled to the floor, then one around her waist to cinch things in.

Never one to forget a detail, made her own choker and bracelet using the mesh sleeves from a pear. A. garlic clove functioned as the bauble hanging off the necklace. The look has been her most popular to date — with over 2.1 million view on TikTok.

Taylor Swift at 2022 VMA Awards

Taylor Swift made sure everyone knew the naked dress trend was sticking around 2022 MTV Music Video Awards, rocking an Oscar de la Renta mini dress made out of strands of silver crystals.

Hicks offered a humble but still glittering alternative, draping herself in in strands of silver tinsel. She wrapped the holiday-decor staple around herself in a precise manner to imitate Swift’s frock, then finished the look with Swift’s signature red lipstick.

Her followers declaring it “better than the original,” and some saying she wore it better than Taylor herself.

Florence Pugh at the 2022 Venice Film Festival

A dress more dramatic than the drama surrounding the movie you’re promoting it hard to do — but Florence Pugh managed to do just that, until she was arguably upstaged by Hicks’ impressive crafty version.

Pugh’s floor length, near sheer corseted tulle dress had poufy elbow-length-sleeves that fell off the shoulder, a front slit and a floor-sweeping train and was covered in eye-catching silver sequins and some dramatic ornate heels with floral detailing.

Hicks near-perfectly made the look at home, starting with spray painting some leaves black and fixing them to the ankle of some strappy heels to not miss a key element of the extraveganzza.

She then created the rest of the dress using black tulle and finished it with a sprinkling of silver glitter all over herself and some aluminum foil scrunched up in lieu of Pugh’s Tiffany and Co jewelry.

Michelle Zauner at the 2022 Grammy Awards Show

Michelle Zauner, the lead vocalist and songwriter of the alternative pop band Japanese Breakfast wore a show stopping yellow-tired Valentino Haute Couture dress to the 2022 Grammy Awards.

The voluminous dress was achieved through yellow balloons, with Hick’s donning a yellow oversized t-shirt then slowing up balloons and sticking them all over her body. To achieve the ‘petal’ look of Zauner’s Valentino version, she popped them and left them to dangle, leaving her wearing a striking look for less.