It’s been several days since Olivia Culpo donned a very traditional wedding gown to marry San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey — and explained to Vogue magazine that she didn’t want the custom Dolce & Gabanna dress to “exude sex.’
But the dress, and Culpo’s reasons for wearing it to her and McCaffrey’s lavish Rhode Island wedding Saturday, are creating a stir online.
Specifically, McCaffrey and Culpo have spent what should be their honeymoon, engaging in an online war with a style influencer, who went on a social media rant about Culpo’s dress on Tuesday. The Los Angeles-based stylist, Kennedy Bingham, said in a now-viral video posted to Instagram and TikTok that Culpo’s simple, long-sleeved gown lacked “personality” and suggested it was modest in a disturbing way, as if the bride was pushing “a conservative agenda” and she and her groom weren’t participating in a wedding but in “a conservative campaign.”
“Wow what an absolutely evil person you are,” the model and former Miss Universe wrote in response to Bingham’s video. Among other things, neither Culpo nor McCaffrey are known to speak out about politics or any particular agenda.
“I hope no one ever tears you apart in this way because it’s extremely hurtful,” Culpo continued. “I love this dress and it was everything I ever wanted and more.”
McCaffrey also called Bingham’s post “evil.” The NFL star said, “I hope you can find joy and peace in the world, the way my beautiful wife does.”
The world got to see multiple images of Culpo’s gown, thanks to Vogue magazine, which photographed the wedding at a historic resort in Rhode Island and published a series of photos online on Monday. The photos showed that Culpo’s gown was in a modest style, with long sleeves, a high crew neck, a voluminous skirt and a button-lined back, as Vogue magazine reported. Culpo wore the gown with a 16-foot lace veil and 15-carat De Beers diamond earrings.
“I didn’t want it to exude sex in any way, shape, or form,” Culpo told Vogue. “I wanted it to feel effortless and as if it’s complementing me, not overpowering me. There’s so much beauty and simplicity.”
At the start of her video, Bingham clarified that she initially had no problem with the dress or with a bride wanting to dress modestly on her wedding day. It was comments that Culpo made to Vogue about her dress that left “a bitter aftertaste,” she said.
“The way that she was talking about this went beyond just wanting something modest for herself and pushing this idea of what she thinks all brides should look like,” Bingham said, adding, “What you wear on your wedding day has almost nothing to do with whether or not you’re going to have a long and happy marriage.”
Bingham also expressed other misgivings about the dress, saying it had “no personality.” She compared it unfavorably to “gorgeous,” modest wedding gowns worn by other famous brides, such as Paris Hilton, Miranda Kerr or Lily Collins.
Bingham, moreover, questioned why Culpo chose Dolce & Gabbana to design her “covered-up” gown, given that the design house “is not known for its modesty.” Bingham also called out Dolce & Gabbana for its history of racism, homophobia and body shaming.
On Wednesday, Bingham said on Instagram Story that Culpo had blocked her, though only after the model posted additional replies to her criticism.
With regard to Bingham’s criticism of Dolce & Gabbana, Culpo asked, “Are you saying I’m racist, homophobic and misogynistic because of my wedding dress? So the millions of people who wear DG are all racist and homophobic? What a bizarre human you are.”
Bingham replied, “I’m not saying YOU’RE anything. I’m saying that your actions allude to a certain mindset that you aren’t doing anything to contradict.”
While some people joined Culpo and McCaffrey in criticizing Bingham for.her “hurtful” comments about someone’s wedding day, others agreed with her lack of enthusiasm for Culpo’s dress or her distaste for the model’s comments to Vogue.
On TikTok, someone told Bingham, “Yes call her out!”
“All she needed to say was she was looking for something simple and modest but she had to make it all righteous,” someone else said, while another pointed out that the dress was not appropriate for the setting — “a coastal town in the summer. You’re spot on with your assessment.”
In the end, Culpo followed a current bridal trend for her wedding day. She changed her outfit multiple times, wearing a different white dress to the dinner reception and yet another outfit for a raucous-looking after-party. And, according to images Culpo posted on her Instagram, she eschewed modesty for her after-party look, donning a silk bodysuit with bustier top and a “mini-cage” skirt, which allowed her to show cleavage, shoulders and legs.
“I actually liked the after-party dress the most because the other two were so underwhelming,” someone told Bingham on her TikTok. But the revealing nature of the after-party dress left this person “confused, with the comments she made.”