Christina Aguilera revives Dirrty look at Portola Festival
The pop icon re-creates her iconic chaps and bedazzled bodysuit on stage, two decades after Dirrty’s release.
Christina Aguilera revived her iconic Dirrty era look during a Saturday performance at San Francisco's Portola Festival, delivering the fan-favorite track more than 20 years after its release. The 44-year-old singer took the stage in a bedazzled black bodysuit paired with silver chaps and fishnet tights, finished with silver jewelry, sunglasses and long, straight blonde hair.
The outfit, described as an elevated version of the Dirrty video's sultry aesthetic, echoed the era's signature touches such as leather chaps, a low-rise silhouette and body chains. It was not immediately clear whether she worked with costume designer Trish Summerville on this revival; Summerville helped shape many of Aguilera's Dirrty-era looks.
Beyond the Portola moment, Aguilera's Dirrty era is widely recognized for its fashion impact. In 2022, she told Vogue that her collaboration with Summerville was among her favorites and that the era represented her stepping out of her shell. Aguilera said, "I was starting to be out of my shell a little bit… That was me coming into expressing who I was."
Pop culture has kept the look alive. Kylie Jenner has channeled Dirrty's vibe for Halloween, donning a barely-there scarf-top ensemble inspired by the video in 2016 and again in 2021; the look included a vintage gown covered with portraits from Jean Paul Gaultier. The top, a status symbol of the moment, retailed for $1,995. Jenner's homage to Aguilera came via Jean Paul Gaultier and the scant top was part of a vintage gown with colorful portraits. The moment underscored how the Dirrty era continues to influence runways and red carpets.
Aguilera has not limited her nostalgia to music videos. In July, she resurrected the iconic green lace-up corset dress she modeled in a Versace ad campaign 22 years ago, wearing the vintage number, which features a handkerchief hem, to attend Burlesque: The Musical, a stage adaptation of the 2010 film Burlesque. This revival reflected not only a personal fashion line but also the enduring partnership between Aguilera and the Italian fashion house.
This ongoing revival pattern underscores Aguilera's role as a living link to early-aughts style, a period when fashion, music and performance often intersected in daring, boundary-pushing looks. The collaboration and cultural resonance surrounding her Dirrty era remain part of her public narrative, reinforcing her status as a fashion-forward performer whose archival pieces still spark conversation today.
