It's time to unzip all the details. What happens to Vanna White's dresses?
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What Happens to All Those Dresses Vanna White Wears on Wheel of Fortune?
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TV stars come and go, but a particularly sparkly one has been a nightly presence since December 1982: Vanna White, on Wheel of Fortune. White’s official job, of course, is to reveal all the letters on each puzzle, but she’s the first to admit her fashion is the real draw. “People love watching what I’m wearing,” she said in 2024 Parade interview. “I’ve worn over 8,000 outfits.” Seriously? Are all those gowns at home, jammed into an overstuffed, mothball-filled closet? And if not, what happens to Vanna White’s dresses when she’s not wearing them?
The beloved hostess ushered in a new era of the classic and often-hilarious game show when new host Ryan Seacrest officially stepped in to replace Pat Sajak at the start of its 42nd season in 2024. And she shows no signs of slowing down (or wearing pants).
Reader’s Digest spins the fashion wheel to get to the bottom of the enduring mystery of what happens to Vanna White’s dresses when the cameras shut off. Here’s the step-by-step rundown—no need to buy a vowel.
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Where does she get the dresses?
The glam process begins with designers sending veteran Wheel of Fortune costumer Kathi Nishimoto lookbooks—aka collections of images—full of gowns fit for a TV queen. Nishimoto then requests styles and colors she wants to see in person. The dresses arrive by the dozens, and they go to White for a fitting. White and Nishimoto confer and eliminate gowns until they arrive at a smaller number (usually about 12 for for two weeks of shooting).
“The biggest challenge was to just get her to [be vocal about dresses she doesn’t like] because she is so nice, she doesn’t want to say no to anybody,” Nishimoto said in a 2017 interview. Strapless dresses are a no-no, as they require too much tugging at the top when White moves around the puzzle board.
What happens to the dresses after each taping?
They go back to the designers. The Wheel of Fortune crew typically films six episodes per production day, and White wears a new dress for every episode. (Fun fact: An entire season takes 35 shoots per year, in increments of four days a month.) White has her outfit changes down to three minutes, and after the dresses are whisked off between takes, they’re promptly documented and sent right back to the designers, who receive an on-air credit.
But that doesn’t mean she never sees those frocks again. “Sometimes the designers let me borrow them for an event or an awards show,” she told Parade.
Has she ever worn the same dress twice?
Surprisingly, the answer is yes! The Wheel of Fortune wardrobe team had put her in a different dress for every single show until her streak ended in September 2020, when she wore the same blue gown twice in one week. As she noted on a Wheel of Fortune Facebook video, that was the first time she had worn a previous dress in her entire Wheel career.
The duplicate was chalked up to a production error, and an eagle-eyed fan actually pointed out the discrepancy.
What about the shoes?
Although her dresses belong to the designers, the heels are mostly her own. (Their familiarity is a major help when prancing across the stage.) In 2018, she explained which ones make her head over heels: “The ones that have platforms in the front. Guess makes good ones,” White said. “They’re high heels, but they have a 2-inch platform in the front, so it’s almost like you’re walking on 3-inch heels and not 5-inch heels. I probably have more Guess shoes than any other.”
So what does she wear off-camera?
Basically, the opposite of an evening gown. In fact, White says she prefers lounging in a casual sweatshirt, jeans and sneakers. And no, she doesn’t get her hair and makeup professionally done before she leaves the house.
Even if Vanna can’t keep the gowns, where I can see them all?
Good news! White’s profile page on the Wheel website shows off photos of White’s dress from each episode. The show has also created a Pinterest board compiling the pics. Fans can even vote for their favorite Vanna look for the upcoming week.
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Sources:
- Collider: “The Day Wheel of Fortune’s Vanna White Did the Unthinkable”
- Glamour: “Vanna White Has the Greatest Job in the World—And She Knows It”
- Parade: “Vanna White Opens Up About Her 40-Year Gig: ‘I’m Not Playing a Character. I Am Who I Am'”
- People: “Vanna White Has Worn More Than 6,500 Gowns in Her 35 Years on ‘Wheel of Fortune’—Without a Single Repeat”
- Pinterest: “Vanna White’s Dresses”
- Today: “Vanna White on Trends She ‘Can’t Believe’ She Wore—And Her Favorite Gown”
- Wheel of Fortune: “Vanna White”
