Tracee Ellis Ross has made her share of fashion headlines in the 35 years since she walked Mugler's Spring 1991 runway with her mom, Diana Ross. None of those involved making another trip down a catwalk until her debut on Marni's Fall 2025 runway at Milan Fashion Week, however.
The Black-ish actress was the literal highlight of the Feb. 26 runway in a Sharpie-yellow gown. A high neckline and long sleeves swathed Ross in a sunshine shade, punctuated by jagged black stripes (embroidered with beads) and a white accent stripe in between. She carried a strip of yellow chiffon fabric in one hand with a wine-red manicure, matched to her burgundy lipstick.
Tracee Ellis Ross backstage at the Fall 2025 Marni show, where she wore a bright yellow dress.
The look was night-and-day different from the last outfits Tracee Ellis Ross wore at Milan Fashion Week. Teasing her big runway return on Instagram the night before, Ross posted clips where she modeled a corseted Mugler top and mini skirt, followed by skintight leather pants and a caged diamond top.
"I have to say…..looking back, I’m amazed by my confidence the second time around...you betta werk 19 year old TER," the actress wrote. Little did her followers know, the 52-year-old would be back again the following day.
Of all the runways Tracee Ellis Ross could walk for the Fall 2025 season, Marni's show at Milan Fashion Week was a sentimental fit. Ross is close friends with creative director Francesco Risso and frequently wears his designs. According to Vogue, a casual conversation led to Rossi casting his pal in the runway show just a few weeks ago. "His clothes and shows are always a beautiful expression of his work and virtuosity, so it felt exciting," Ross told the outlet.
Ross accepts a hug backstage from Marni creative director Francesco Risso.
Ross added that her buzzy yellow dress made her feel like a "foxy wolf"—and helped her connect to a part of herself she hadn't seen in decades. “It completely brings me back to my first love. I love the process: The fittings, all of the amazing artists, and the clothes—always the clothes," she told Vogue. "It was fun to rediscover my model legs.”
