From Brigitte Bardot to Jane Birkin via Marilyn Monroe, the babydoll dress has enhanced the silhouette of the greatest fashion icons. Six decades later, she is making her comeback to the forefront. Already last spring with the “dollcore” trend, this piece was revisited for the occasion with a kitsch and girly twist. Then on the red carpet or the catwalks of New York Fashion Week, under the leadership of the biggest luxury houses. A trend that has not gone unnoticed…
Mythical dress born at the end of the 1950s
It is easily recognized: Short, loose, and light. The babydoll dress is subtly flared, taking the shape of a trapezoid, and is generally worn decorated with psychedelic patterns, with high heeled boots.
It is the film “Baby Doll” by Elia Kazan, in which Carroll Baker is dressed in a slightly flared mini-dress, close to a piece of lingerie, which marks the debut of this model, in 1956. But its success will take place two years later, under the leadership of visionary fashion designer Cristobal Balenciaga. Brigitte Bardot, Jane Birkin, Marilyn Monroe, and even Françoise Hardy exhibited it in all the prints and shades possible and imaginable, symbolizing a decade placed under the sign of freedom and carefreeness.
Today, she appears on the red carpets. Lily-Rose Depp in Cannes, Anya Taylor-Joy at the BAFTA 2023, Jenna Ortega in a dark version at the Met Gala, are reinforcing the craze around this garment. On social networks, success is also there with more than 40 million views for the hashtag #babydolldress.
A more modern and refined reinterpretation of the baby doll dress
But it is the biggest fashion houses that have finally endorsed the return of the babydoll dress to New York Fashion Week. The icon of the sixties has lost none of its initial characteristics, notably its characteristic trapezoid shape, but is revealed in a new, modern and minimalist light. Gone are the psychedelic prints, make way for plain dresses, available in sober shades, most of the time, as at Tory Burch, Aknvas, or even Michael Kors, and in various materials such as lace, tulle, mesh, or satin. So many proposals that should delight as many people as possible.
Note that Carolina Herrera is undoubtedly the house that has remained most faithful to the original model, whether in the cuts or the colors and patterns offered. We notably find the babydoll dress in an ultra-bright vibrant yellow, or covered in flowers or polka dots, for a total look inspired by the sixties. No matter how it is displayed, the babydoll dress is ready to reestablish itself in women’s wardrobes, signaling the return of a wardrobe dedicated to femininity and lightness.