The body con dress is staging a comeback
As we make preparations to reemerge from hibernation, so too does this flirty ’90s icon.
Tight, bright and a fight, historically, to climb into — the bodycon dress might have been the furthest thing from locked down minds but there it was, back again to thrill or torment (depending on your point of view).
At Copenhagen Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2022, which unfolded in the Danish capital over the past weekend, the notoriously figure-hugging design was adhering to the silhouettes of women on the runway, in the front row and on the street.
Wherever we spied it, the message was resounding: the body con is staging another comeback tour.
Take note, however, this is not the same version of bodycon — the name a contraction of body-conscious — made famous in the nineties by French designer Hervé Léger. Nor is it the skintight high street ‘bandage’ dress peddled by Kookai, the Paris-born fashion label that became popular with Australian women in the late 1990s and approached critical mass in the mid-2000s.
Perhaps in keeping with the fashion industry’s push towards greater size inclusivity, the 2021 bodycon is more approachable than its predecessors.
On the runway at Copenhagen Fashion Week, Ganni, a Danish brand whose quirky designs are beloved by ‘It girl’ celebrities including American YouTuber Emma Chamberlain and singer Selena Gomez, debuted longer, slinkier versions of the dress in ruched fabric, which tends to be more forgiving than Léger’s spandex.
Fellow Scandi brand A.Roege Hove presented bodycon dresses cut from gently pleated fabrics, which achieved the effect of caressing, rather than constricting, the body.
The most translatable articulation of the trend, though, was paraded around on the streets. It comes as something of a surprise, given Scandinavian women made the demure “milkmaid” dress covetable. But the trade has been made, and voluminous shapes are being switched out for something tighter (but no less brighter). And it’s not just an after-dark outfit. Pairing a bodycon dress with an oversized blazer and chunky boots or sneakers appears key to making the look work during the day.
At Copenhagen, the body-skimming dress was certainly pervasive. But it’s been threatening to re-emerge for a few seasons now. Recent collections from Versace and Jacquemus — the buzzy French brand that found notoriety with its cleverly proportioned accessories — have featured body con dresses in bold, colour-blocked shades.
Closer to home, Sydney-based brand Holiday the Label – which counts supermodels Hailey Bieber and Gigi Hadid among its clientele – has found immense success with bodycon styles. The brand’s new “knitwear” collection features a handful of mini dresses that are designed to grip the body gently. A thicker, woven cotton-blend fabric with subtle stretch means the wearer feels sculpted and secure.
Like all trends, the body con dress won’t win everyone over. The news of its return could come as an affront to those not yet ready to contemplate the outside world. But that day will surely come.
For others, the time couldn’t be more ripe for the flirtatious style to make a return as consecutive months spent in lockdown cause many to romanticise the reopening of society and the festivities it will bring. While it’s still not clear when that will happen, procuring a party dress that reacquaints you with the contours of your body could be the perfect way to make the following statement: I’m ready to purge my wardrobe of sweats.
Amy Campbell is a features writer for Vogue and GQ Australia
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