Our faves have Ms. Riding Hood shaking in her boots. In 2022, hooded dresses have steadily been regaining popularity, with multiple high fashion brands opting to include a hooded element into their designs. You’ll have seen the look on celebrities like Rihanna, Beyoncé, and Janelle Monae, in addition to your pals who know that comfort never goes out of fashion.
While the gowns have a definite cultural history that dates back centuries, modern figures are adopting the trend. But why?
“The hooded dress trend comes from the nostalgia of the ‘80s when we expect of Grace Jones in the long-lasting hooded Alaïa pieces,” Amani Saab, the co-founder of an eponymous clothing label, tells ESSENCE via email. Saab’s online store hosts multiple hooded gowns, mini dresses and a bejeweled, cropped hoodie.
“Hooded dresses are daring, celebratory and lavish, which could be very much within the spirit of maximalism, drama and perfectly encapsulates the party season,” she also says.
Throughout the ages, hoods have been worn for multitude of reasons, including religious ones. “Head coverings are utilized in many religions as an emblem of respect to 1’s own faith,” Saab tells us. It’s an expression of 1’s cultural identity and to see it being more normalized, it represents a celebration of identity and evokes a re-defined sense of freedom and empowerment.”
In medieval Europe, monks and other clergy members kept their heads covered with garments. Monks specifically wore hooded cowls to block out distractions during prayer. In the course of the Renaissance, hoods gained popularity among the many wealthy, who transformed them right into a luxury item. The dresses were often constructed from wealthy fabrics, resembling velvet and taffeta, and were decorated with intricate embroidery and beading.
Hooded dresses became popular in America during World War II. In January 2013, researcher and self-described “vintage sewing enthusiast” Debi Fry launched “The 1940 McCall” project, wherein she recreated dresses from McCall’s, a women’s magazine that included sewing patterns, in 1940. Among the many designs was a mid-length dress called “the famous hooded princess dress.” The unique print commercial for the pattern reads: “There are three things here of utmost fashion importance–the hood, shown on a dress for the primary time, the massive pockets, which you see in all places, and..the return of the fly closing. Not only is that this princess dress smart in light-weight wool with its hood lined with printed crepe, nevertheless it’s being made all of print, too. The hooded printed dress is something as recent and as fresh as tomorrow morning.”
In her 2013 blog post, Fry notes that in her research, she didn’t come across hooded dresses prior to 1940.
Hooded dresses surged in popularity within the Nineteen Eighties with the assistance of Grace Jones in 1985’s A View to a Kill. For Azzedine Alaïa’s Spring/Summer 1986 high fashion show, Jones wore a satin, pink hooded gown on the runway. Her hooded gowns were often designed by Alaïa, quickly identifiable by the daring and colourful fabrics, which only added to Jones’ unique image. She often paired them with other statement beauty selections and pieces, resembling daring, vivid makeup and towering heels, helping craft a Jones’ signature confident, yet mysterious look.
Though Jones is thought for several memorable fashion moments, the hooded dress, specifically, has turn into related to Jones and her signature style, making it essential for anyone trying to emulate her look.
In recent times, the trend has one more return, and it’s only evolved in execution and grown in popularity. Today, hooded dresses may be present in a wide selection of styles, from elegant and romantic to edgy and modern.
Not all hooded gowns have been controversy-free. In 2012, Nicki Minaj wore a vivid red, custom Versace gown to the Grammy Awards. The ensemble was met with backlash because she brought along a person dressed because the Pope. Kelly Osbourne referred to the outfit because the “egg moment of the yr,” calling back to Lady Gaga’s showstopping 2011 arrival on the Grammys in a big, translucent egg.
In 2014, Rihanna hit Los Angeles Airport in a sporty, barely oversized DKNY dress. Six years later, she wore a marigold hoodie dress from her since-shuttered fashion house, Fenty. She also incorporated a red, vinyl hooded coat dress into her maternity wear, sporting Savage x Fenty during a surprise visit to Los Angeles’ Savage x Fenty store.
Janelle Monáe has embraced the trend, too. She first wore an elegant silver hooded dress designed by Ralph Lauren to the 2020 Oscars. She then wore one other Ralph Lauren-designed gown with a hood in 2022 on the Met Gala.
ESSENCE cover star Lori Harvey is one other adopter of the style, wearing a terry cloth hooded dress for the August 2022 premiere of Netflix’s “Me Time” and a burgundy SS 1984 Alaia dress for Beyoncé’s Tiffany & Co. party this past October. She then modeled Off-White’s 3-piece modern bridal dress for the Baby2Baby gala the next month.
Beyoncé has been seen wearing a hooded dress this yr as well, for her Paris Fashion Week after-party. The maroon dress was designed by Anthony Vaccarello for SS 2023 Saint Laurent.
The resurgence of hooded dresses each on and off the runway has led to a rise within the variety of designers and retailers offering their very own iterations of the garment. These range from high-end couture pieces to more cost-effective, mass-produced options found at on a regular basis retailers. Some are more casual and run for lower than $15 resembling this hooded dress from Shein. Others are higher suited to an evening out and price $200, like this hooded dress from Karen Milen.
Get cozy, literally, since the hooded dress trend is just not fading away anytime soon, either. Saab just hopes it’s a mode selection that becomes more infused with intention. “I do think we’ll proceed to see the trend in 2023, hopefully showing more meaning and value behind the style moderately than a trend,” Saab notes. “Representation of the hood creates more awareness and inclusivity for cultural acceptance.”
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