The 15 Most Talked-About Dresses of 2021
Exquisiteness abounded on the red carpet in 2021, with stars making up for lost time in front of the cameras. These were not your ordinary princess dresses, but tumbling frothy confections that paid homage to Hollywood icons of yore, statuesque gowns delivering political statements, and bulletproof looks that made their own kind of history. Here, the 15 dresses that defined the year.
Todd Williamson/NBC1/15Cynthia Erivo in Valentino haute couture
Erivo gave the semi-digitized awards season the finger by wearing retina-searing Valentino couture to the Golden Globes. The sculptural highlighter green gown spelled out the fact nothing would ruin her red carpet fun this year, with her monster platforms adding to the kick-ass effect. The message? Do not mess with this die-hard fashion fan.
Scott Garfitt/Shutterstock for BAFTA2/15Michaela Coel in Maximilian
Coel swept the TV BAFTAs in an original look by London’s rising star, Maximilian Davis. The statuesque dress featuring a dramatic back strip, which was inspired by the Trinidad highways the designer’s taxi driver parents motored along during his childhood, was one of the first pieces Davis made in his bedroom before he applied for Fashion East. It was also the first time Coel had allowed a designer to make her a custom dress, usually preferring pieces she or her mother had made. It was a momentous occasion for all involved.
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Mike Coppola3/15Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in Brother Vellies
AOC made a splash during her first Met gala appearance, wearing a white Brother Vellies gown emblazoned with the political message: “Tax the rich.” The look went viral as the Democratic-Socialist congresswoman hammered home her belief that “the time is now for childcare, healthcare, and climate action for all.” A truly excellent example of using fashion as a platform for change.
Photo: Getty Images4/15Lady Gaga in Schiaparelli haute couture
Ushering US President 45 out and 46 in wearing a bulletproof Schiaparelli gown was one of the proudest days of Lady Gaga’s life. “I don’t know if people know this about me, but if I weren’t who I am today, I would have been a combat journalist,” she told British Vogue of her momentous date at the Capitol. The gilded dove of peace brooch Gaga chose to adorn her bespoke look spoke a thousand words about what this inauguration meant to the American nation watching.
Instagram / @violadavis, Shamar Benoit5/15Viola Davis in Lavie by CK
“Viola wanted a designer who spoke to her specifically as a Black woman,” Davis’s stylist Elizabeth Stewart told British Vogue of the actor’s Golden Globes look: a Lavie by CK dress celebrating the transportive quality of Cameroon’s prints. “It’s all about rethinking glamour and couture on the red carpet in the age of diversity and inclusivity.” The gown was specifically inspired by African royalty and, as Stewart said, Davis is Hollywood royalty.