Hooded Gowns Are Having A Moment This Fall
In what feels like a blast from the past of the '70s "I Dream of Jeannie" and '80s Grace Jones, this cozy season has somehow found a way to get cozier. From Katie Holmes in an all-black Tom Ford look in New York to Tessa Thompson dripping in a black beaded gown at the Venice Film Festival, the hooded dress is clearly having a moment. Though the hoods seem to be picking up steam, the trend can be seen starting at the top of the year with trendsetter Rihanna wearing a custom red leather hooded coat dress by Alaïa while pregnant in early February 2022 (via Instagram).
Rihanna's red riding hood look is not a new stunt for the brand. It's thanks to this brand that we've seen the iconic high-priestess silhouette draping legends like Grace Jones in the '80s and are seeing a revamp on the runway now. With more and more celebrities choosing sleek seduction on the red carpet, we're sure to see more versions of the hooded dress manifest throughout this fall and winter.
Hooded dresses are happening everywhere
Just within the past few weeks alone, dozens of hooded dresses have been spotted. At the 2022 Women in Film Honors, Olivia Wilde was seen in a stunning Yves Saint Laurent hooded dress cutout, per Hello! Magazine, while Bella Hadid chose red for a charity show in Qatar, according to the Daily Mail. Actor Michaela Coel also wore a custom Ferragamo sleeveless hooded dress that glimmered and sparkled black diamonds at the "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" premiere (via Instagram).
In an avant-garde take on the silhouette, Lori Harvey wore the late Virgil Abloh's Off-White wedding-inspired dress to a Baby2Baby Gala (via Instagram). The piercing white balaclava headpiece transformed into a sporty form-fitting bodycon dress that felt both futuristic and exotic. More and more designers are also sending hooded dresses down the runway with draping hood connoisseurs Alaïa presenting hood silhouettes in its spring shows along and Tom Ford creating more silk hooded jackets and dresses.
The trend first took off in the '80s
Known for her innovative looks, bold behavior, and gender-non-conforming fashion, Grace Jones is a symbol of powerful femininity. Her hooded look as May Day in the 1985 Bond classic "A View To Kill" became one of her signature looks and put North African designer Azzedine Alaïa on the map (via Dazed). Born in Tunisia, Alaïa's designs became a marriage of Eastern and Western styles that gave honor to the covered women of his home.
Other designers like Yves Saint Laurent have also been draping their models with hooded dresses since 1969. Due to the success of this style, the brand renovated and reintroduced the designs in the late '80s and even one last time in 2002 (via The Guardian). Dripping in gold lamé and metallic silks, the hooded dresses moved with grace and poise down runways, creating an air of holy sanctity and divine femininity. Now in the age of Y2K nostalgia and modernism, the hooded dress offers us a soft relief from post-apocalyptic fashion and feels like a runway prayer.