THE RETURN OF THE BANDAGE DRESS

You might think that the bandage dress is peak 00s nostalgia, but in the 00s it was peak 80s nostalgia, and at that time it was the peak of technological innovation. Designers like Azzedine Alaïa and Hervé Léger made bandage dresses from strips of super-stretchy, knitted fabric (hence the ‘bandage’ nickname) that had a sculpting, bodycon effect. They were tight, short and undeniably glamorous. No wonder Grace Jones and Naomi Campbell were fans.

So is the bandage dress back? We say yes, and brands like House of CB and Kaiia would also like a word. Senior Editorial Manager Jazmin Duribe says, 'The bandage dress is having a real full-circle moment, and I'm here for it. This time round I'm going to lean into more simple styling – think simple hoop earrings and a cinched blazer.'

The bandage dress is proof that the simplest things can have the biggest impact, so keeping the look minimal will draw more eyes to you. The little black dress may be a classic, but the red bandage dress is snapping at its heels in the style stakes. Choose a simple palette – think one or two colours – and let the dress do the talking. Want to take golden hour to the max this summer? Pick metallic silver or gold. But if you’re not ready for the full bandage fantasy, you can still opt in. Go for a midi dress instead of a mini, or balance a bandage-style bodice with a floaty skirt.

 

GET THE LOOK:

Vesper bengaline halterneck bodycon mini dress in purple, £66
ASOS DESIGN bandage halterneck mini dress in black, £42
House of CB The og silver bandage maxi dress in silver, £179
Kaiia exclusive halterneck sweetheart neckline bandage midaxi dress in red, £40