When Princess Diana stepped out in that LBD mere hours before her ex-husband would publicly confess to his adultery, she became the face of a sartorial phenomenon that had long existed in the wardrobes of women everywhere. All plunging neckline and slitted up-to-there, Diana’s Christina Stambolian number broke royal dress codes and stirred the ravenous British press into a frenzy; the tabloids gave the look a name: “the revenge dress.”
To make an analogy, the revenge dress is the breakup anthem of wardrobe options. Always worn in the wake of a recent split, the revenge dress says, “you could have had a bad girl by your side”; it says, “thank you, next”; and, in the case of revenge dress proponent Miley Cyrus, it says, “I can love me better than you can.” Dark, devastating and, oftentimes, more than a little revealing, the revenge dress telegraphs: “I’m hot, I’m fabulous and I’m living my best life without you.” From Diana’s eternal LBD to Miley’s gilded YSL gown, we look back at some of the most iconic revenge dresses of all time.
Princess Diana, 1994
This is it, the dress that started it all. Nearly three decades since it first graced tabloids, Diana’s plunging LBD remains the most iconic revenge dress of all time. Diana and ex-husband Prince Charles had been divorced for nearly three years when she stepped out in this devastating Christina Stambolian number at a 1994 Vanity Fair party. The moment coincided, almost down to the hour, with the broadcast of Charles’ tell-all documentary, in which he would confess to his rumored affair with Camilla Shand. Naturally, the look stirred up a frenzy within the gossip-hungry British press, who gave the look a name: “the revenge dress.” The rest is fashion history.
Mariah Carey, 1997
Months after her separation from controlling ex-husband and Columbia Records-head Tommy Mottola, Mariah Carey stepped out at the VMAs in this stunning, thigh-bearing two-piece. Speaking to the control Mottola leveraged over her career and image, the singer told Cosmo in 2019, “There was a conscious effort to keep me as this all-American, whatever that means, girl. It was very controlled. There was no freedom for me as a human being.” The look marked not only her split with Tommy, but a new and empowered era of dressing for the popstar. Now, Mariah was in charge of her own image: out were the girlish cardigans and mom jeans and in were the leather bustiers, micro miniskirts and slinky Versace dresses that would make her a 90s fashion icon.
Elizabeth Hurley, 2000
From Versace safe-pins to the house’s glittering chainmail, actress Elizabeth Hurley is no stranger to a jaw-dropping red carpet moment. And her revenge look, this plunging Valentino gown, was no less stunning. While the look might not meet all the necessary criteria for a revenge dress (Liz and Hugh split amicably and have remained friends since), it’s just too stunning to discount.
Britney Spears, 2002
Britney Spears and then-beau Justin Timberlake were basically inseparable during the press tour for Brit’s acting debut in Crossroads, so fans knew something was up when she stepped out at the film’s London premiere without him on her arm. It turns out the two had split earlier that month, with Justin allegedly ending their relationship via a two-word text message. Britney recalled the breakup in her newly-released memoir, writing, “After seeing the message as I sat in my trailer in between takes, I had to go back out and dance.” Or step out in a killer silver mini dress!
Reese Witherspoon, 2007
Not every revenge dress needs to be black. Or fiery red. Or sheer, for that matter. After her split with husband Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon took to the Golden Globes red carpet in a revenge dress every bit as sunny and effervescent as the actor herself. The yellow brocade minidress was designed by Olivia Theyskens for Nina Ricci. While the look wasn’t as sultry or sexy as other revenge dresses of note, it did signal the turning-of-a-new-leaf for Reese. Soon after Harper’s Bazaar profiled her for their April 2007 cover story with the headline “Reese as you’ve never seen her before.” In the article, Reese spoke of the now-infamous Golden Globes appearance, saying, “I felt like I looked different than I’ve ever looked. I don’t know why. I just did.”
Bella Hadid, 2017
What do you wear when you know you’ll be running into your ex and his new girlfriend for the first time? If you’re Bella Hadid: a sheer catsuit. Months after splitting with longtime boyfriend The Weeknd, Bella took to the Met Gala red carpet, where she’d be seeing her ex and new girlfriend Selena Gomez, in one of her most daring looks to date. Designed by friend Alexander Wang, this mesh catsuit featured dazzling beadwork and the lowest of low backs. “If there’s any event that you’re going to be daring at, it’s the Met,” Bella told Harper’s Bazaar of the statement-making look.
Selena Gomez, 2017
Of course, the revenge dress is engineered to make your ex feel sorry. But sometimes it has the power to make them seriously reconsider. Or, at least, that was the case for Selena Gomez in 2017. After breaking up with The Weeknd, the singer stepped out at the InStyle Awards wearing this short-and-sexy number from Jacquemus’ ultra-sultry La Bomba collection. Soon after the event, Selena was spotted with prior ex Justin Beiber — not even the dress’s likely intended target. That’s one powerful LBD.
Zoë Kravitz, 2021
Today, the naked dress seems the obvious choice when it comes to revenge dressing. And that’s exactly what actress Zoë Kravitz donned to the 2021 Met Gala, mere weeks after the finalization of her divorce from ex Karl Gusman. The actress accessorized the diamante chainmail gown with a matching thong and some arm candy: new beau Channing Tatum.
Julia Fox, 2022
Sometimes a dress merely plays a role in a larger revenge moment. The day after her breakup with Kanye West, Julia Fox made her NYFW runway debut at Laquan Smith’s AW22 show. The moment, bolstered by the devastating cut-out dress she donned, cemented Julia’s status as one of the decade’s foremost fashion icons on her own terms and without any affiliation with the disgraced rapper, thank you very much!
Taylor Swift, 2022
On Midnights’ “Vigilante Shit”, Taylor Swift herself said lately she’s been dressing for revenge. But sometimes a revenge dress has nothing to do with an ex. At the 2022 VMAs – the night she would announce the aforementioned upcoming album – Taylor Swift clapped back at Kanye West, who interrupted the singer’s first-ever VMA win thirteen years prior. With a slinky, sexy upgrade of the silver gown she wore on the infamous night-in-question, the singer scooped yet another VMA, this time, uninterrupted and unbothered.
Olivia Wilde, 2023
Not in recent memory has a Hollywood production been so rife with drama as 2022’s Don’t Worry Darling. From the early days of its production through to its high-profile promotion, the film had it all: feuds, firings, love triangles, leaked texts, publically-served custody papers, a recipe for a special salad dressing and even a revenge dress. That’s right, after splitting with paramour and Don’t Worry Darling lead Harry Styles, director Olivia Wilde took to the People’s Choice Awards to accept an award for the film wearing a see-through lace dress from Dior’s Resort 2023 collection. Followers of the film’s drama were quick to label the number a “revenge dress”, while Olivia’s stylist was quick to dismiss the claims as misogynistic, writing on her Instagram story: “What’s revenge? We dress for the fucking matriarchy.”
Ariana Madix, 2023
From the big to the small screen, 2023 more than delivered on the celebrity scandal — and revenge dress — front. While Don’t Worry Darling was giving us big-name Hollywood drama, the Bravoverse was keeping us glued to our TV screens with #scandoval, which saw the split of long-time Vanderpump Rules couple Ariana Madix and Tom Sandoval over an affair between the latter and co-star Raquel Leviss. The drama came to a head at the show’s Season 10 reunion, where Ariana Madix served red-hot revenge in this attention-grabbing, red-hot two piece.
Miley Cyrus, 2023
From love nest villas to repurposed tuxedos, much has been speculated over Miley Cyrus’ recent breakup anthem “Flowers,” which, fans allege, was written about the singer’s ex-husband Liam Hemsworth. Although many such theories have amounted to pure fabrication, there’s absolutely no doubt that Miley served up some serious revenge looks in the single’s accompanying video. In the clip, Miley shimmies through the Hollywood Hills in a gilded YSL gown, crooning, “I can take myself dancing and I can hold my own hand. I can love me better than you can.” The look, the song, the moment: the whole of it is cool, sexy, the epitome of unbothered. And if that all doesn’t doesn’t capture the essence of the revenge dress, then I don’t know what does.