An act of empowerment or pettiness? Call it what you want but we’ll be strutting around in these gorgeous revenge dresses, no questions asked.
It may be the season of love but if you’re going through a breakup, Valentine’s Day gifts and dinners are just, yuck. Enter revenge fashion. What’s revenge dressing, you ask? It’s a nod to the final stage of a breakup – acceptance – and channelling all that negative energy into your most confident self. Over the years, celebrities have debuted some of the best revenge looks and we’re so here for it. The trick is to channel a modern LBD that’ll make your ex do a double take. But if you’re not into black, we’ve got other chic and sultry looks in the mix.
Give the middle finger to your ex with revenge dresses
1. Princess Diana
We kickstart the list with the pioneer who brought the revenge dress to life. Princess D’s iconic off-shoulder black Christina Stambolian dress paired with a stunning pearl, sapphire and diamond choker necklace grabbed eyeballs and headlines back in 1994. Even better that she donned this look on the day then-Prince Charles publicly discussed his affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles.
2. Bella Hadid
The fashionista made heads turn with a bejewelled black lace body suit at the 2017 Met Gala. The tea was piping hot ‘cos her ex-boyfriend The Weeknd and his new flame Selena Gomez attended the event as a couple. Oh, the drama!
3. Mariah Carey
During the MTV Video Music Awards in 1997, Mariah Carey debuted a va-va-voom black two-piece top and skirt with a slit as high as her singing octaves. This was following her separation from her ex-husband Tommy Mottola, who allegedly controlled her style for years. We’re glad that’s over ‘cos we can’t imagine Mariah in any other way than her confident, sensual self.
4. Taylor Swift
Revenge dressing doesn’t have to be limited to breakups. During the promotion for her studio album Midnights, Taylor Swift was ‘dressing for revenge’. She said it so herself in her track titled ‘Vigilante Shit’. Fans gathered receipts that the song is allegedly about her former manager Scooter Braun. He bought the rights to her first six albums, which meant she couldn’t perform the songs without her former label’s permission.
It all escalated when Scooter sold the master rights of the albums at a whopping $300 million, resulting in a long legal battle with Swift. The pop star gave a middle finger to the record label by rereleasing her songs, better known as ‘The Taylor Version’. During this time, Taylor donned a medley of chic revenge fashion.
5. Jennifer Aniston
There’s no one who pulls off the LBD quite like Jennifer Aniston. She’s worn multiple black dress variations over the years. But one of her best is this navy blue cut-out dress with a plunging neckline that she wore to the 2003 Screen Actors Guild awards. And yup, you guessed it right – it was after her high-profile breakup with ex-husband Brad Pitt. Or you can do it the cheeky way and wear your birthday suit like her movie character in The Break Up.
6. Selena Gomez
Who says your revenge dress is limited to black? Take Selena’s cue – she brought us this show-stopping blue sequin gown at the 2016 Grammy Awards after her breakup with Justin Bieber.
7. Reese Witherspoon
This bright canary yellow number from Reese Witherspoon is giving us modern Belle from Beauty and the Beast vibes and we’re here for it. She wore it to the 2007 Golden Globes – the first red carpet event after her split with Ryan Phillippe.
So, how will you be dressing up for revenge?
